Born: 15 March 1891, Australia
Died: 12 June 1983
Country most active: Australia
Also known as: NA
This biography has been shared from The Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, published by the Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Ethel McLennan was Associate Professor of Botany at the University of Melbourne from 1931 to 1955, after having joined the staff in 1915. She specialized in mycology and plant pathology, being widely recognised and one of Australia’s leaders in these fields. In 1927 she was awarded the Syme Prize. McLennan was Acting Professor of the School of Botany in the interregnum between two professors. During WWII she was responsible for the maintenance and development of Penicillium and other fungal cultures as a possible Australian source of antibiotics. In retirement McLennan was part-time keeper of the Department’s herbarium.
Chronology
1914
Education – Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Melbourne
1915 – 1923
Career position – Demonstrator and Lecturer in Botany, University of Melbourne
1921
Education – Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Melbourne
1923 – 1931
Career position – Senior Lecturer in Botany, University of Melbourne
1926
Career position – Scandinavian fellowship, International Federation of University Women
1927
Award – David Syme Research Prize, University of Melbourne
1929
Career position – Chairwoman of the Australian Pan-Pacific Women’s Committee
1931 – 1955
Career position – Associate Professor of Botany, University of Melbourne
1934
Career position – President, Australian Federation of University Women
1937 – 1938
Career position – Acting Professor, Botany Department, University of Melbourne
1955
Life event – Retired
1982
Award – Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa, University of Melbourne
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