Born: 5 December 1924, Hungary
Died: 7 July 2014
Country most active: Australia
Also known as: NA
The following is republished with permission from the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.
Dr Eden was a respected educator in the field of veterinary science, agricultural science and pharmacy.
Eva was born in Hungary and educated at Cambridge University, England. She is remembered for her commitment to the rights of women and students. From 1964 to 1984, Eva was the Principal of Janet Clarke Hall at the University of Melbourne – the longest period held by a Principal in the college’s history. It was also during this period that Eva guided the College through a period of radical change, in which it became co-educational.
In 1975, she served as Chair of the Victorian Government Committee on the Status of Women. The recommendations she made for equal opportunity legislation during this time have since become law. Dr Eden was also the first Chair of the Women in Management Committee of the Australian Institute of Management.
An alumnus of Girton College Cambridge, Eva’s academic career as a biochemist at Cambridge, Sydney, University of Western Australia, Monash and Melbourne Universities was complemented by senior educational roles as Vice Principal of Women’s College in the University of Sydney, and Warden of St Catherine’s College in the University of Western Australia. Alongside other voluntary roles, Eva was Chairman of the Association of Independent Schools in Victoria, President of the Australian College of Education and President of the Women’s Graduate Association. She was also a member of the Melbourne University Council, the Firbank Grammar Council and Toorak College Council.
In 1986, she was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), and a doctorate honoris causa from the University of Melbourne, in recognition of her service to education.
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.
Eva Eden was a gifted scientist and educational administrator who devoted much of her life to public service. In 1964 she was appointed Principal of Janet Clarke Hall in the University of Melbourne, and guided the college through two decades of unparalleled change.
She was recognised for service to education by being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1986, and awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws, from the University of Melbourne in 1986.
Chronology
1950
Career position – Science Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, UK
1951
Life event – Settled in Australia
1951 – 1960
Career position – Lecturer, Biochemistry, University of Sydney
1958 – 1961
Career position – Vice-principal of the Women’s College, Sydney
1961 – 1964
Career position – Warden at St Catherine’s College, Western Australia
1964 – 1984
Career position – Principal of Janet Clarke Hall, University of Melbourne
1965 – 1968
Career position – Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, Monash University
1969 – 1971
Career position – President, Women Graduate’s Association
1976 – 1978
Career position – Chairman, Association of Independent Schools in Victoria
1981 – 1983
Career position – President, Australian College of Education
1985 – 1987
Career position – Senior Associate of the School of Education, University of Melbourne
1986
Award – Doctor of Laws (LLD), honoris causa, University of Melbourne
1986
Award – Member of the Order of Australia (AM) – In recognition of service to education