Famous British Female Scientists Who Helped Change the World

The contributions of British female scientists to the international field of science are undeniable. In a world that is built upon innovation and discovery, it is crucial to recognise some of the female titans of scientific exploration, especially in the run up to International Women’s Day.

Over the last 300 years, it can’t be denied that the scientific triumphs of women across the globe, and especially in Britain have been overlooked. So, here is an insight and celebration of 7 female scientists from Britain whose work shook the scientific world, in their respective eras, and continue to inspire young scientists today.

Early Female Pioneers in Science

Mary Somerville

Mary Somerville was born in Jedburgh, Scotland, in 1780. Unlike many women at the time, she studied maths and astronomy, then went on to become the first female member of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Mary began to experiment and research magnetism and ultraviolet radiation. Her paper 'The magnetic properties of the violet rays of the solar spectrum' was the first publishing written by a woman to be read to and published by the Royal Society.

She also condensed and translated Laplace’s ‘Mecanique celeste’, meaning ‘Mechanism of the Heavens’. However, Mary did not only translate the text that discusses the mechanics of the solar system, but she also condensed and further explained the complex mathematics, in order to produce books accessible to the working class of Britain at the time

Her discussion about the difficulty in finding the position of Uranus subsequently lead to the discovery of Neptune by John Couch Adams. Her legacy is remembered heavily at Somerville College, at Oxford University, which for many years was one of the few colleges that accepted women.

Caroline Herschel

The German-born British astronomer, born in 1750, is considered to be the first professional female astronomer and was the first woman to receive a salary for being a scientist. Caroline was educated by her brother, the astronomer Sir William Herschel, as their parents opposed her education.

Caroline single-handedly used a telescope to detect 3 different nebulae in 1783. In 1786, she became the first woman in scientific history to discover and record a comet. In 1798, she presented her work to the Royal Society, along with improved and corrected work of other astronomists who came before her.

Mid-20th Century Breakthroughs

Rosalind Franklin

Born in London in 1920, Rosalind studied Physical Chemistry at Cambridge University, and after graduating, received a fellowship to conduct further research. However, due to WW2, she put her research on hold to serve as an air raid warden.

During this time, she also worked to research the physical chemistry of coal and carbon, to produce more energy and contribute to the war effort. Rosalind adapted and overcame this halt to her research, and ended up writing her doctoral thesis on the subject. She later went on to receive her Doctorate from Cambridge University in 1945!

From 1947-1950, Rosalind worked with Jacques Mering in the State Chemical Laboratory in Paris, studying x-ray diffraction, a state-of-the-art molecular analysis technique at the time.  Her fascinating research into the structure of graphite has proved significant within the cooking industry.

Then, in 1951, using her knowledge on x-ray diffraction studies, she applied her learnings to investigating the molecular structure of DNA; when she began this research, very little was known about the double helix structure of DNA. Rosalind built the foundation upon which later scientists were finally able to determine the accurate structure of DNA!

Rosalind went on to furthermore research nucleic acid molecular structure, collaborating with some of the brightest minds of her time, discovering the structure of RNA. Her fantastic work was sadly brought to a sudden halt by her untimely death in 1958, from cancer.

Due to her huge impact of the field of research into nucleic acids, countless laboratories and centres for education have been named after her; the most notable being the Rosalind Franklin Institute, located in Didcot, founded in 2018, dedicated to researching health issues.

Dorothy Hodgkin

After being Born in Egypt in 1910, Dorothy’s mother, a British archaeologist, encouraged her strongly to pursue academics. She fought to be allowed to study science alongside the boys in her school. Eventually, she was accepted to read chemistry at Somerville College, Oxford University (named after Mary Somerville).

In 1932 she moved to the University of Cambridge, where she worked alongside John Desmond Bernal, a physicist. Together they created the first ever x-ray diffraction study of Pepsin, a crystalline protein.

Dorothy was offered a fellowship at Somerville College. After returning in 1934, she remained there until 1977. During this time, she taught countless students; including ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. From the beginning of her fellowship, Dorothy dedicated a lot of her time to studying the structure of insulin.

Due to her world-renowned expertise in the field, a team of Australian pathologists contacted her to determine the structure of penicillin – to which she succeeded, electing her into the Royal Society

In the 1950s, she devised the structure for vitamin B12, by using computers alongside X-ray diffraction studies - a cutting-edge method at the time. After many nominations, in 1964, Dorothy won the Nobel Prize for her work on vitamin B12 and penicillin.

Even after her Nobel Prize win, she continued to pursue her research into insulin.  Eventually, after 34 years, in 1969, she managed to create the first x-ray photograph of insulin!

Modern Trailblazers

Anne McLaren

Anne McLaren, the pioneering geneticist, was born in 1927 in London. She studied Zoology at Oxford University, graduating with a Ph.D. in 1952. The same year, her and her husband (Donald Michie) began research into embryonic skeletal development of mice, at UCL.

In 1955, the couple moved to the Royal Veterinary College, where Anne carried out the first successful in-vitro uterine embryonic implantations in mice. This undoubtedly influenced the discovery and development of modern IVF in humans! In 1959, she carried on her research at Edinburgh University and worked on the development of Mammalian chimeras, organisms with multiple sets of DNA, from fusion of zygotes.

Thanks to her ground-breaking work in the field of mammalian genetics, she was the first woman to serve as an officer in the Royal Society, then the first female Foreign Secretary, and eventually became the first female vice president of the RS from 1992 to 1996.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Originally from Belfast, born in 1943, Jocelyn studied at Glasgow University, then went on to complete a doctorate in radio astronomy, at Cambridge University, until 1969. Whilst studying at Cambridge, she assisted her team, lead by Martin Hewish, in constructing a large radio telescope.

When reviewing the readings from quasars (highly luminous active galactic cores of gas and dust falling into supermassive black holes), Jocelyn observed some irregularities in the data. She and Hewish spent months ruling out possibilities, and in fact didn't even rule out the possibility of messages from extra-terrestrial life!

After much confusion, the team studied the quasars with more sensitive equipment, and noticed more regular patterns within the irregularities of the readings. This allowed them to determine that the sources of the radio waves were in fact rapidly spinning neutron stars, dubbed as pulsars.

This ground-breaking discovery resulted in a Nobel prize for Physics in 1974, but not for her; it was awarded to her supervisor and professor Martin Hewish, although she was the one who hammered the antennas into the ground and noticed the irregularities in the data.

Yet thanks to her extensive and pioneering research in the field of pulsars, as well as countless studies in the fields of x-ray, gamma rays and infrared radiation, she has been awarded the Michael Faraday Prize, the Royal Medal, and the Copley Medal. She was named the first female president of the Royal Society of Edinburgh as well as at the Institute of Physics.

Today, Jocelyn remains an active Chancellor for multiple universities, as well as a visiting professor of astrophysics at Oxford University.

Contemporary Female Science Leaders and Innovators

Maggie Aderin-Pocock

After growing up in the 70s in  London, Maggie studied Physics and obtained a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Imperial College.

Over the course of her career, Maggie has produced some amazingly specialised scientific instruments, including a hand-held land mine detector, and an optical subsystem for spacecrafts!

Maggie co-presented the BBC’s The Sky at Night, the show that aims to help people understand the marvels and mysteries of space.

These days, she is the founder and a science educator in Science Innovation Ltd, an organization that aims to engage school children across the world, with science and especially the wonders of space. Maggie’s also a commissioner for the government commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.

Alice Roberts

Born in Bristol in 1973, Alice Roberts studied medicine at the University of Wales College for Medicine, now a part of Cardiff University. She successfully graduated and became a practicing junior doctor in the NHS for 18 months, until 1998, when she left to become an anatomy demonstrator at the university of Bristol, and eventually a lecturer, only one year later.

For 7 years, she worked part time on a Ph.D. in Paleopathology, researching rotator cuff disease in humans and other primates, whilst simultaneously teaching and lecturing at the university. She was appointed the University of Birmingham’s first professor of public engagement in science, has served as a director of Anatomy at medical schools.

She’s written in national newspapers and even discussed some of her work when presenting national radio and television shows.

Today, she is a popular TV presenter and keynote speaker, with over 100 factual documentaries published.

Legacy and Ongoing Inspiration

By learning from these inspirational individuals, we can not only learn from their extensive knowledge, but also from their dedication and persistence. Many of these female scientists overcame adversities such as restriction to their education, and it’s important to consider that although we have come far on the road to equality for women, we still have a very long way to go in some cases.

To this day, female scientists including Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Alice Roberts and many other fantastic individuals continue to speak, in order to share their wealth of knowledge and love for science.

Inspiring the next generation of scientists, and allowing the everyday person to appreciate the mechanics and workings of the world around us, all of our extraordinary scientists (both male and female) do ground-breaking work that is beyond inspirational.

Get in touch with our friendly and impartial team today to discover which one of our scientists will ignite the spark within your business.