Margaret Elaine di Menna (8 July 1923 – 24 March 2014) was a New Zealand

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

. In 1954 she became the first woman to gain a Doctor of Philosophy degree from a New Zealand university. Her doctoral thesis at the University of Otago was entitled ''Yeasts of the human body, their nature and relationship''. She had previously graduated with a MSc(Hons) from the same institution in 1948. In 1990, di Menna was awarded the

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal was a commemorative medal awarded in New Zealand in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, and was awarded to approximately 3,000 people. Background The New Zea ...

, and in the

1997 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1997 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries ...

, she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to microbiology. In 2011, the reading room at Abbey College at the University of Otago was named in her honour. She was a prominent member of Zonta International. She died in Hamilton in 2014.

References

1923 births 2014 deaths People from Huddersfield English emigrants to New Zealand University of Otago alumni New Zealand microbiologists Women microbiologists Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit 20th-century New Zealand women scientists {{NewZealand-scientist-stub