Celebrating Pioneering Women In Science
Hidden no more! AWIS celebrates the many achievements women scientists have made.
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Despite severe gender bias, these bold and brilliant women paved the way for future generations. Help us share their accomplishments so they too can be household names like Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and Stephen Hawking. Be sure to check back later, we will continue to add to this list. If you want to suggest someone, please email awis@awis.org.
Source: Public Domain
Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott, PhD
Professor
Isabella Aiona Abbott became the first native Hawaiian woman to earn a PhD in science, paving the way for all the future women who pursue a science degree.
Credit: Johnson/Business Insider
Sylvia Acevedo
Rocket Scientist
Sylvia Acevedo is a rocket scientist, entrepreneur, tech executive, and author of "Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist."
Source: Joyce Almeida
June Almeida, PhD
Virology
June Almeida, PhD, was a virologist who pioneered virus imaging and identification.
Source: Changing the Face of Medicine
Lori Alvord
Surgeon
Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord is the first Navajo woman to be certified in surgery and is a role model for the Navajo community.
Credit: John Innes Archives/Wikimedia Commons
Dr. Janaki Ammal, PhD
Botanist
Dr. Janaki Ammal was India’s first female botanist and her work encouraged India to protect its rich biodiversity.
Source: Wikipedia
Dr. Caroline Still Anderson, M.D.
Physician
Dr. Caroline Still Anderson was a physician dedicated to education and improving the social and political conditions for other African-Americans.
Source: Wikipedia
Evelyn M. Anderson
Biochemistry
Evelyn M. Anderson was an American physiologist and biochemist, most known for her co-discovery of adrenocorticotropic hormone in 1934.
Photographer credit: David Gee
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu
Nursing
Professor Dame Elizabeth is a pioneering British nurse who became the UK’s first sickle cell and thalassemia specialist nurse.
Detail of a portrait of Mary Anning by an unknown artist
Mary Anning
Paleontologist
Mary Anning found the first Ichthyosaurus, a marine reptile, when she was twelve. She also found the first complete skeleton of a Plesiosaurus and the first Pterosaur.
Photo source: Wikipedia
Virginia Apgar, MD, MPH
Physician
Dr. Virginia Apgar was an American physician known for her method of assessing newborn viability called the “Apgar score.”
Frances Arnold at Caltech in 2021 by Christopher Michel
Frances Arnold, PhD
Engineering
Frances Arnold received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2018 for her research on the use of directed evolution to design new enzymes.
Source: LinkedIn
Tara Astigarraga
Engineering
Tara Astigarraga, a Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma member, is a master engineer at IBM Watson Research working to make STEM more inclusive for Native Americans.
Serena Auñón-Chancellor, MD
Astronaut
Dr. Serena Auñón-Chancellor is the second Hispanic woman to fly into outer space.
Source: Maurice Seymour, Courtesy Dail St. Claire
June Bacon-Bercey
Meterologist
June Bacon-Bercey was an on-air meteorologist and the first African-American to earn an undergraduate degree in meteorology from UCLA.
Photo Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine
Sara Josephine Baker, MD, DrPH
Physician
Sara Josephine Baker, MD, DrPH, was a physician known for her work in child and maternal health in the United States.
Photo: Public Domain
Alice Ball
Chemistry
Alice Ball, a chemist, developed the first successful treatment for Hansen’s disease, also known as leprosy.
Source: Wikipedia
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, PhD
Virologist
Dr. Françoise Barré-Sinousi is a French virologist and activist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2008.
Photo credit: Jemal Countess
Dr. Patricia Bath, PhD
Chemist
Dr. Patricia Bath is an ophthalmologist known for inventing the Laserphaco Probe, a tool used in cataract surgery, and the first Black female doctor to receive a medical patent.
Public Domain
Ruth Rogan Benerito
Chemist
Ruth Rogan Benerito was a chemist and professor known for her discovery of creating wrinkle-resistant cotton, which served as an advantage to the cotton industry. Benerito received her bachelor’s in chemistry from Tulane University in 1935 and attended Bryn Mawr College to further her graduate studies.
Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA
Medicine
Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, served as the 18th Surgeon General of the United States.
Carolyn Ruth Bertozzi, PhD
Biochemistry
Carolyn Ruth Bertozzi, PhD, shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2022.
Meenakshi Bhattacharjee, PhD
Biotechnology
Meenakshi Bhattacharjee, PhD, is an internationally recognized cyano-bacteriologist.
Elizabeth H. Blackburn, PhD
Biochemistry
Elizabeth H. Blackburn, PhD, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009. She is the first Australian woman Nobel laureate.
María Blasco, PhD
Molecular Biologoy
María Blasco, PhD, is world-renowned expert in telomeres and telomerase, and the director of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre.
Marietta Blau, PhD
Physicist
Marietta Blau, PhD, was an Austrian physicist who developed photographic emulsions that could be used to capture the tracks of speeding subatomic particles.
Source: Hepatitis B Foundation
Joan Block
Nursing
Joan Block is a nationally recognized Hepatitis B outreach, education, and patient advocacy leader.
Bessie Blount
Physical Therapist
Bessie Blount was a physical therapist and inventor that created a medical device that could feed patients. After she graduated, she helped World War II veteran amputees regain mobility.
Idelisa Bonnelly
Marine Biology
Idelisa Bonnelly was a Dominican marine biologist who is considered the "mother of marine conservation in the Caribbean."
Katie Bouman, PhD
computer science
Katie Bouman, PhD, is a computer scientist and imaging engineer whose algorithms helped create the first-ever image of a black hole.
Source: New York Times / Redux
Marie Van Brittan Brown
Nursing
Marie Van Brittan Brown was an African American woman who contributed her livelihood to the invention of the first home security system. She was born in 1922 in Queens, New York, and saw the importance of protection in her area - while being a nurse, and living home alone.
Source: Public Domain
Dr. Beth Brown, PhD
Astrophysicist
Dr. Beth Brown was an American astrophysicist and the first black woman to obtain a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Michigan.
Linda B. Buck, PhD
Biology
Linda B. Buck, PhD, received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Eleanor Margaret Burbidge, PhD
Astronomy
Eleanor Margaret Burbidge, PhD was a British-American observational astronomer and astrophysicist.
Photo credit: University of Dundee
Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, PhD
Astrophysicist
Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, PhD is an astrophysicist who discovered the first radio pulsars as a postgraduate student.
Source: Public Domain
Dr. Alexa Canady, PhD
Neurosurgeon
Dr. Alexa Canady is the first African-American woman to become a neurosurgeon and has helped thousands of pediatric patients over her 31-year career.
Photo source: Linda Hall Library
Annie Jump Cannon
astronomy
Annie Jump Cannon is known as “the census taker of the sky.”
Rachel Carson
Conservation
Rachel Carson is the author of Silent Spring, which is widely credited with helping launch the environmental movement.
Emmanuelle Charpentier, PhD
Biochemistry
Emmanuelle Charpentier, PhD, shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Susana López Charretón, PhD
Virologist
Susana López Charretón, PhD, is a Mexican virologist whose study of rotaviruses has led to life-saving vaccines.
Source: NASA
Dr. Kalpana Chawla, PhD
Astronaut and aerospace engineer
Dr. Kalpana Chawla was an astronaut and aerospace engineer on the space shuttle Columbia, and the first Indian woman in space.
Karletta Chief, PhD
Hydrology
Karletta Chief, PhD, (Diné) is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at the University of Arizona.
Source: Changing the Face of Medicine
Dr. May Edward Chinn, PhD
Physician
Dr. May Edward Chinn was a physician who advocated for new cancer detection methods and was the first black woman to hold an internship at Harlem Hospital.
Source: Public Domain
Dr. Gloria Twine Chisum, PhD
Psychologist
Dr. Gloria Twine Chisum is an experimental psychologist known for creating protective eyewear for pilots suitable for extreme conditions.
Public Domain
Dr. Margaret Chung
Physician
Dr. Margaret Chung was the first Chinese American woman to become a physician. She founded one of the first Western medical clinics in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the 1920s where celebrities sought treatment from her.
Ximena Cid, PhD
Physics
Ximena Cid, PhD, is the first Latina and Indigenous student to earn a PhD in physics from UT Arlington.
Source: St Petersburg Times | AP
Dr. Eugenie Clark, PhD
Ichthyologist
Dr. Eugenie Clark was an ichthyologist who was noted for her research, specifically on poisonous fishes and the behavior of sharks in their environments.
Yvonne Y. Clark
Engineering
Yvonne Y. Clark was the first woman to receive a mechanical engineering degree from Howard University.
Photo courtesy of CSUF News Media Services.
Jewel Plummer Cobb, PhD
Biology
Jewel Plummer Cobb, PhD, was an American biologist and cancer researcher.
Rita Colwell, PhD
Microbiology
Rita Colwell, PhD, was the first woman to serve as director of the National Science Foundation.
Otakuye Conroy-Ben, PhD
Biochemist
Dr. Otakuye Conroy-Ben is a nationally recognized engineer in wastewater epidemiology.
Kizzmekia S. Corbett-Helaire, PhD
Immunology
Kizzmekia S. Corbett-Helaire, PhD, is an viral immunologist whose work was key to the development of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Photo: NSF/Stephen Voss
Dr. France Cordova, PhD
Astrophysicist
Dr. France Córdova is known for her work as an astrophysicist in the Los Alamos National Laboratory where she studied white dwarfs and pulsars.
Gerty Theresa Cori
Biochemistry
Gerty Theresa Cori was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Marian Croak, PhD
Engineering
Marian Croak, PhD, developed the Voice Over Internet Protocols (VoIP) technology.
Rebecca Lee Crumpler
Physician
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was the first African American woman to obtain an M.D. degree and worked as a nurse in Boston, Massachusetts.
Source: Wikipedia
Marie Skłodowska-Curie
Physicist
Marie Curie was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize for discovering radium and polonium. Her work in radiation paved the way for new cancer treatments.
Source: Queens College Silhouette Yearbook 1942
Marie Maynard Daly, PhD
Biochemist
Dr. Marie Daly was the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate in chemistry in the United States. She left a lasting legacy by a scholarship fund for minority students in science programs.
Andrea Delgado-Olson
computer science
Andrea Delgado-Olson is a computer scientist and Indigenous STEM advocate.
Source: Public Domain
Ella Cara Deloria
Ethnographer
Ella Cara Deloria, a Sioux ethnographer and linguist, produced research that served as the foundation of Native American anthropology.
Rochelle Diamond
Biology
Rochelle Diamond is a research biologist and chair emeritus of Out to Innovate.
Jennifer Doudna, PhD
Biochemistry
Jennifer Doudna, PhD, shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Public Domain
Mildred Dresselhaus
Physicist
Dresselhaus was known for her accomplishments in the field of physics and the organic elements. Her discoveries led to her nickname, the "Queen of Carbon Science."
Sylvia Earle, PhD
Marine Biology
Sylvia Earle, PhD, is a world-renowned marine biologist dedicated to ocean conservation.
Source: NASA
Annie Easley
Mathematician and Computer Scientist
Annie Easley, an African American mathematician, and computer scientist was born in April 1933 in Birmingham, Alabama. Her entire childhood was spent dreaming of becoming a nurse, but once she attended high school, she slowly switched her interest to pharmacy.
Joycelyn Elders, MD
medicine
Joycelyn Elders, MD, was the first African American Surgeon General of the United States
Source: National Cancer Institute/Wikimedia Commons
Gertrude Elion
Biochemist
Gertrude Elion was a biochemist and pharmacologist who helped develop drugs using “rational drug design” to attack pathogens without harming human cells.
photo credit Bill Stafford // NASA JSC
Jeanette Epps, PhD
Engineering
Jeanette Epps, PhD, is an aerospace engineer and NASA astronaut.
Aprille Joy Ericsson, PhD
aerospace engineering
Aprille Joy Ericsson, PhD, is an aerospace engineer who served as the US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology.
Lauren Esposito, PhD
Arachnology
Lauren Esposito, PhD, is one of the world’s only women scorpion experts.
Source: Wikipedia
Dr. Dorothy Celeste Boulding Ferebee, PhD
Physician
Dr. Dorothy Celeste Boulding Ferebee was a physician who established the Southeast Neighborhood House to give black communities greater access to healthcare.
Source:
Dijanna Figueroa, PhD
Marine Scientist
Dr. Dijanna Figueroa, the “Deep Ocean Doctor,” is a marine scientist and educator who works extensively to make STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) education more accessible to all children. In 2005, she was featured in James Cameron’s Aliens of the Deep, a documentary that explores the Mid-Ocean Ridge. She has also appeared on […]
Source: © Ann Ronan Picture Library—World History Archive
Dr. Rosalind Franklin, PhD
Chemist
Rosalind Franklin was an English chemist and X-ray crystallographer who helped discover the molecular structure of DNA at King’s College.
Source: Asia Research News
Roseli Ocampo-Friedmann, PhD
Biologist
Roseli Ocampo-Friedmann was a botanist and microbiologist who mainly specialized in the study of microbiology/extremophiles. Her groundbreaking work was even cited in "terraforming" Mars. Friedmann earned her degree in botany from the University of The Philippines in 1958.
Source: UCLA
Nanibaa’ Garrison, PhD
Genetics
Dr. Nanibaa’ Garrison is a member of the Navajo Nation and an Associate Professor at the University of California.
Public Domain
Dr. Ruth Gates
Biologist
Ruth Gates was a well-known marine biologist whose work focused primarily on preserving coral reef areas. She married Robin Burton-Gates, whom she met in college.
Marthe Gautier
Genetics
Marthe Gautier was a French physician who discovered the genetic cause of Down syndrome.
Andrea Mia Ghez, PhD
Astrophysicist
Andrea Mia Ghez, PhD, is the fourth woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Source: The Granger Collection, New York
Dr. Maria Goeppert Mayer, PhD
Physicist
German physicist Dr. Maria Goeppert Mayer made groundbreaking discoveries about nuclear structure that led her to win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963.
Gabriela González, PhD
Physics
Gabriela González, PhD, is a professor of physics and astronomy at the Louisiana State University.
Ruth Gonzalez, PhD
Mathematics
Ruth Gonzalez, PhD, is the first US-born Hispanic woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics.
Photo: Stuart Clarke/the Jane Goodall Institute
Jane Goodall
Primatologist
Jane Goodall was an anthropologist and primatologist. She was an expert on chimpanzees, and worked to raise awareness on environmental conservation.
Carol Greider, PhD
molecular biology
Carol Greider, PhD, shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Alice Hamilton, MD
Occupational Health
Alice Hamilton, MD, was an American physician, and an expert in the field of occupational health.
Margaret Hamilton
computers
Margaret Hamilton is one of the first computer software programmers.
Public Domain
Tuyet Hanh
Engineer
Tuyet-Hanh is a mechanical engineer and motivational speaker for women involved in STEM. Graduating in 1991 with an mechanical engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology, Hanh decided to enroll in the Stevens’ Cooperative Education Program to get a headstart in her career.
Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau
Mona Hanna, MD
Pediatrics
Mona Hanna, MD, is a pediatrician and public health advocate who exposed the Flint water crisis.
Source: Wikipedia
Mary Elliott Hill
Chemist
Mary Elliott Hill was an organic and analytical chemist who helped develop ketene synthesis, a process that aids in the development of plastics.
Source: Wikipedia
Dr. Jane Hinton, PhD
Veterinarian
Dr. Jane Hinton was a veterinarian who researched bacterial resistance. She was one of the first African-American veterinarians to establish her own practice in Massachusetts.
Source: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Dr. Dorothy Hodgkin, PhD
Biochemist
Dr. Dorothy Hodgkin was an English chemist who researched the molecular structure of penicillin and Vitamin B, earning her the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Betty Holberton
computers
Betty Holberton was one of the original programmers of the first general-purpose electronic digital computer, ENIAC.
Virginia Holsinger, PhD
Chemistry
Virginia Holsinger, PhD, was an American chemist whose research led to the development of LactAid.
Robbie E. Hood
Atmospheric Scientist
Robbie E. Hood founded the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and became its first director.
James S. Davis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Grace Hopper, PhD
Mathematics
Grace Hopper, PhD, was a pioneering computer scientist and U.S. Navy rear admiral.
Photo: Ohio State University
Ayanna Howard, PhD
Engineering
Ayanna Howard is an American roboticist, entrepreneur, and educator.
Danielle Ignace, PhD
Environmental Science
Danielle Ignace, PhD, is an ecophysiologist and environmental scientist.
Photo courtesy of Northern Arizona University
Jani Ingram, PhD
Chemistry
Jani Ingram, PhD, is a chemist and environmental health researcher.
Jedidah C. Isler, PhD
Astrophysicist
Jedidah C. Isler, PhD, is an astrophysicist and was the first African-American woman to complete her PhD in astrophysics at Yale.
Source: Public Domain
Dr. Shirley Jackson, PhD
Physicist
Dr. Shirley Jackson is a theoretical physicist and the 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). In 2016, she was awarded the National Medal of Science for her work in physics and science-rooted public policy.
Mary Jackson
Aeronautical Engineer
Mary Jackson became NASA's first African American female engineer in 1958.
Source: NASA
Dr. Mae C. Jemison, PhD
Physician
Dr. Jemison is a doctor and astronaut who was the first African American woman to travel into outer space. Currently, she is leading the 100 Year Starship Project.
Photo courtesy of Lydia Jennings
Lydia Jennings, PhD
Environmental Science
Lydia Jennings PhD, is a soil microbiologist and an advocate for Indigenous representation and sovereignty in science.
Source: NASA
Katherine Johnson
Mathematician
Katherine Johnson was a NASA mathematician who helped calculate the flight path for NASA’s first manned space mission in 1962. Her life and career was depicted in the movie "Hidden Figures."
Source: Wikipedia
Dr. Anna Johnson Julian, PhD
Sociologist
Dr. Anna Johnson Julian was the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Vgarr, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Ashanti Johnson, PhD
Geochemistry
Ashanti Johnson, PhD, is a geochemist and STEM education leader.
Source: Edgar Fahs Smith Collection, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Irène Joliot-Curie, PhD
Chemist
Dr. Irène Joliot-Curie was a French physicist and chemist. In 1935, she and her husband shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on the synthesis of new radioactive elements.
Katalin Karikó, PhD
Biochemistry
Katalin Karikó, PhD, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2023 with Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, for their research which led to the mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.
Source: Native American Programs
Judith Salmon Kaur, MD
Oncology
Dr. Judith Salmon Kaur is an oncologist and the Director of Native American Programs at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.
Source: National Library of Medicine
Frances Oldham Kelsey, MD, PhD
Pharmacology and Public Health
Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey is celebrated for her critical role in safeguarding public health during her tenure at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 1960, during her first month at the FDA, she refused to approve thalidomide for use in the United States due to insufficient safety data. Her steadfast decision prevented thousands […]
Source: Calico Life Sciences
Cynthia Kenyon, PhD
molecular biology
Cynthia Kenyon, PhD, is a molecular biologist whose research transformed how scientists understand aging.
Source: Wikipedia
Dr. Angie Turner King, PhD
Chemist
Angie King was an African American chemist, mathematician, and educator. After her retirement, she received an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree.
Stephanie Kwolek
Chemist
Stephanie Kwolek was a Polish-American chemist who invented Kevlar.
Anne L’Huillier, PhD
Physics
Anne L’Huillier, PhD, is a French physicist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2023.
Source: Wikipedia
Hedy Lamarr
Inventor
Hedy Lamarr was an actress and inventor known as the “mother of Wi-Fi.” The technology she helped develop is the basis for GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth technology today.
Dorothy Lavinia Brown
Surgeon
Dr. Dorothy Lavinia Brown was the first African American female surgeon in the South. Throughout her lifetime, she continued to push limits when she became the first African American woman to serve in the Tennessee state legislature.
Source: Wikipedia
Dr. Margaret Morgan Lawrence, PhD
Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst
Dr. Margaret Morgan Lawrence became the first African-American woman to practice psychoanalysis in the United States. She remained devoted to assisting underprivileged children throughout her career.
Public Domain
Henrietta Leavitt
Astronomer
Henrietta Leavitt was an astronomer that discovered the properties about a certain type of star, the Cepheid variable star. She found that the Cepheid variable star's pulse rate can reveal a star's brightness depending on how rapid the pulse is.
Photo credit: Esther M Zimmer Lederberg Memorial website
Esther Lederberg, PhD
Microbiology
Esther Lederberg, PhD, was a pioneer of bacterial genetics.
Floy Agnes Lee
Biologist
Floy Agnes Lee was a technician who worked on the Manhattan Project, which was the American-led effort to build nuclear weapons during World War II.
Source: Native Skywatchers
Annette S. Lee, PhD
Astrophysicist
Dr. Annette S. Lee is an astrophysicist, artist, and founder of the Native Skywatchers.
Photo: University of Copenhagen
Inge Lehmann
Seismologist and Geophysicist
Inge Lehmann was a seismologist that discovered that the Earth’s inner core is solid surrounded by a molten outer core. In 1971, she was honored with the William Bowie Medal — the highest distinction of the American Geophysical Union.
Kelsey Leonard, PhD
Environmental Science
Kelsey Leonard, PhD, was the first Native American woman to earn a science degree from the University of Oxford.
Anneke Levelt Sengers, PhD
Physicist
Anneke Levelt Sengers, PhD, was a Dutch physicist who studied the behavior of fluids.
Rita Levi-Montalcini, MD
Neurologist
Rita Levi-Montalcini was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly with her colleague Stanley Cohen for the discovery of nerve growth factor (NGF).
Fei-Fei Li, PhD
AI
Fei-Fei Li, PhD, is a Chinese-American computer scientist known for her pioneering work in AI.
Lin Lanying, PhD
Physics
Lin Lanying, PhD, is known as “the mother of semiconductor materials” in China.
Source: Wikipedia
Dr. Ruth Smith Lloyd, PhD
Anatomist
Dr. Ruth Lloyd was the first African American woman to acquire her doctorate degree in Anatomy, and an active member of the American Association of Anatomists.
Rachel Holloway Lloyd, PhD
Chemistry
Rachel Holloway Lloyd was the first American woman to earn a doctoral degree in chemistry.
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Ada Lovelace
Mathematician
Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician, wrote the first algorithm for a machine in the 1800s and is considered the first computer programmer.
Guillermina Lozano, PhD
Genetics
Guillermina Lozano, PhD, is a Mexican-American geneticist.
Ali Guarneros Luna
aerospace engineering
Ali Guarneros Luna is a Mexican aerospace engineer.
Makenzie Lystrup, PhD
Astrophysicist
Makenzie Lystrup, PhD, is the first female director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Nicole Anunapu Mann
Astronaut
Nicole Anunapu Mann is the first Native American woman to go to space.
Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH
infectious disease
Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, is the first member of the LGBT community to be director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Source: MIT
Nergis Mavalvala, PhD
Physics
Nergis Mavalvala, PhD is a physicist who was part of the team of scientists who made the first direct detection of gravitational waves.
© American Philosophical Society Library—Barbara McClintock Papers/National Library of Medicine
Dr. Barbara McClintock, PhD
Cytogeneticist
Dr. Barbara McClintock was a pioneer in the field of cytogenetics, the study of chromosomes, and in 1983, she won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Dr. Susan McKinney-Steward, PhD
Physician
Dr. Susan McKinney-Steward was the third black woman physician in the United States and the first in New York.
Photo by Christopher Michel
Marcia McNutt, PhD
geophysicist
Marcia McNutt, PhD, is the first woman President of the National Academy of Sciences.
Public Domain
Lise Meitner
Chemist
Lise Meitner was a revolutionary chemist known for her work on the Auger effect, a physical phenomenon relating to atoms and their electron vacancy. In 1901, Meitner enrolled at the University of Vienna to study physics under her mentor, Ludwig Boltzmann.
Credit: Smithsonian Institution, US
Dr. Maud Menten, PhD
Biochemist
Dr. Maud Menten, a biochemist, is most known for her work in the field of enzyme kinetics and advancing the field of histochemistry.
Photo credit: The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley
Ynés Mexía
Botanist
Ynés Mexía was a botanist and conservationist that advocated to protect the redwood forests of California. She collected over 145,000 specimens over her 13-year career.
Source: National Institutes of Health
Kat Milligan-McClellan, PhD
Biology
Dr. Kat Milligan-Myhre is a microbiologist and the first Alaskan Native to earn a PhD in microbiology.
Source: Changing the Face of Medicine
Dr. Lillie Rosa Minoka-Hill, PhD
Physician
Dr. Lillie Rosa Minoka-Hill was the second Indigenous woman in the United States to hold an M.D. degree. She treated people from the local Oneida reservation near home free of charge.
Source: Stanford News Service
Maryam Mirzakhani
Mathematician
Dr. Maryam Mirzakhani was a mathematics professor at Stanford University and the only woman to ever receive the Fields Medal, the highest honor in mathematics.
Photo credit: Vassar College
Maria Mitchell
Astronomer
Astronomer Maria Mitchell was the first American to discover a comet, specifically C/1847 T1 – originally known as “Miss Mitchell’s Comet.”
Source: Public Domain
Dr. Ruth Ella Moore, PhD
Microbiologist
Dr. Ruth Ella Moore was known as the first African American woman in the United States who acquired a PhD in natural sciences.
Public Domain
Margaretta Hare Morris
Entomologist
Morris is an entomologist known for her groundbreaking work specifically involving the study of the Hessian fly as well as her studies involving cotton moths and bed bugs. This discovery later proved crucial to finding a method to prevent invasive species from destroying crops as well as pesticides research.
May-Britt Moser, PhD
neuroscience
May-Britt Moser, PhD, is a Norwegian neuroscientist who shared half of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Source: Wikipedia
Dr. Sameera Moussa, PhD
Nuclear scientist
Dr. Sameera Moussa was the first Egyptian nuclear scientist. She was a strong supporter of peace, so she organized the Atomic Energy for Peace Conference.
Ildaura Murillo-Rohde, PhD, RN, FAAN
Nursing
Ildaura Murillo-Rohde, PhD, RN, FAAN founded the National Association of Hispanic Nurses in 1975.
Alexandra Navrotsky, PhD
Chemistry
Alexandra Navrotsky, PhD, is a physical chemist who has been described as the world’s leading scientist in the field of thermochemistry of minerals and solid-state materials.
Public Domain
Emmy Noether
Mathematician
Emmy Noether was a mathematician born on March 23rd, 1882, in Erlangen, Germany. After graduating high school, she attended the University of Erlangen where her father was a mathematics professor.
Source: Virginia Norwood
Virginia Tower Norwood
Engineering
Virginia Tower Norwood was an American aerospace engineer, inventor, and physicist, and a founding figure in the field of satellite land imaging.
Source: Centers of Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Antonia Novello, PhD
Physician
Dr. Antonia Novello was the first woman and the first person of Hispanic origin to become the Surgeon General of the United States.
Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, PhD
Genetics
Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard is a German developmental geneticist who was jointly awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.
Adriana Ocampo Uria, PhD
Geology
Adriana Ocampo Uria, PhD, is a Colombian planetary geologist.
Source: NASA
Dr. Ellen Ochoa, PhD
Electrical Engineer
Dr. Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman to go to space and serve as director of the Johnson Space Center.
Photo Credit: The Suburban Times
Kate Okikiolu, PhD
Mathematics
Kate Okikiolu, PhD, is a mathematician whose work has advanced the fields of geometric analysis and spectral geometry.
Photo Fox 9 KMSP
Fardin Oliaei
Environmental Science
Fardin Oliaei is an environmental scientist whose research exposed the dangers of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in Minnesota’s waterways.
Photo: Public Domain
Dr. Joan Murrell Owens, PhD
Marine Biologist
Dr. Joan Murrell Owens was a marine biologist who classified the genus of Rhombopsammia, a type of button corals and three new species.
Source: Public Domain
Edna Lee Paisano
Statistician
Edna Lee Paisano was a statistician that is credited with improving the accuracy of the 1990 Census by increasing the number of Native Americans by 38%.
Photo: Public Domain
Carolyn Parker
Physicist
Carolyn Parker was the first African American to earn a postgraduate degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Source: Public Domain
Bertha Parker
Archaeologist
As the first Indigenous archaeologist, Bertha Parker discovered humans lived in a cave 10,000 years ago -- the earliest evidence of humans in America at the time.
Mercedes Pascual, PhD
Ecology
Mercedes Pascual, PhD, is an Uruguayan theoretical ecologist.
Source: Smithsonian Institution
Dr. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, PhD
Astronomer
Dr. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was an astronomer credited with discovering the chemical composition of stars.
Source: Wikipedia
Dr. Audrey Shields Penn, PhD
Neurologist
Dr. Audrey Shields Penn is the first African-American woman to become acting director of a branch of the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Radia Perlman, PhD
Engineering
Radia Perlman, PhD, developed the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) algorithm, an innovation that made today’s Internet possible.
Dorothy J. Phillips, PhD
Chemistry
Dorothy J. Phillips, PhD, is the first African-American woman president of the American Chemical Society.
Source: Nebraska Commission of Indian Affairs
Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, MD
Physician
Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte was the first Indigenous woman to become a physician and worked tirelessly to increase healthcare access for the Omaha tribe.
Freda Porter, PhD
Mathematics
Freda Porter, PhD, is a mathematician and environmental scientist.
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, PhD
Physics
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, PhD, is a theoretical cosmologist and particle physicist.
Photo: Public Domain
Dr. Jessie Isabelle Price, PhD
Microbiologist
Dr. Jessie Isabelle Price was a pioneering veterinary microbiologist known for creating methods to control microbial diseases in waterfowl.
Photo: Public Domain
Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser, PhD
Psychologist
Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser was the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology and assisted black students with attaining loans and funds for college.
Vanderbilt University Special Collections & University Archives
Elsie Quarterman
Professor
Elsie Quarterman was known for her ambition and drive as a professor of biology at Vanderbilt University. In 1932, she graduated from Valdosta State University with a bachelor's degree
Source: Harvard University Library
Dr. Mary Logan Reddick, PhD
Biologist
Dr. Mary Logan Reddick contributed to the scientific understanding of embryonic development through her studies on chicken embryos.
Public Domain
Jemma Redmond
Biotechnician
Jemma Redmond was both an innovator and biotech engineer who focused her work on the bioprinting process. Her main goal throughout her research was to be able to print functional human tissue, organs, and other devices that could be used for healthcare purposes.
Photo Credit: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Ana Maria Rey, PhD
Quantum Physics
Ana Maria Rey, PhD, is a pioneering theoretical physicist.
Dora Richardson, PhD
Chemistry
Dora Richardson, PhD, was a organic chemist who synthesized the drug that would become tamoxifen.
Sally Ride, PhD
Astrophysicist
Sally Ride, PhD, was the first American woman in space.
Source: National Library of Medicine
Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trías, PhD
Physician
Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trías was the first Latina director of the American Public Health Association and dedicated her career to advocating for women's health.
Credit: SWE Photograph Collection, Walter P. Reuther Library
Mary G. Ross
Aerospace Engineer
Mary G. Ross, an aerospace engineer and member of the Cherokee Nation, was the first Native American female engineer in Lockheed Martin.
Janet Rowley, MD
Genetics
Janet Rowley, MD, an American geneticist, was the first scientist to prove that cancer is a genetic disease.
Vera Rubin, PhD
Physics
Vera Rubin, PhD, was an American astronomer who discovered dark matter.
Katsuko Saruhashi, PhD
geochemistry
Katsuko Saruhashi, PhD, was the first woman to win Japan’s Miyake Prize for geochemistry.
Public Domain
Reshma Saujani
Activist
Reshma Saujani founded Girls Who Code in 2012. Girls Who Code is a non-profit organization that strives to provide a more inclusive environment for women to pursue computer science careers.
Photo credit: Sara Seager, MIT
Sara Seager, PhD
astronomy
Sara Seager, PhD, is an astronomer and planetary scientist.
Maxine Frank Singer, PhD
molecular biology
Maxine Frank Singer, PhD, was an American molecular biologist.
Megan Smith
Engineering
Megan Smith was the first woman appointed United States Chief Technology Officer.
Susan Solomon, PhD
Chemistry
Susan Solomon, PhD, is an atmospheric chemist whose work formed the basis of the U.N. Montreal Protocol.
Source: New Mexico State University
Sarah Elizabeth Stewart, MD, PhD
Bacteriology
Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Stewart was a bacteriologist whose work contributed to creating the HPV vaccine.
Dr. Donna Strickland, PhD
Physics
Donna Strickland, PhD is the third woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.