Blood Pioneer

In 1947, Marie Maynard Daly – born on this day in 1921 – became the first African-American woman to receive a PhD in chemistry in the US. She was inspired by her mother’s passion for books and father’s love of chemistry. He immigrated to New York from the West Indies to become a chemist before Marie was born, but left university when money became tight. Marie completed what her father could not. She studied at Queens College and Columbia University, both in her home city of New York. Daly is particularly renowned for her research on the damaging potential of high blood pressure and fatty deposits inside blood vessels, work which led to a better understanding of the cause of heart attacks. Alongside her research, Daly developed opportunities for students from minority backgrounds. She established a scholarship fund for minority African-American science students in honour of her father.

Written by Deborah Oakley

Deborah Oakley

Writer

Deborah is researching healthy cognitive ageing at the University of Cambridge. She previously worked as a science communicator in London, working closely with the BPoD team.

• Image courtesy of The New York Academy of Sciences
• Image copyright held by The New York Academy of Sciences