List of Antarctic women
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This is a list of Antarctic women. It includes explorers, researchers, educators, administrators and adventurers. They are arranged by the country of their latest citizenship rather than by country of birth.
Argentina
- Viviana Alder (born 1957), marine microbiologist
- Irene Bernasconi (1896–1989), echinoderm specialist, member of the first team of Argentine scientists to work on Antarctica in 1968
- Patricia Ortúzar (graduated 2001), geographer, writer
- Carmen Pujals (1916–2003), botanist, member of the first team of Argentine scientists to work on Antarctica in 1968
- Irene Schloss (PhD 1997), plankton biologist
Australia
- Nerilie Abram (born 1977), climate change environmentalist
- Leanne Armand (born 1968), marine scientist, diatom ecologist
- Dana Bergstrom (born 1962), ecologist, biosecurity specialist, writer
- Hope Black (born 1919), marine biologist, educator, early sub-Antarctic researcher
- Elizabeth Chipman (born 1934), writer, one of the first Australian women to set foot on the Antarctic mainland in 1975
- Louise Crossley (1942–2015), South-African born environmentalist, station leader
- Amanda Davies, geographer
- Gwen Fenton (PhD 1985), biologist, first woman to be chief scientist of the Australian Antarctic Division
- Samantha Hall (born 1982), environmental researcher
- Catherine King (graduated 1992), environmentalist specializing in ecotoxicology research
- Delphine Lannuzel (graduated 2001), Belgian-born biogeochemist, educator
- Nel Law (1914–1990), artist, writer, first Australian woman to set foot in Antarctica in 1961
- Diana Patterson (born early 1950s), first woman to head an Australian Antarctic station
- Sally Poncet (born 1954), biologist, ornithologist, explorer
- Anya Marie Reading (PhD 1997), seismology and computational methods
- Patricia Margaret Selkirk (born 1942), plant biologist, ecologist
- Justine Shaw (graduated 1996), ecologist, conservation scientist
- Jan Strugnell (born 1976), evolutionary molecular biologist
- Elizabeth Truswell (born 1941), palynologist, visual artist
- Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann (born 1950), one of the first two indigenous Australians to visit Antarctica
- Barbara Wienecke (PhD 1993), Namibian-born seabird ecologist
- Nerida Wilson (graduated 1998), invertebrate marine biologist
Belgium
- Annick Wilmotte (graduated 1982), microbiologist
Brazil
- Edith Fanta (1943–2008), biologist, Antarctic fish researcher
- Vivian Pellizari (graduated 1992), microbiologist
Brunei
- Dk Najibah Era Al-Sufri (born 1983), first Bruneian to reach the South Pole
Bulgaria
- Roumiana Metcheva (born 1950), ecotoxicologist
Canada
- Josée Auclair (born 1962), polar explorer, first Canadian woman to have headed expeditions to the North and South Poles
- Kathleen Conlan (born 1950), marine biologist, explorer
- Jennie Darlington (1919–2009), explorer, one of the first women to overwinter in Antarctica in 1947–48
Chile
- Veronica Vallejos (born late 1960s), marine biologist, conservationist
China
- Yan Liu (graduated 2003), iceberg calving specialist, environmentalist
- Lijie Wei (born 1974), paleontologist, stratigraphist
Czech Republic
- Linda Nedbalova (born 1976), biologist, writer
Denmark
- Dorthe Dahl-Jensen (born 1958), geophysicist, ice and climate researcher
- Caroline Mikkelsen (1906 - late 1990s), explorer, first woman to set foot on Antarctica or an Antarctic island in 1935
France
- Laurence de la Ferrière (born 1957), Moroccan-born climber and explorer, first French woman to reach the South Pole alone in 1997
- Catherine Ritz (graduated 1975), geographer, climatologist
Germany
- Doris Abele (graduated 1984), marine biologist
- Nancy Bertler (graduated 1996), geologist, ice core researcher
- Anja Blacha (born 1990), expeditioner, longest solo, unsupported, unassisted polar expedition by a woman
- Angelika Brandt (born 1961), deep-sea biologist
- Katrin Linse (PhD 2000), marine benthic biologist
- Karin Lochte (born 1952), oceanographer, climate change specialist
- Cornelia Lüdecke (born 1954), meteorologist, writer
- Bettina Meyer (PhD 1996), marine biologist
- Monika Puskeppeleit (born 1955), physician, station leader of the first all-woman team to overwinter in Antarctica
India
- Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu, first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole
- Aditi Pant, oceanographer, first Indian woman to visit Antarctica in 1983
- Sudipta Sengupta, structural geologist, mountaineer, visited in 1983
- Meenakshi Wadhwa, cosmochemist, geologist, visited in 1992 and 2012 under ANSMET programs
Italy
- Cinzia Verde (graduated 1987), biologist, writer
Japan
- Junko Tabei (born 1939), mountaineer, the first woman to climb to the top of Mount Vinson, Antarctica's highest mountain
Malaysia
- Siti Aisyah Alias (born 1966), marine biologist
Morocco
- Merieme Chadid (born 1969), astronomer
Netherlands
- Corina Brussaard (PhD 1997), viral ecologist
- Anita Buma (graduated 1984), marine ecophysiologist
- Monique de Vries (born 1947), politician, polar research supporter
New Zealand
- Rosemary Askin, geologist, palynologist
- Nancy Bertler, climate scientist and ice core specialist
- Margaret Bradshaw, British-born New Zealand geologist
- Ann Chapman (1937–2009), limnologist, first woman to lead an Antarctic expedition
- Marie Darby, marine biologist and teacher, first New Zealand woman to visit the Antarctic mainland
- Edith Farkas (1921–1993), Hungarian-born meteorologist, ozone researcher
- Roberta Farrell, American-born biologist, educator
- Christina Hulbe, glaciologist
- Pat Langhorne, sea ice physicist
- Victoria Metcalf, marine biologist, educator
- Christina Riesselman, paleoceanographer
- Natalie Robinson, polar oceanographer
- Gillian Wratt, botanist, first woman director of the New Zealand Antarctic Programme
- Pamela Young, first New Zealand woman to live and work in Antarctica
Norway
- Liv Arnesen (born 1953), educator, cross-country skier, first woman to ski alone to the South Pole in 1994
- Ingrid Christensen (1891–1976), early polar explorer, first woman to land on the Antarctic mainland or at least view land in Antarctica (1931)
- Lillemor Rachlew (1902–1983), one of the first women to set foot on the Antarctic mainland in 1937
- Cecilie Skog (born 1974), nurse, explorer, adventurer
- Monica Kristensen Solås (born 1950), glaciologist, meteorologist, explorer
Pakistan
- Namira Salim (born 1975), explorer, artist
Poland
- Maria Olech (born 1941), biologist, lichenologist
Romania
- Florica Topârceanu (born 1954), biologist, medical researcher
Russia/Soviet Union
- Maria Klenova (1898–1976), marine geologist, first woman to undertake scientific work in Antarctica in 1956, contributing to the first Soviet Antarctic atlas
South Africa
- Bettine van Vuuren (graduated 1992), zoologist
South Korea
- In-Young Ahn (graduated 1982), benthic ecologist, oceanographer
- Ji Hee Kim (graduated 1991), biologist, environmentalist, writer
- Hong Kum Lee (graduated 1989), marine biotechnologist
Spain
- Susana Agustí (graduated 1982), biological oceanographer
- Josefina Castellví (born 1935), oceanographer, biologist, writer
- Carlota Escutia Dotti (graduated 1982), geologist
Sweden
- Johanna Davidsson (born 1983), adventurer, skied alone from the coast to the South Pole
- Elisabeth Isaksson (graduated 1986), glaciologist, geologist
- Annelie Pompe (born 1981), adventurer, has climbed all seven summits, including Mount Vinson
- Tina Sjögren (born 1959), Czech-born mountaineer, explorer, first woman to complete the Three Poles Challenge in 2002
- Anna Wåhlin (born 1970), physical oceanographer
Trinidad and Tobago
- Marilyn Raphael (PhD 1990), climatologist, educator, writer
Turkey
- Şahika Ercümen (born 1985), freediver
- Burcu Özsoy (born 1976), scientist
Ukraine
- Halyna Kolotnytska (born 1972), cook of the second Ukrainian Antarctic expedition, 1997/98
United Kingdom
- Louise Allcock (graduated 1992), marine biologist, editor
- Felicity Aston (born 1977), explorer, climate scientist
- Kim Crosbie (born c.1969), environmentalist, citizen scientist, writer
- Ginny Fiennes (1947–2004), explorer, her Transglobe Expedition team was the first to reach the two poles
- Jane Francis (born 1956), palaeoclimatologist, director of the British Antarctic Survey
- Helen Fricker (graduated 1991), glaciologist, writer
- Karen Heywood (graduated 1983), oceanographer, educator
- Eleanor Honnywill (c.1919–2003), contributor to the British Antarctic Survey, writer
- Joanne Johnson (born 1977), geologist, writer
- Jennifer Lee, specialist in invasion biology
- Hannah McKeand (born 1973), beat the record for solo skiing from the coast to the pole
- Elizabeth Morris (born 1946), glaciologist
- Tavi Murray (PhD 1990), glaciologist
- Pom Oliver (born 1952), explorer, film producer
- Sharon Robinson (born 1961), plant physiologist, climate change biologist
- Jane Rumble, head of the Polar Regions Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, since 2007
- Rosie Stancer (born 1960), explorer, adventurer
- Janet Thomson (born 1942), geologist, first British woman to undertake field research in Antarctica
- Fiona Thornewill (born 1966), explorer
- Jemma Wadham (PhD 1998), glacial biogeochemist
United States
- Jenny Baeseman (graduated 1998), civil engineer, environmentalist, geoscientist
- Ann Bancroft (born 1955), writer, educator, adventurer, first woman to complete Arctic and Antarctic expeditions
- Robin Bell (graduated 1980), polar ice specialist
- Mary Odile Cahoon (1929–2011), Benedictine nun, early Antarctic biological researcher
- Kelly Falkner (born 1960), chemical oceanographer, educator
- Patricia Hepinstall, flight attendant, one of the first two women to fly to Antarctica in October 1957
- Barbara Hillary (1931–2019), first African-American woman to reach both poles
- Louise Huffman (born 1951), educator specializing in polar science
- Christina Hulbe (MSc 1994), geologist, educator
- Kelly Jemison, geologist specializing in Antarctic diatoms
- Lois Jones (1935–2000), geochemist, led the first all-woman science team to Antarctica in 1969
- Ruth Kelley, flight attendant, one of the first two women to fly to Antarctica in October 1957
- Amy Leventer (graduated 1982), marine biologist, micropaleontologist
- Diane McKnight (born 1953), environmental engineer, educator, editor
- Mary Alice McWhinnie (1922–1980), biologist, first American woman to head an Antarctic research station
- Jill Mikucki (graduated 1996), microbiologist
- Robyn Millan (graduated 1995), astronomist, physicist, investigating radiation belts
- Tori Murden (born 1963), explorer, first woman to reach the South Pole by land in 1989
- Alison Murray (graduated 1989), microbiologist
- Jerri Nielsen (1952–2009), physician, writer
- Vanessa O'Brien (born 1964), mountain climber, explorer
- Julie Palais (graduated 1974), glaciologist
- Irene C. Peden (born 1925), electrical engineer, first American scientist to work in the Antarctic interior in 1970
- Ann Peoples (graduated 1979), first American woman to have a management position in Antarctica
- Erin Pettit (born 1971), glaciologist
- Christina Riesselman (graduated 2001), paleoceanographer
- Michelle Rogan-Finnemore (graduated 1981), scientist, legal expert
- Jackie Ronne (1919–2009), explorer, first woman to be a working member of an Antarctic expedition (1947–48)
- Karen Schwall, first female Army officer in Antarctica and first woman to manage McMurdo Station
- Christine Siddoway (born 1961), structural geologist
- Deborah Steinberg (graduated 1987), oceanographer, zooplankton ecologist
- Cristina Takacs-Vesbach (born 1968), microbial ecologist
- Lynne Talley (born 1954), physical oceanographer
- Trista Vick-Majors (graduated early 2000s), microbial ecologist
- Diana Wall (PhD in 1971), environmental scientist and a soil ecologist
- Sophie Warny (born 1969), Belgian-born palynologist
- Terry Wilson (born 1954), geologist, tectonics specialist
