Ronald E. Doel teaches the history of science and technology, as well as environmental policy.

He received a B.A. from Northwestern University, an M.A. (American Studies) from Bowling Green State University, and a Ph.D. (History) from Princeton University (1990). He published his first book with the Cambridge University Press, and co-edited two other books; he has published more than three dozen book chapters and articles, including in Osiris, Centaurus, Journal for the History of Astronomy, Intelligence and National Security, and The Journal of Historical Geography. His work has been supported by grants from the European Science Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Carlsberg Foundation, and the Center for History of Physics of the American Institute of Physics; his visiting appointments include research and writing fellowships at the Smithsonian Institution, the University of Utah, Aarhus University (Denmark) and the Rachel Carson Center (Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany), as well as a teaching fellowship at the University of Canterbury (Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research, Christchurch, New Zealand). His research includes over one hundred transcribed oral history interviews that he led with natural scientists, administrators, and others whose lives intersected with the practice of modern science.

Currently he is writing several new books. One explores the rise of the physical environmental sciences in America, including how U.S. military patronage shaped earth sciences research during the Cold War.

Prior to arriving at Florida State University in 2008, Doel taught at Oregon State University (Department of History and Department of Geosciences) and at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; he also taught at Georgetown University, George Washington University, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.