Joyce Mary Waters, Lady Waters (née Partridge; born 2 June 1931) is a New Zealand

inorganic chemist Inorganic chemistry deals with synthesis and behavior of inorganic and organometallic compounds. This field covers chemical compounds that are not carbon-based, which are the subjects of organic chemistry. The distinction between the two discipl ...

and

X-ray crystallographer X-ray crystallography is the experimental science determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to diffract into many specific directions. By measuring the angles ...

, who is currently professor emeritus at

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

. She was the second woman to receive a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

in chemistry at the University of Auckland, and the first woman to serve as president of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry.

Early life and family

Waters was born Joyce Mary Partridge in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

on 2 June 1931, the daughter of Mary Elizabeth Partridge (née Harrison) and Thomas Harold Charles Partridge. She was educated at

Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland , type = Private, Girls, Composite (Year 1–13) with boarding facilities , denomination = Anglican , established = 1903; years ago , motto_translation = That we may serve , address ...

, from 1938 to 1949, and went on to study at Auckland University College, graduating

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1954,

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

with first-class honours in 1955, and PhD in 1960. The title of her doctoral thesis, supervised by John Llewellyn and David Hall, was ''A study of some co-ordination compounds formed between nickel diammines and the nitrite ion''. She was the second woman to complete a PhD in chemistry at Auckland. In 1959, she married fellow inorganic chemist Neil Waters, who was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1995.

Academic career

Waters was appointed as a lecturer in chemistry at the University of Auckland in 1961, rising to the rank of associate professor. In 1983, she joined Massey University as a senior research fellow and associate professor in chemistry, and in 2000 she was made a full professor at Massey's Albany campus. Following her retirement, she was conferred with the title of professor emeritus. Her research focused on the determination of molecular structure using X-ray crystallography. An early publication by Waters was the first to describe the structure of a

coordination complex A coordination complex consists of a central atom or ion, which is usually metallic and is called the ''coordination centre'', and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions, that are in turn known as ''ligands'' or complexing agents. Many ...

containing a metal–hydrogen bond. Waters served as president of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry in 1989–1990, and was the first woman to hold the position.

Later life

Following her formal retirement, Waters continued part-time research and teaching activities at Massey Albany. Her husband, Neil Waters, died in Auckland in 2018.

Honours and awards

In 1996, Waters was awarded the Massey Medal of Massey University, in recognition of services to the university and to science. In the

2006 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2006 in some Commonwealth realms were announced (on 31 December 2005) in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Grenada, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, and Saint Christopher and Nevis to cel ...

, she was appointed an

Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to chemistry. Waters was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

in 1999, and is also a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waters, Joyce 1931 births Living people People from Auckland People educated at Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland University of Auckland alumni New Zealand chemists New Zealand women chemists Inorganic chemists Crystallographers New Zealand women academics Academic staff of the University of Auckland Academic staff of Massey University Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit Fellows of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry