Women scientists who have written or are writing the history of science
ENSI
Marie Skłodowska Curie (1867 - 1934)
A Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity.
First woman in history to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win two Nobel Prizes in two different disciplines (chemistry and physics).
Rosalind Franklin (1920 – 1958)
A British chemist and X-ray crystallographer.
She contributed to the discovery of the structure of DNA.
Kristen Marhaver (1982 - )
A marine biologist studying coral reefs.
Her work has helped threatened coral species to survive, and much of her research looks at finding out how corals reproduce.
Janet Taylor (1804 –1870)
An English astronomer, navigation expert, mathematician, and meteorologist.
Designed instruments for nautical navigation.
Beatrice Shilling (1909 – 1990)
A British aeronautical engineer, motorcycle racer and sports car racer.
In March 1941, she solved a problem that had jeopardised the life of pilots.
Katherine Johnson (1918 – 2020)
An American mathematician.
In 1961, she did trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 Mission, the first to carry an American into space.
Katsuko Saruhashi (1920 – 2007)
A Japanese geochemist.
She had an enormous impact on marine science as she developed the first method and tools for measuring carbon dioxide in seawater, later becoming known as ‘Saruhashi’s Table’.
Cindy Lee Van Dover (1954 - )
Professor of Biological Oceanography.
After receiving her Ph.D. in 1989, she then became the first female pilot of the deep-diving submersible, ALVIN. She was pilot-in-command of 48 dives.
Ruth D. Turner (1914 – 2000)
Marine scientist best known as a leading expert in shipworms. This is a group of molluscs that destroy marine vessels.
The most academically successful female marine researchers, publishing over 200 scientific articles and a book during her long career.
Nancy Knowlton (1949 – )
She is an American marine biologist who specializes in coral reefs.
Her research has helped us understand what makes corals so unique, how they form and grow, and why they are so vulnerable to disturbances like warming oceans and pollution.
Ruth Gates (1962 – 2018)
A marine biologist.
She researched how corals can be used to regenerate reefs that have been damaged by human activity or natural disasters like hurricanes or tsunamis.
Eugenia Clark, the shark lady (1922 - 2015)
An American ichthyologist.
She dived in places no one had ever gone before, including the Red Sea, where she discovered new species of marine life.
Sylvia Earle “Her Deepness” (1935 - )
A marine botanist and biologist.
In 1968, she descended 30 metres below the surface in a submersible vehicle. She was first female scientists to do so.
Nicole Dublier (1957 - )
A German marine microbiologist.
She highlighted the relationship between marine organisms and their environment. This research finding has helped us better understand how organisms survive in natural environments.
Roberta Eike (?-?)
An American oceanographer and marine geologist in the 1950s.
Eike secretly stowed away on one of her supervising professors' research missions, only to be discovered several hours into the voyage and physically abused as punishment.
Angela Piskernik (1886-1967)
Slovenian botanist, museologist and teacher.
She was the first Slovenian woman to hold a doctorate in the natural sciences. University degree was obtained in University of Vienna.
Ana Mayer Kansky (1895 – 1962)
Slovenian chemist.
Was the first person to obtain a doctoral degree at the University of Ljubljana and the 72nd woman in the world to obtain a doctoral degree.