Jeannette Esther "Jan" Watson née Perkins (12 October 1927 – 7 November 2021) was an Australian marine biologist and invertebrate

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

who was born in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

. She is best known for her work on the

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

Hydrozoa Hydrozoa (hydrozoans; from Ancient Greek ('; "water") and ('; "animals")) is a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class (biology), class of individually very small, predatory animals, some solitary and some colonial, most of which inhabit saline wat ...

(hydroids) and for being one of the first female

Scuba divers Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scuba'' is an acronym for ...

in Australia.

Career

Jan Watson was the first female geology student to graduate from the Ballarat School of Mines campus of

Federation University Australia Federation University Australia (FedUni) is a public university based in Victoria, Australia. It is the modern descendant of the School of Mines Ballarat, established in 1870 as the fourth tertiary institution in Australia, which evolved to f ...

in 1947 and received two higher degrees for research into marine Hydrozoa: she received the first master's degree awarded by the Victoria Institute of Colleges in 1970 and a PhD from

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974 with antecedent history since 1887, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia and a founding father of Australian Fede ...

. Watson was nominated as Distinguished Alumna of Federation University Australia in 2019. In 2020 she was made Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to marine science and ecology, and to professional associations. Jan Watson learned to Scuba dive beginning in 1958 as a member of the Victorian Sub Aqua Group and was a pioneer scientific diver in Australia, continuing to dive well into her 80s. As a diver Watson first saw the encrusting colonies of marine invertebrates called

hydroids Hydroids are a life stage for most animals of the class Hydrozoa, small predators related to jellyfish. Some hydroids such as the freshwater '' Hydra'' are solitary, with the polyp attached directly to the substrate. When these produce buds, ...

. Research into hydroid taxonomy and, especially, describing new species became a focus for the rest of her scientific life. Watson described 176 species of hydrozoa. Watson had long associations with the Marine Research Group of the

Field Naturalists Club of Victoria The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) is an Australian natural history and conservation organisation. The club is the oldest of its kind in Australia and is unique in having existed continuously since its foundation. Since its founding, ...

and with

Museums Victoria Museums Victoria is an organisation that includes a number of museums and related bodies in Melbourne. These include Melbourne Museum, Immigration Museum, Scienceworks, IMAX Melbourne, a research institute, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Roy ...

where she was an Honorary Associate and where the majority of her hydroid collection is now deposited. The biological consulting company, Marine Science & Ecology, that Watson founded and directed for over 45 years is said to be the first such consultancy in Australia.

References

External links

Bibliography for Australian Hydrozoa including Jan Watson publications: {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Jan 1927 births 2021 deaths Federation University Australia alumni Deakin University alumni People from Ballarat Australian taxonomists Australian zoologists Australian marine biologists