He initially studied at
Karlsschule Stuttgart, then furthered his education at the
University of Göttingen (1786–88), where he had as instructors
Johann Friedrich Blumenbach,
Johann Friedrich Gmelin and
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. Afterwards, he returned to Karlsschule
Stuttgart, where in 1792 he was appointed professor of
chemistry. In 1796 he became a professor of chemistry and
botany at the
University of Tübingen, where he established the
Botanischer Garten der Universität Tübingen in 1804. In 1816 he returned to Stuttgart as scientific director of the royal library,
botanical garden, et al. He died in Stuttgart. Kielmeyer was a pioneer of
Naturphilosophie and was an important influence on the career of
philosopher Friedrich Schelling. He was a prominent figure in pre-Darwinian evolutionary science, being remembered for development of an early theory of biological
recapitulation--the idea that embryos pass through developmental stages that reflect their "primitive ancestors". He published little in his lifetime, and much of what is known about his scientific philosophy is derived from lectures he gave. ==Legacy==