Kathleen Sampson (23 November 1892 – 21 February 1980) was an English

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

and

plant pathologist Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungus, fung ...

, with a focus in herbage crops and cereal diseases.

Early life

Sampson was born on 23 November 1892 in

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

, Derbyshire. She received her Bachelor of Science from

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

, University of London in 1914. During her study Sampson was awarded the London University Gilchrist Scholarship for Women in 1913, and the Driver Scholarship for Botany in 1914 as well as being awarded the Driver essay prize in 1914. She graduated with her Masters in Science in 1917 which was focused on phylloglossum and overseen by fossil fern specialist Professor Margaret Benson. The results from her thesis were published in the Annals of Botany in the same year.

Career

Sampson worked at the University of Leeds as an agricultural botany lecturer between 1915 and 1917. During this time she worked with Professor

George Stapledon Sir Reginald George Stapledon FRS (22 September 1882 – 16 September 1960) was an English grassland scientist and pioneer environmentalist. Early life The sixth of the seven children born to shipping agent William Stapledon and Mary Clibbert (da ...

to test seeds for farmers as part of a wartime project. After the war Sampson worked at the University of Wales as an agricultural botany senior lecturer between 1919 and 1945, during which she helped set up the Welsh Plant Breeding Station. She was a member of the British Mycological Society for sixty years, serving as President in 1938. Upon her retirement, Sampson moved to

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...

, Buckinghampshire where she set up a garden and bird sanctuary. When she died in 1980 she donated most of her estate to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Publications

* Diseases of British Grasses and Herbage Legumes (1941)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sampson, Kathleen 1892 births 1980 deaths People from Chesterfield, Derbyshire Alumni of Royal Holloway, University of London Alumni of the University of London Alumni of the University of Leeds English mycologists Women mycologists Academics of Aberystwyth University English scientists People associated with the University of Wales