Marianne Fillenz facts for kids

Marianne Fillenz (born 1924, died 2012) was a brilliant scientist who studied the brain and nerves. She was a Neuroscientist at the famous University of Oxford in England.

Early Life and Learning

Marianne Fillenz was born in Timișoara, Romania. In 1939, her family moved to New Zealand to avoid problems in Europe. They settled in a city called Christchurch.

From 1943 to 1949, Marianne studied medicine at the University of Otago. There, she met John Eccles, a professor who later won a Nobel Prize. He encouraged her to do research in physiology, which is the study of how living things work.

While still a medical student, Marianne published her first scientific paper. It was about how a chemical called acetylcholine affects muscles. In 1950, she moved to the University of Oxford in England. She earned her DPhil (a type of PhD) in physiology at Somerville College.

Her PhD research focused on tiny sensors in the eye muscles that detect stretching. During her first term at Oxford, she met John Clarke, another scientist. They got married six months later. Marianne and John had a very fair partnership, which was unusual for their time. They shared the work of raising their children and supported each other's science careers.

Amazing Research and Teaching

Marianne Fillenz stayed at the University of Oxford for her whole career. Her research moved on to studying the autonomic nervous system. This part of your nervous system controls things you don't think about, like your heartbeat and breathing.

She was a pioneer in using a special method called voltammetry. This method helped her measure how chemicals like catecholamine and dopamine are released in the brain. These chemicals are important for mood, movement, and many other body functions.

Marianne taught at St Hilda's College until 1963. Then, she became a special tutor at St Anne's College. She had a huge positive impact on the medical students she taught. She was also a great mentor, especially for young women scientists at Oxford.

In 1990, she published a book called Noradrenergic Neurons. Later, in 2003, she wrote Neuroscience: science of the brain: an introduction for young students. This book was made to introduce young people to the exciting world of neuroscience. Her last paper, "Memories of John Eccles", was published in 2012, the same year she passed away from cancer.

To honor her memory and amazing work, the University of Oxford started a special lecture series in 2018.