Adrienne Elizabeth Clarke (née Petty; born 6 January 1938) is professor emeritus of

Botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, where she ran the Plant Cell Biology Research Centre from 1982 to 1999. She is a former chairman of the

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...

(CSIRO, 1991–1996), former Lieutenant Governor of Victoria (1997–2000) and former

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...

(2011–2017).

Biography

Born in Melbourne, Clarke reports she experienced some

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

as a bright student in the 1950s. She attended Ruyton Girls' School and entered the University of Melbourne in 1955 where she was a resident of Janet Clarke Hall (then still part of Trinity College) reading Science. She graduated with an Honours degree in Biological Sciences in 1959, and gained her PhD in 1963. She married Charles Peter Clarke on 14 August 1959. Hired by Victor Trikojus as a researcher in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Melbourne, she conducted research on beta glucans with Bruce Stone in 1960. In 1964 she became a research fellow at the United Dental Hospital of Sydney, then moved to

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

in Houston and the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, later teaching at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

. She worked at the University of Melbourne as Research Fellow (1969–1977), then lecturer, senior lecturer and reader before being appointed Professor of Botany in 1985 and Laureate Professor in 1999. She retired from the university in 2005. Clarke is a former chairman of

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...

(1991–1996) and a former Lieutenant

Governor of Victoria The governor of Victoria is the representative of Monarchy of Australia, the monarch, currently King Charles III, in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the premier of V ...

(1997–2000). She is a Fellow of

Janet Clarke Hall Janet Clarke Hall (JCH) is a residential college of the University of Melbourne in Australia. The college is associated with the Anglican Province of Victoria. Founded in 1886 JCH was the first university college in Australia to admit women ...

at the University of Melbourne. In 2010 she joined the

Council, and succeeded Sylvia Walton as Chancellor of

on 26 February 2011. She has also been involved in the commercial sector; she was a director of a number of public companies and sat on a number of boards, including Western Mining,

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...

, Fisher and Paykel, Woolworths and the AMP Society. She was also a member of the Australian Advisory Board of the Global Nature Conservancy. In 1998, in association with three University of Melbourne colleagues, she founded the agribusiness Hexima.

Contributions

Clarke's scientific work provided critical insight to the biochemistry and genetics of flowering plants, their reproduction, and their growth. It led to industrial applications for next-generation controls of insect pests and fungal disease of crops. Her team was the first to clone the gene which regulates self-compatibility in plants and the first to clone the "c" DNA of an

arabinogalactan protein Arabinogalactan-proteins (AGPs) are highly Glycosylation, glycosylated proteins (glycoproteins) found in the Plant cell wall, cell walls of plants. Each one consists of a protein with Carbohydrate , sugar molecules attached (which can account for m ...

. She describes her expertise as: *The molecular basis of self-incompatibility *The chemistry and biology of a class of proteoglycans, the arabinogalactan-proteins *Proteinase Inhibitors and their use in control of insect development She is co-editor of major scientific books dealing with chemistry, cell biology and genetics.

Honours and awards

*Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

(FAA) *Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) is an independent learned academy that helps Australians understand and use technology to solve complex problems. History The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences was foun ...

(FTSE)FTSE
, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering *1991

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

(AO)Officer of the Order of Australia
(AO), 10 June 1991, ''It's an Honour''. ''For service to science and industry, particularly through the application of biotechnology.'' *1992 Mueller Medal, ANZAAS *1993 Outstanding Achievers Award,

National Australia Day Council The National Australia Day Council (NADC) is a non-profit social enterprise owned by the Australian Government and is the national coordinating body for the Australian of the Year awards and Australia Day. It was established in 1979 and inc ...

*2001

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

Centenary Medal
, 1 January 2001, ''It's an Honour''. ''For outstanding community service, especially as Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria.'' *2001 Victorian Honour Roll of Women *2004

Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

(AC)Companion of the Order of Australia
(AC), 26 January 2004, ''It's an Honour''. ''For service to science and academia as a leading international researcher, for the application of economic benefit to scientific discovery, and for mentoring future leaders.'' *Foreign Associate of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

(USA) *Foreign Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

(USA)

References

External links

* Laurence Muir (2007) Professor Adrienne Clarke, pp17–20 of
"Some Inspirational People"
– 15 inspirational Australians profiled by Sir Laurence MacDonald Muir. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Adrienne 1938 births Living people People educated at Ruyton Girls' School People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne) 20th-century Australian botanists Companions of the Order of Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Academic staff of the University of Melbourne 20th-century Australian women scientists Australian women botanists Chancellors of La Trobe University University of Michigan fellows Lieutenant-governors of Victoria American women academics