Professor Emeritus Nancy Millis AC MBE FAA FTSE died on 29 September 2012 at the age of 90. She was one of the first women to be appointed professor at the University of Melbourne, had been president of the Australian Society for Microbiology and after her retirement was chancellor at La Trobe University. Nancy introduced the teaching of industrial microbiology into Australia and by her research and involvement with various organisations promoted a continuing analysis of water utilisation and the environment. She will also be remembered for her role, over twenty years, in guiding the committees responsible for overseeing the development of recombinant DNA research in Australia. Her tireless dedication to the service of others, her wit and her forthright approach endeared her to many. Nancy Millis was elected to the Australian Academy of Science in 2004 by Special Election in recognition of her conspicuous service to the cause of science with her outstanding career in microbiology. This report chronicles some of the very significant and far-reaching contributions that Nancy made to the discipline of microbiology and to the larger Australian community during her long and very productive life.
This memoir was originally published in Historical Records of Australian Science, vol.24, no.2, 2013. It was written by A. J. Pittard.
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
