Margaret Brimble facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dame Margaret Brimble
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![]() Brimble at the Royal Society admissions day in London, July 2018
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Born |
Margaret Anne MacMillan
20 August 1961 Auckland, New Zealand
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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) |
Dame Margaret Anne Brimble is a famous chemist from New Zealand. She is known for her important research on natural chemicals. Her work includes finding ways to help people with brain injuries and studying toxins found in shellfish.
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Early Life and Education
Margaret Brimble was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on August 20, 1961. Her grandmother always encouraged her to focus on her education. She was a very bright student and attended the Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland. In her final year, she was the top student in her entire school, an honor known as dux.
After finishing school, she studied chemistry at the University of Auckland. She earned two degrees there: a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science. Because she was such a talented student, she won a special scholarship. This allowed her to travel to the University of Southampton in England to earn her PhD, which is the highest university degree in her field.
A Career in Science
Dame Margaret is a professor at the University of Auckland, where she holds a special position called the Chair of Organic and Medicinal Chemistry. This means she is a leading expert and teacher in the study of chemicals used in medicine.
She is also a top researcher at the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery. In her work, she explores chemicals found in nature to see how they can be used to create new medicines and treatments.
Honors and Major Awards
Dame Margaret Brimble's amazing work has earned her many awards and honors. Being honored means that other experts recognize how important her contributions to science are.
Royal Recognition
She has been honored by the government of New Zealand multiple times. In 2019, she was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This is a very high honor, similar to a knight, and is why she is called "Dame Margaret."
She was also elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2018. The Royal Society is a group of the world's most respected scientists, so being chosen as a fellow is a huge achievement.
Groundbreaking Science Awards
Dame Margaret has won some of the biggest awards in science.
- L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science (2007): She was the first person from New Zealand to ever win this major international award. It celebrated her work in creating complex natural chemicals, especially those related to shellfish toxins.
- Rutherford Medal (2012): This is New Zealand's top science prize. She was only the second woman to ever receive it.
- MacDiarmid Medal (2012): She won this for creating a new drug that could help people recover from traumatic brain injury.
- Hector Medal (2012): This award recognized her outstanding research in organic chemistry over many years.
- Ernest Guenther Award (2023): This is a major American award for her work in the chemistry of natural products.
In 2017, the Royal Society Te Apārangi named her one of New Zealand's "150 women in 150 words". This project celebrated the country's most important women who have contributed to knowledge.
Personal Life
In 1981, she married Mark Timothy Brimble.
See also
In Spanish: Margaret Brimble para niños