Clarke, a scientist with the Plant Cell Biology Research Centre at the University of Melbourne from 1982, received a Personal Chair in Botany at the University of Melbourne in 1985 and became Lieutenant Governor of Victoria in 1997.
Adrienne Clarke was educated at the University of Melbourne, where she completed her Bachelor of Science in 1958, and PhD in 1963. In 1991 she was awarded an AO.
Clarke's prolific career began in the 1960s when she worked as a Research Fellow with the Institute of Dental Research, United Dental Hospital of Sydney, 1964; Visiting Instructor, Department of Endocrine Physiology, Baylor University, Houston, Texas, Jan-Jun 1967; Research Fellow, Department of Biochemistry, University of Michigan, July-Dec 1967; and Lecturer in Biochemistry, University of Auckland, 1968-69.
The following decade and a half saw her work with the University of Melbourne as follows: Research Fellow, Asthma Foundation, Department of Medicine, 1969-73; Research Fellow, School of Botany, 1974; ARGC Research Fellow, School of Botany, 1975-77; Lecturer in Botany, 1978; Senior Lecturer in Botany, 1979; Reader in Botany, 1981; Director, Plant Cell Biology Research Centre, 1982 onward; and Professor, School of Botany, 1985 onward.
She was appointed Chairman of CSIRO from 1991-96; and Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria from 1997.
Adrienne Clarke is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (1988), Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (1991), Mueller Medal winner (1992), and Foreign Associate, US National Academy of Sciences (1994).
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Australian Women's Register
Adrienne Clarke is a world renowned plant geneticist and was Laureate Professor of Botany at the Plant Cell Biology Research Centre of the University of Melbourne until 31 December 2005. She remains on at the University in an honorary position and continues to work on many government and private boards / committees and is heavily involved with many national and international scientific bodies. Clarke is a scientist of firsts; she was the first female appointed Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne, her team was the first to clone the gene (S gene) which regulates self-compatibility in plants and the first to clone the cDNA of an arabinogalactan protein (a class of plant proteoglycan). Throughout her career, Clarke has received many honours and awards including appointment as a Companion in the Order of Australia (AC) and as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA) and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE).
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1958
Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc) completed at the University of Melbourne
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1963
Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) completed at the University of Melbourne
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1964
Career position - Research Fellow at the Institute of Dental Research at the United Dental Hospital of Sydney
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January 1967 - June 1967
Career position - Visiting Instructor in Department of Endocrine Physiology at Baylor University in Houston, Texas
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July 1967 - December 1967
Career position - Research Fellow in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Michigan
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1968 - 1969
Career position - Lecturer in Biochemistry at the University of Auckland
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1969 - 1973
Career position - Research Fellow of the Asthma Foundation in the Department of Medicine at the University of Melbourne
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1974
Career position - Research Fellow in the School of Botany at the University of Melbourne
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1975 - 1977
Career position - Australian Research Grants Committee (ARGC) Research Fellow in the School of Botany at the University of Melbourne
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1978
Career position - Lecturer in Botany at University of Melbourne
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1979
Career position - Senior Lecturer in Botany at the University of Melbourne
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1981
Career position - Reader in Botany at the University of Melbourne
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1982 -
Career position - Personal Chair at the School of Botany at the University of Melbourne
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1982 - 1999
Career position - Director of the Plant Cell Biology Research Centre at the University of Melbourne
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1985 - 1999
Career position - Professor of Botany at the University of Melbourne
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1988 -
Career position - Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE)
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1991 -
Career position - Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
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1991
Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
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1991 - 1996
Career position - Chairman of CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)
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1992
Award - ANZAAS Mueller Medal received (Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science)
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1994
Award - Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences
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1996 - 2000s
Career position - Director of WMC Ltd
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1997 - 1998
Career position - President of the International Society for Plant molecular Biology
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1997 - 2000
Career position - Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria
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1999 - 2005
Career position - Laureate Professor at the Plant Cell Biology Research Centre
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2001 - 2003
Career position - Ambassador for Biotechnology for Victoria
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2004
Award - Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)
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2004
Award - President's Medal received from the Australian and New Zealand Society for Cellular and Developmental Biology
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Encyclopedia of Australian Science