Maud J. Norris (190731 January 1970) was an English entomologist known for her work on insect pheromones and the physiology of insect development and maturation. A significant part of her career was spent on the study of locusts at the

Anti-Locust Research Centre The Anti-Locust Research Centre (ALRC) was set up in London, United Kingdom, by the Colonial Office in 1945, with the aim of improving the worldwide forecasting and control of locusts. The Russian-British entomologist Boris Uvarov was appointed as ...

. She was the first to describe what are now called primer pheromones.

Biography

Norris was born in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

where her father was a naval officer. She studied at

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to pr ...

before going to

King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

, from where she received a first class honours degree in 1928 followed by a Ph.D. from

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

and later a D.Sc. from

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

in 1964. She married the entomologist O.W. Richards in 1931. From 1932 to 34 she studied the biology of the stored grain moth ''

Ephestia ''Ephestia'' is a genus of small moths belonging to the family Pyralidae. Some species are significant pests of dry plant produce, such as seeds and cereals. Best known among these are probably the cacao moth (''E. elutella'') and the Medite ...

''. In 1945

Boris Uvarov Sir Boris Petrovitch Uvarov (3 November 1886 – 18 March 1970) was a Russian-British entomologist best known for his work on the biology and ecology of locusts. He has been called the father of acridology. Biography Boris Petrovitch Uvarov was ...

was looking for a researcher to work at the Anti-Locust Research Centre that he directed. Norris applied and was recruited. Her research from 1945 was on locusts and much of it was focused on chemical ecology. She examined the role of chemicals in aggregation and locust development and maturation. In 1954 she demonstrated the first primer pheromone in insects. She joined her husband on expeditions in 1937 to

British Guyana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

and to the Matto Gross in 1968. She was named a Fellow of the

Royal Entomological Society The Royal Entomological Society is devoted to the study of insects. Its aims are to disseminate information about insects and improving communication between entomologists. The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological Society of London ...

from 1933.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Maud 1907 births 1970 deaths English entomologists Women entomologists People educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College Alumni of King's College London 20th-century British zoologists