Dame Margaret Anne Brimble DNZM FRS (née MacMillan; born 20 August 1961) is a New Zealand chemist. Her research has included investigations of shellfish toxins[1] and means to treat brain injuries.[2]
Dame Margaret Brimble | |
|---|---|
 Brimble at the Royal Society admissions day in London, July 2018 | |
| Born | Margaret Anne MacMillan 20 August 1961 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Education | Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland |
| Alma mater | University of Auckland (BSc, MSc) University of Southampton (PhD) |
| Awards | Rutherford Medal (2012) L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science (2007) Hector Memorial Medal (2012) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Thesis | Salinomycin : the bis-spiroacetal moiety (1985) |
| Website | http://web.chemistry.auckland.ac.nz |
Early life, family, and education
Brimble was born in Auckland on 20 August 1961, the daughter of Mary Anne MacMillan (née Williamson) and Herbert MacMillan,[3] and was encouraged by her grandmother to value education.[4] She attended Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland from 1972 to 1978, and was dux in her final year.[3][5]
She went on to study chemistry at the University of Auckland from 1979 to 1983, graduating Bachelor of Science in 1982 and Master of Science with first-class honours in 1983.[3] She was awarded a New Zealand Commonwealth scholarship to undertake a PhD in organic chemistry at the University of Southampton.[6][7]
Career and research
Brimble holds the Chair of Organic and Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Auckland and is also a Principal Investigator in the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery.
Awards and honours
She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Royal Society of Chemistry.[8]
Brimble was the first New Zealander to receive the L'Oreal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science, and the second woman to receive the Rutherford medal.[9]
Brimble was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science in the 2004 New Year Honours.[10] In the 2012 New Year Honours, she was promoted to Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, also for services to science.[11] She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2018.[12] In the 2019 New Year Honours, she was promoted to Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to science.[13]
In 2014, Brimble received the Science and Innovation Award at the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards.[14]
In 2017, Brimble was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's "150 women in 150 words", celebrating the contributions of women to knowledge in New Zealand.[15]
In 2023, Brimble received the Ernest Guenther Award in Chemistry of Natural Products[16]
| Year | Award | Awarded by | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Marsden Medal | New Zealand Association of Scientists[17] | |
| 2012 | Rutherford Medal | Royal Society of New Zealand[18] | world-leading contributions to the synthesis of bioactive natural products and novel peptides with wide applications across the life sciences industry |
| Hector Medal | sustained outstanding research in the field of organic chemistry, notably her impressive research in the field of natural products synthesis and the development of new synthetic methodology. | ||
| MacDiarmid Medal | pioneering the design, synthesis and clinical development of a small molecule drug candidate that shows promise for significantly reducing the impact of traumatic brain injury. | ||
| 2011 | Adrien Albert Award | Royal Australian Chemical Institute | |
| 2010 | Natural Product Chemistry Award | Royal Society of Chemistry | outstanding contributions to the synthesis of natural products and their analogues |
| 2008 | World Class New Zealand Award | Kea and NZ Trade & Enterprise | Research, Science, Technology & Academia |
| 2007 | Women in Science Asia-Pacific Laureate in Materials Science | L'Oreal-UNESCO | contributions to the synthesis of complex natural products, especially shellfish toxins.[1] |
| 2005 | HortResearch Prize for Excellence in the Chemical Sciences | NZIC | |
| 2004 | James Cook Research Fellowship | Royal Society of New Zealand | |
| 2003-4 | UK Royal Society Rosalind Franklin International Lectureship | internationally recognised and successful women scientists | |
| Novartis Chemistry Lecture Award | outstanding contributions in natural product synthesis and development of new synthetic methodology | ||
| 2001 | Federation of Asian Chemical Societies Distinguished Chemist Award | ||
| 1996 | Ian Potter Foundation Research Award | University of Sydney | |
| 1992 | Hamilton Memorial Prize | Royal Society of New Zealand | |
| Easterfield Medal | New Zealand Institute of Chemistry |
Personal life
In 1981, she married Mark Timothy Brimble.[3]
References
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