. ▁G mel in ▁was ▁a ▁natural ▁phil os opher ▁and ▁botan ist ▁from ▁Wür ttemberg , ▁who ▁had ▁studied ▁in ▁T üb ingen ▁and ▁had ▁research ed ▁the ▁chemical ▁composition ▁of ▁cur ative ▁waters . ▁At ▁the ▁ur ging ▁of ▁his ▁former ▁teacher ▁Georg ▁Bern hard ▁Bil f inger ▁( 1 6 9 3 – 1 7 5 0 ), ▁G mel in ▁had ▁moved ▁to ▁Russia ▁with ▁him ▁in ▁ 1 7 2 7 . ▁There ▁he ▁received ▁a ▁teaching ▁post ▁in ▁chem istry ▁and ▁natural ▁history ▁in ▁ 1 7 3 1 . ▁ ▁The ▁Academy ▁chose ▁the ▁German ▁historian ▁and ▁ge ograph er ▁Ger hard ▁Friedrich ▁Müller ▁( 1 7 0 5 – 1 7 8 3 ) ▁to ▁head ▁the ▁ge ographic ▁and ▁historical ▁studies . ▁Müller ▁had ▁studied ▁in ▁R int eln ▁and ▁Leipzig ▁and ▁had ▁gone ▁to ▁St . ▁Petersburg ▁in ▁ 1 7 2 5 ▁on ▁the ▁recommendation ▁of ▁a ▁colle ague . ▁He ▁became ▁an ▁extraordinary ▁professor ▁in ▁ 1 7 3 0 , ▁and ▁a ▁year ▁later ▁was ▁promoted ▁to ▁full ▁professor . ▁He ▁research ed ▁Russian ▁history ▁intens ively , ▁resulting ▁in ▁the ▁publication ▁in ▁ 1 7 3 2 ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁volume ▁of ▁the ▁Collect ed ▁History ▁of ▁Russia . ▁Because ▁of ▁Müller ' s ▁ha ug ht y ▁bearing ▁as ▁the ▁ch an cell or ' s ▁secretary , ▁there ▁was ▁frequent ▁fr iction ▁between ▁him ▁and ▁his ▁colle agues . ▁His ▁participation ▁in ▁the ▁expedition ▁was ▁due ▁not