P002212 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human Annette Alafaci updated 2026-03-24 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P002212b.htm person Clarke Adrienne Elizabeth AC FAA FTSE AACR2 6 January 1938 Place of Birth Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Botanist Plant geneticist Science administrator University Chancellor Adrienne Clarke is a world renowned plant geneticist and was Laureate Professor of Botany at the Plant Cell Biology Research Centre of the University of Melbourne until 31 December 2005. She remains on at the University in an honorary position and continues to work on many government and private boards / committees and is heavily involved with many national and international scientific bodies. Clarke is a scientist of firsts; she was the first female appointed Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne, her team was the first to clone the gene (S gene) which regulates self-compatibility in plants and the first to clone the cDNA of an arabinogalactan protein (a class of plant proteoglycan). Throughout her career, Clarke has received many honours and awards including appointment as a Companion in the Order of Australia (AC), as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) and as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA). 1958 1958 Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Melbourne 1963 1963 Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Melbourne 1964 1964 Career position - Research Fellow, Institute of Dental Research, United Dental Hospital of Sydney Jan 1967 Jun 1967 Career position - Visiting Instructor, Department of Endocrine Physiology, Baylor University, Houston, Texas, U.S.A. Jul 1967 Dec 1967 Career position - Research Fellow, Department of Biochemistry,the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A. 1968 1969 Career position - Lecturer in Biochemistry, University of Auckland, New Zealand 1969 1973 Career position - Research Fellow, Asthma Foundation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Melbourne 1974 1974 Career position - Research Fellow, School of Botany, University of Melbourne 1975 1977 Career position - Australian Research Grants Committee (ARGC) Research Fellow, School of Botany, University of Melbourne 1978 1978 Career position - Lecturer in Botany, University of Melbourne 1979 1979 Career position - Senior Lecturer in Botany, University of Melbourne 1981 1981 Career position - Reader in Botany, University of Melbourne 1982 1999 Career position - Professor of Botany (personal chair), School of Botany, University of Melbourne 1982 1999 Career position - Director, Plant Cell Biology Research Centre, University of Melbourne Dec 1986 Dec 1991 Career position - Member of the Board, CSIRO 1988 1988 Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) 1991 1991 Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA) 10 Jun 1991 10 Jun 1991 Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) - for service to science and industry, particularly through the application of biotechnology Dec 1991 Dec 1996 Career position - Chairman of CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) 1992 1992 Award - Mueller Medal, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science 1993 1996 Career position - Director, Alcoa of Australia Ltd 1994 1994 Award - Foreign Associate, US National Academy of Sciences 1996 2005 Career position - Director, WMC Resources Ltd 1997 1998 Career position - President, International Society for Plant molecular Biology 1997 2000 Career position - Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria 1998 1998 Award - Peter Goldacre Medal (shared with Jim Whelan), Australian Society of Plant Physiologists 1998 2001 Career position - Director, AMRAD Corporation Limited 1999 2005 Career position - Laureate Professor, Plant Cell Biology Research Centre, University of Melbourne 1 Jan 2001 1 Jan 2001 Award - Centenary Medal - for outstanding community service, especially as Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria 2001 2003 Career position - Ambassador for Biotechnology for Victoria 2004 2004 Award - President's Medal, Australia and New Zealand Society for Cellular and Developmental Biology 26 Jan 2004 26 Jan 2004 Award - Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) - for service to science and academia as a leading international researcher, for the application of economic benefit to scientific discovery, and for mentoring future leaders 2011 2017 Career position - Chancellor, La Trobe University La Trobe University (1964 - )

Chancellor 2011 - 2017

 State of Victoria (1901 - )

Lieutenant Governor 1997 - 2000

 Alcoa of Australia Ltd (1961 - )

Director 1993 - 1996

 AMRAD Corporation Limited (1986 - 2005)

Director 1998 - 2001

 WMC Resources Ltd (1996 - 2005)

Director 1996 - 2005

 Mueller Medal, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (1904 - 2006)

Awarded the Medal 1992

 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Commonwealth of Australia (1949 - )

Member of the Board 1986 - 1991; Chairman 1991 - 1996

 Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (1987 - )

Elected Fellow 1988

 School of Botany, The University of Melbourne (1880s - )

Professor of Botany (personal chair) 1982 - 1999; Director, Plant Cell Biology Research Centre 1982 - 1999

 Australian Academy of Science (1954 - )

Elected Fellow 1991

 Peter Goldacre Medal, Australian Society of Plant Scientists (1965 - )

Awarded the Medal (shared) 1998

 Australia and New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology (2002? - )

Awarded President's Medal 2004

 Clarke, A E (1938-)

Trove

 'Clarke, Adrienne Elizabeth', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Clarke, Adrienne Elizabeth Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource: Fellows of the Academy Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Fellows of the Academy 2024 Book Section: Not Just a Pair of Hands White, Sally Not Just a Pair of Hands Melbourne Text Publishing Company 1993 On the Edge of Discovery: Australian Women in Science Farley Kelly 281-291 Report: CSIRO annual report 1995-96 CSIRO CSIRO annual report 1995-96 Canberra, ACT Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organisation 1996 Journal Article: Laureate Professor Adrienne Clarke AC FAA FTSE to retire Laureate Professor Adrienne Clarke AC FAA FTSE to retire The University of Melbourne 2005 School of Botany Newsletter December 2005 4 Journal Article: Profile : Professor Adrienne Clarke Profile : Professor Adrienne Clarke 1992 Wisenet : Journal of the Women in Science Enquiry Network 29 21 Resource Section: Peter Goldacre Award Australian Society of Plant Scientists Peter Goldacre Award Australian Society of Plant Scientists 2026 Book: Profiles, Australian women scientists Bhathal, Ragbir Profiles, Australian women scientists Canberra National Library of Australia 1999 Book Section: Doing the Herky-Jerky: Women in the Public Life of Science Love, Rosaleen Doing the Herky-Jerky: Women in the Public Life of Science Melbourne Text Publishing Company 1993 On the Edge of Discovery: Australian Women in Science Farley Kelly 179-198 Book Section: Nancy Millis: Microbiology 'Boots and All' Morrison, Sally Nancy Millis: Microbiology 'Boots and All' Melbourne Text Publishing Company 1993 On the Edge of Discovery: Australian Women in Science Farley Kelly 155-177 Edited Book: On the Edge of Discovery: Australian Women in Science Kelly, Farley On the Edge of Discovery: Australian Women in Science Melbourne Text Publishing Company 1993 Edited Book: Who's who in Australia 2019 Robson, Alexandra K.; Production Manager and Editor Who's who in Australia 2019 55th Southbank, Vic. AAP Directories 2018 Edited Book: Who's who in Australia 2001 Herd, Margaret Who's who in Australia 2001 38 Melbourne Crown Content 2001 Book: Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Handbook 2001 Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Handbook 2001 Victoria Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering 2001 Adrienne Clarke interviewed by Ragbir Bhathal for the Australian women scientists oral history project [sound recording] National Library of Australia Oral History Collection Adrienne Clarke interviewed by Ragbir Bhathal for the Australian women scientists oral history project [sound recording] TRC 3516 18 October 1996 2 digital audio tapes (84 minutes) and uncorrected typescript (37 leaves). Adrienne Clarke, a botanist and Professor of Botany, University of Melbourne and Chair of CSIRO, 1991-1996, speaks of how she was inspired by a school excursion from inland Queensland to the Great Barrier Reef to study biology, her major in biochemistry at University of Melbourne and later completed her doctorate there, her first lecturing position at the University of Auckland but married life and having children were more pressing and so she continued her career part-time but now has become an international expert on plant biology, her research concentrates on the molecular basis for self-incompatibility and the function in plants of arabinogalactan proteins, how they adapted in the 1980s the new science of molecular biology to the investigation of the molecular mechanisms of self-incompatibility, generalised differences between the way men and women scientists approach problem-solving, the place of women in science and academia 2 Audio