Person

Jeffrey, Shirley Winifred (1930 - 2014)

AM FAA

Born
4 April 1930
Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Died
4 January 2014
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Occupation
Marine scientist

Summary

Shirley Jeffrey was one of the world's foremost authorities on microalgae and phytoplankton, crystallising and characterising the earth's predominant light-harvesting pigment, Chlorophyll c. She was acting chief of CSIRO Division of Fisheries Research, 1981-1984.

Details

After completing her PhD she returned to Australia to work at CSIRO Division of Fisheries and Oceanography. In 1963-1964 she worked at the University of California, Berkeley, as a research fellow funded by the Kaiser Foundation. Jeffrey participated in the maiden voyage of the Alpha Helix, the research vessel of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, investigating pigments in microalgae that are symbiotic in tropical reef animals. Jeffrey was a Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO's marine biochemistry unit between 1971 and 1977. From 1977 to 1981 she was a Senior Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Division of Fisheries and Oceanography and then acting Chief of CSIRO Division of Fisheries Research (1981-1984). During this period she organised the move of the Division from Sydney to Hobart. In 1991 she became a Chief Research Scientist. From 1978 to 1995 she was in charge of developing the CSIRO Algal Culture Collection, known as the Collection of Living Microalgae, and co-edited the UNESCO-published Phytoplankton pigments in oceanography (1997).

Chronology

1952
Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc) completed at the University of Sydney
1954
Education - Master of Science (MSc) completed at the University of Sydney
1958
Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) completed at King's College London
1962 - 1964
Award - Kaiser Foundation Fellowship, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S.A.
1971 - 1977
Career position - Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO marine biochemistry unit
1977 - 1981
Career position - Senior Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Division of Fisheries and Oceanography
1981 - 1984
Career position - Acting Chief, CSIRO Division of Fisheries Research
1984 - 1988
Career position - Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Division of Fisheries Research
1988
Award - Inaugural Jubilee Award received from the Australian Marine Sciences Association
1988 - 1995
Career position - Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Division of Fisheries
1991
Award - Clarke Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales
1991 - 2014
Career position - Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
1993
Award - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to marine science
1993
Award - R. M. Johnston Medal, Royal Society of Tasmania
1995
Life event - Retired
1997 - 1998
Career position - Vice-President, Royal Society of Tasmania
2000
Award - Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal, National Academy of Science, U.S.A.
2000
Award - American National Academy of Science (NAS) Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal awarded for research in algae
2001
Award - Centenary Medal for service to Australian society and science in algal physiology and ecology
2001 - 2014
Award - Foreign Associate of the American National Academy of Sciences (NAS)
2006
Award - Inducted into the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women
2007
Award - Shinkishi Hatai Medal, 21st Pacific Science Congress, Okinawa, Japan

Archival resources

National Library of Australia Oral History Collection

  • Interview with Dr Shirley Jeffrey, marine biologist [sound recording] / interviewer, Ragbir Bhathal., TRC 3573; National Library of Australia Oral History Collection. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

  • McCarthy, Gavan; Morgan, Helen; Smith, Ailie; van den Bosch, Alan, Where are the Women in Australian Science?, Exhibition of the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, First published 2003 with lists updated regulary edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, 2003, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/wisa/wisa.html. Details

Books

  • Bhathal, Ragbir, Profiles, Australian women scientists (Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1999), 191 pp. Details

Book Sections

  • Jeffrey, Shirley W., 'From Cronulla to Hobart: Personal Reflections' in CSIRO at Sea: 50 Years of Marine Science, Mawson, Vivienne, Tranter, David J. and Pearce, Alan F., eds (Hobart: CSIRO Marine Laboratories, 1988), pp. 195-202. Details

Journal Articles

  • Hallengraeff, S. I.; Blackburn, S.; Roy, S.; Vernet, M.; and Wright, S. W., 'Tribute to Shirley Jeffrey: 50 years of research on chlorophyll c', Phycologia, 51 (2012), 123-5. Details
  • Wright, Simon W.; Hallegraeff, Gustaaf M.; and Mantoura, R. Fauzi C., 'Shirley Winifred Jeffrey 1930 - 2014', Historical Records of Australian Science, 27 (1) (2016), 81-91, https://doi.org/10.1071/HR16002. Details

Newspaper Articles

  • Clementson, Lesley; Jeffrey, Tom M.; and Hallegraeff, Gustaaf, 'Shirley Jeffrey: biochemist gave marine science an ocean of knowledge', Sydney Morning Herald (2014). Details

Resources

Resource Sections

See also

Ailie Smith and Helen Cohn

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