Eva Philbin

Eva Philbin (4 January 1914 – 24 June 2005) was an Irish chemist who became the first woman president of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland.[1] Born Eva Maria Ryder in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland, Philbin received her B.Sc with first class honors and M.Sc from University College Galway. While at University College Galway she worked under Tom Dillon where they worked on identifying carbohydrates in seaweed.[2] She began her career in 1939 as an industrial chemist and was chief chemist at Hygeia Ltd in Galway during World War II. At Hygeia she was responsible for developing alternative sources for chemicals that were unavailable due to the war.

Eva Philbin
Eva Philbin
Born
Eva Maria Ryder

(1914-01-04)4 January 1914
Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland
Died24 June 2005(2005-06-24) (aged 91)
CitizenshipIreland
Alma materUniversity College Galway
Spouse(s)John Madden Philbin
ChildrenEimear, Deirdre, Liam
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
Institutions
Doctoral advisorThomas S. Wheeler
Other academic advisorsTom Dillon, Vlado Prelog

In 1945, Philbin joined the staff at University College, Dublin. There she collaborated with Professor Thomas S. Wheeler to establish an active research school in Natural Product Chemistry.[3] In 1958, Philbin was awarded a doctorate of science (D .Sc) from the National University of Ireland for her published work on flavinoids.[4] Philbin became organic chemistry professor in 1962 and in 1963, took over as head of the chemistry department at UCD following the death of Prof. Wheeler.[5] She continued to work on flavinoids, related compounds and potential anti-cancer agents through collaborations with other UCD staff.[6][7]

Over her long career, Philbin became a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a member of the Council of the Royal Irish Academy and the Natural Science Council.[8] Philbin became the first women to chair the National Science Council, was the first female senior vice-president of the Royal Irish Academy, and was the first women president of the Institute of Chemistry in 1966.[2][9] Since 2007, the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Annual Award for Chemistry lectures series has been named in her honor as the Eva Philbin Public Lecture Series.[10]

Philbin's interests ranged beyond science, taking a strong interest in the treatment of those with learning difficulties, leading her to take up the chair of the Consultative Council on Mental Handicap as well as becoming honorary treasurer of the National Association for the Mentally Handicapped of Ireland.[8]

Her eldest daughter Eimear married broadcaster and historian John Bowman.[11] Philbin died in 2005, aged 91.[1]

External Resources
  1. List of Eva Philbin's Scientific Contributions, Researchgate
  2. Pioneering Women Professors
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References
  1. "Brilliant chemist who helped establish industry". Irish Times. 9 July 2005. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2015 – via HighBeam Research.
  2. "Brilliant Chemist who Helped Established Industry". The Irish Times. 9 July 2005.
  3. "Philbin, Eva (1914–)". Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. 1 January 2007. ISBN 978-1414418612. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015 – via HighBeam Research.
  4. "Journal of the Royal Institute of Chemistry, Volume 82". Royal Institute of Chemistry. 1958.
  5. "Brilliant chemist who helped establish industry". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  6. Donnelly, Dorothy; Geoghegan, Rosalie; O'Brien, Conor; Philbin, Eva; Wheeler, T. S. (November 1965). "Synthesis of Heterocyclic-Substituted Chromones and Related Compounds as Potential Anticancer Agents1". Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 8 (6): 872–875. doi:10.1021/jm00330a037. ISSN 0022-2623. PMID 5885091.
  7. McCusker, P. E.; Philbin, Eva M.; Wheeler, T. S. (1 January 1963). "438. Bromination and nitration of 5-hydroxyflavone". Journal of the Chemical Society (Resumed): 2374–2381. doi:10.1039/JR9630002374. ISSN 0368-1769.
  8. Stevens, Catherine M. C. Haines with Helen M. (2001). International women in science : a biographical dictionary to 1950. Santa Barbara, Calif. [u.a.]: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1576070905.
  9. "1960–1969 Pioneering Women Professors". UCD Merrion Street. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  10. "Awards, ICI Annual Award for Chemistry, Eva Philbin Lecture, Boyle Higgins Gold Medal, Lecture Award". www.chemistryireland.org.
  11. Kathy Sheridan (27 June 2009). "Time for one last question". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2015 – via HighBeam Research.
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