Anne Josephine Green AC is an Australian physicist and astronomer. She is a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

and was previously head of the university's School of Physics. She was also director of the

Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope The Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST) is a radio telescope operating at 843 MHz. It is operated by the School of Physics of the University of Sydney. The telescope is located in Hoskinstown, near the Molonglo River and Canberra ...

for a decade.

Early life

Green was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.) by the

in 1973, writing a thesis titled " Spiral structure of the galaxy from a radio continuum survey" under the supervision of

Bernard Mills Bernard Yarnton Mills AC, FRS, FAA, DSc(Eng) (8 August 1920 – 25 April 2011) was an Australian engineer and a pioneer of radio astronomy in Australia, responsible for the design and implementation of the Mills Cross Telescope and the Mol ...

. She was the first female Ph.D. student to be enrolled in the university's school of physics. She subsequently undertook further research at the

Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy The Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfRA) (German: ''Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie'') is located in Bonn, Germany. It is one of 80 institutes in the Max Planck Society (German: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft). History By com ...

in Germany.

Career

Green rejoined the University of Sydney's School of Physics in 1991 and "went on to build a prolific career focussed on the ecology and structure of the Milky Way Galaxy". She served as director of the

for over a decade and was appointed as the school's first female head in 2007. She retired in 2017. Green was president of the

Astronomical Society of Australia The Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA) is the professional body representing astronomers in Australia. Established in 1966, it is incorporated in the Australian Capital Territory. Membership of the ASA is open to people "capable of contribut ...

from 2003 to 2005 and served as chair of Astronomy Australia Limited. She was also an inaugural co-chair of the Women in Astronomy Working Group of the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach, education, and developmen ...

Honours

A portrait of Green by

Yvette Coppersmith Yvette Coppersmith (born 1980) is an Australian painter; she specialises in portraiture and still life. In 2018 she won the Archibald Prize with a self-portrait, in the style of George Lambert. Coppersmith studied at the Victorian College of t ...

was installed in the University of Sydney's Physics Foundation Room in 2019, hanging alongside portraits of

Harry Messel Harry Messel, , (3 March 1922 – 8 July 2015) was a Canadian-born Australian physicist and educator. Life and work Messel was born in Canada to Ukrainian parents. He was born in Levine Siding in Manitoba, and brought up in Rivers, Manitoba. H ...

and

Adolph Basser Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo, and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name with German origins. The name is a compound derived from the Old High German ''Athalwolf'' (or ''Hadulf''), a composition of ''athal'', or ''adal'', mean ...

. She was appointed

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) in the

2022 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as pa ...

, for "eminent service to science, particularly physics and astrophysics, as an educator and researcher, as a mentor to colleagues and students, and a role model to women". The Anne Green prize was established by the Astronomical Society of Australia upon Green's retirement, to honour her contribution to astronomy. The prize is awarded annually to an Australian Astronomer for mid-career achievement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Anne 21st-century Australian astronomers Australian physicists University of Sydney alumni Academic staff of the University of Sydney Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Companions of the Order of Australia Australian women physicists Australian women astronomers Australian astronomers