- 1920-1958, British biophysicist and X-ray crystallographer
- Photo 51: her X-ray diffraction image of DNA provided critical evidence for the double helix structure
- demonstrated DNA exists in two forms (A and B), with the B form revealing the helical geometry
- her data was essential to James Watson and Francis Crick’s 1953 model of DNA structure
- expert in X-ray crystallography applied to complex biological molecules: coal, carbon, viruses
- later research on tobacco mosaic virus and RNA structure at Birkbeck College, advancing structural virology
- foundation of molecular biology: her experimental precision bridged chemistry and biology at the atomic scale
- died at 37 from ovarian cancer, likely linked to extensive radiation exposure during research