Person
Fisher, Nellie Ivy (Jackie) (1907 - 1995)
- Born
- 15 October 1907
London, England - Died
- 10 August 1995
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Industrial chemist
- Alternative Names
- Fisher, Jackie (Also known as)
Summary
Nellie Fisher was the first female scientist to head a chemical laboratory in Australia. Her career as an industrial chemist began at Ilford Research Laboratories and Kodak Limited in the United Kingdom where, with colleague Frances Hamer, she conducted research into cyanine dyes that were important in the development of colour photography. This collaboration resulted a number of research papers and patents. In 1939 she was asked to relocate to Kodak in Australia because of her vast knowledge of the preparation and testing of sensitising dyes, as a measure against potential supply problems during WWII. Arriving in Melbourne in February 1940, she worked on synthesising dyes, preparing colour correction filters, and safelight screens. She introduced to Australia modern methods of chemical analysis in relation to colour photography. As head of Kodak's emulsion (sensitising) laboratory Fisher trained many chemists who went on to hold senior positions in the company. When Kodak moved to a larger site in the Melbourne suburb of Coburg, she supervised to the establishment of the new laboratory. Fisher retired in 1962. In her private life she was known as Jackie.
Details
Chronology
- 1928 - 1929
- Career position - President, Imperial College Women's Association
- 1929
- Education - BSc, Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London
- 1930
- Education - Postgraduate Diploma, Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London
- 1930 - 1934
- Career position - Chemist, Photographic Plates and Paper Ltd (a division of Ilford Research Laboratories)
- 1934 - 1939
- Career position - Research chemist, Kodak Limited, Harrow, United Kingdom
- 1938
- Education - PhD, University of London
- 1939 - 1948
- Career position - Research chemist, Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, Abbotsford, Victoria
- February 1940
- Life event - Arrived in Melbourne, Victoria
- 1948 - 1962
- Career position - Head, emulsion laboratory, Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd
- 1962
- Life event - Retired
Related entries
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
Book Sections
- Rae, Ian D.; and Rasmussen, Carolyn, 'Fisher, Nellie Ivy (Jackie) (1907-1995), industrial chemist' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 19 1991-1995 (A-Z), Melanie Nolan, ed. (ANU Press, 2021), pp. 273-274, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/fisher-nellie-ivy-jackie-29582. Details
Newspaper Articles
- Stevens, Sue, 'Kodak scientist a woman well ahead of her time', Age (Melbourne) (1995), 18. Details
Resources
- 'Fisher, Nellie Ivy (19071015-19950810)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1477045. Details
Rosanne Walker and Helen Cohn
Created: 30 June 1997, Last modified: 10 May 2022