Born: 12 May 1932, New Zealand
Died: 28 August 2015
Country most active: Australia
Also known as: NA
This biography has been shared from The Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, published by the Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Jan Anderson was an international expert on photosynthesis research. Her roles included Adjunct Professor at the Research School of Biological Sciences at the Australian National University and Chief Research Scientist at CSIRO’s Division of Plant Industry.
After completing her studies in New Zealand, Jane Anderson undertook a PhD in organic chemistry at the University of California. From there she moved to Australia to work for Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) at their Canberra Division of Plant industry. By 1982 Anderson had become Chief Research Scientist their, a position she held until her retirement. Anderson was an Adjunct Professor at the Australian National University from 1995 to 2015. Throughout her research career, Jan Anderson travelled to and collaborated with many Universities around the world (UK, USA, Sweden). Her research interests include the molecular organisation of thyakoid membranes, the molecular mechanisms of light regulation in higher plants, and the structural/functional dynamics of photosystem II.
Chronology
1954: Education – Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of New Zealand
1956: Education – Master of Science (MSc), University of New Zealand
1957 – 1959: Education – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of California, USA
1960: Career position – Research Scientist at the Ruakura Agricultural Station at DSIR in Hamilton, New Zealand
1961 – 1981: Career position – Research Scientist at the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Division of Plant Industry, Canberra
1965 – 1966: Career position – Carnegie Research Fellow in Plant Biology at Stanford, USA
1966: Career position – C. F. Kettering Research Fellow at the Yellow Springs in Ohio, USA
1973 – 1974: Career position – Marie Cobot Fellow with the Biological Laboratories at Harvard University, USA
1973 – 1974: Career position – Ann Horton Research Fellow, University of Cambridge, UK
1982: Career position – Chief Research Scientist at the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry in Canberra
1982: Career position – Visiting Professor in Molecular Plant Biology, University of California in Berkeley, USA
1983: Award – Lemberg Medal and Oration, Australian Biochemical Society
1984 – 1985: Career position – President, Australian Society of Biophysics
1986: Career position – Distinguished Professor, Swedish National Research Council, University of Lund, Sweden
1987: Award – Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
1989: Award – Pacific Rim Fellowship, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S.A.
1989: Career position – Visiting Professor in Molecular Plant Biology, University of California in Berkeley, USA
1992 – 1993: Career position – President, Australian Society of Plant Physiology
1995: Career position – Visiting Professor, University of Umea, Sweden
1996: Award – Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS)
1996 – 2015: Career position – Adjunct Professor at the Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University (ANU)
1998: Award – Honorary Doctorate, University of Umea in Sweden
2001: Award – Centenary Medal – for service to Australian society in biological science
2003: Award – Honorary Fellow, Newnham College, University of Cambridge
2007: Award – Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Society of Photosynthesis Research to acknowledge a lifetime of outstanding contributions to understanding photosynthesis
2007 – 2015: Award – Life Member, Australian Society of Plant Scientists
2011: Award – Certificate of Appreciation, Australian Society for Biochemical and Molecular Biology