Suzanne Célina Marie Julie Joséphine Leclercq (28 March 1901 – 12 June 1994) was a Belgian

paleobotanist Paleobotany or palaeobotany, also known as paleophytology, is the branch of botany dealing with the recovery and identification of plant fossils from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments (pale ...

and

paleontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...

known for her study of

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a period (geology), geologic period and system (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era during the Phanerozoic eon (geology), eon, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the preceding Silurian per ...

period plants. She was president of the Geological Society of Belgium from 1953 to 1954. She was a professor of

stratigraphy Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithost ...

and paleophytology at the

University of Liège The University of Liège (), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium founded in 1817 and based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French (language), French. History The university was foun ...

. She won a number of prizes including the François Crépin Triennial Prize, the Agathon De Potter Prize in 1953, and in 1958 the Henri Buttgenbach Prize.

Biography

Leclercq was born in 1901 in

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

, her parents were Xavier Leclercq, an industrialist, and Julie Gustin. Leclercq earned her Ph.D. at the

. She worked in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and made many trips to institutions in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to study their collections throughout her research career. Leclercq was a member of many scientific and professional societies, including the

Botanical Society of America The Botanical Society of America (BSA) represents professional and amateur botanists, researchers, educators and students in over 80 countries of the world. It functions as a United States nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership society. History The soc ...

, the Paleobotanical Society of India, and the Geological Society of Belgium, which she led from 1953 to 1954. Leclercq was a professor of

and paleophytology at her alma mater throughout her career, though she conducted research at the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

, the Geological Survey in London, the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, and the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. She is known for her study of

period plants. Leclercq won a number of awards during her career, including the Kerkhove d'Exaerde Prize for Science, the François Crépin Triennial Prize, awarded by the Royal Botanical Society of Belgium, the Agathon De Potter Prize in 1953, and in 1958 the Henri Buttgenbach Prize.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leclercq, Suzanne 20th-century Belgian botanists Belgian women botanists Women paleontologists Paleobotanists 1901 births 1994 deaths 20th-century Belgian women scientists