Person

Brown, Ida Alison (1900 - 1976)

Born
16 August 1900
Paddington, New South Wales, Australia
Died
21 October 1976
Edgecliff, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation
Geologist, Palaeontologist and Petrologist
Alternative Names
  • Browne, Ida Alison (married name)

Summary

Ida Brown was a highly-respected geologist, palaeontologist and petrologist who, for nearly 30 years, taught geology and palaeontology at the University of Sydney. Initially a demonstrator, she ultimately became Senior Lecturer, and was a noted mentor of female students (including Beryl Nashar and Joan Crockford). Brown's early research was on minerals of Broken Hill and the New South Wales south coast, combining field-mapping with laboratory work in petrology. She later worked on the stratigraphy of New South Wales, and Palaeozoic invertebrates, especially brachiopods. Brown was required to leave her position at the University on her marriage in 1950 to geologist William Browne. For the next 15 years she worked from home, undertaking fieldwork and accompanying Browne on his field trips. In 2023 the Royal Society of New South Wales inaugurated the Ida Browne Early Career Medal. The fungal species Fusarium idabrowneae was named in her honour.

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Details

Chronology

1922
Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Sydney
1922 - 1926
Career position - Demonstrator, University of Sydney
1927 - 1933
Career position - Linnean Macleay Fellow in Geology
1932
Career event - Elected Associate Member (Geology), Australian National Research Council
1932
Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Sydney
1934
Career position - Demonstrator in Geology, University of Sydney
1935 - 1940
Career position - Assistant Lecturer in Palaeontology, University of Sydney
1940 - 1945
Career position - Lecturer, University of Sydney
1941 - 1950
Career position - Member of Council, Linnean Society of New South Wales
1942 - 1950
Career position - Vice-President, Royal Society of New South Wales
1945 - 1946
Career position - President, Linnean Society of New South Wales
1945 - 1950
Career position - Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney
1953 - 1954
Career position - President, Royal Society of New South Wales
1959
Award - Royal Society of New South Wales Medal

Related Awards

Related Corporate Bodies

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 regularly edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, 2003, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/wisa/wisa.html. Details

Books

  • Hooker, Claire, Irresistible Forces: Australian Women in Science (Carlton: Melbourne University Press, 2004), 215 pp. Details

Book Sections

Journal Articles

  • Branagan, David, 'Ida Alison Browne', Journal and proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 110 (1977), 75-6. Details
  • Brown, Ida A., 'The stratigraphy and structure of the Silurian and Devonian rocks of Yass- Bowning district, New South Wales', Journal and proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 74 (3) (1941), 312-41. Details
  • Brown, Ida A., 'The Tamworth series (Lower and Middle Devonian) near Attunga, N.S.W.', Journal and proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 76 (3) (1942), 165-76. Details
  • Brown, Ida A., 'Stringocephalid brachiopods in eastern Australia', Journal and proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 77 (3) (1944), 119-29. Details
  • Browne, Ida A., 'Presidential address', Journal and proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 88 (1) (1954), 1-11. Details
  • Browne, W.R.; Brown, Ida A., 'Scientific Societies in Australia. The Royal Society of New South Wales', The Royal Australian Chemical Institute Proceedings, 28 (1961), 100-109. Details
  • Hooker, Claire, 'Stratigraphy: Dr Ida Alison Browne 1900-1976', Australasian Science, 22 (5) (2001), 46. Details
  • Turner, S., 'Invincible but mostly Invisible: Australian Women's Contribution to Geology and Palaeontology', Geological Society Special Publication, 281 (2007), 165-202. Details

Resources

See also

  • Alexander, John A. ed., Who's who in Australia 1944 (Melbourne, Victoria: The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd, 1944), 906 pp. Details

Rosanne Walker and Helen Cohn

Created: 30 June 1997, Last modified: 12 February 2026

EOAS ID: biogs/P002277b.htm

This Edition: 2026 February - 1926 Centenaries
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