RESEARCH FRONT CSIRO PUBLISHING Aust. J. Chem. 2020, 73, 73–74 Foreword https://doi.org/10.1071/CHv73n3_FO Professor Frances Separovic AO Sylvia Urban School of Science (Applied Chemistry and Environmental Science) RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, Vic. 3001, Australia. Email: [email protected] Frances Separovic (Franica Sˇeparovic´) was born in 1954 in Frances went on to forge her academic career at the Univer- Blato, Korcula, in the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia, sity of Melbourne (1996–2019) as a biophysical chemist, with People’s Republic of Croatia. She emigrated to Australia with expertise in solid-state NMR and membrane physics, and she her family in 1957 and settled in Broken Hill, western New taught physical chemistry and graduate students in her field. South Wales. Frances excelled in school and was awarded Her research publications are devoted to understanding the both a Commonwealth and teacher’s scholarship. She began membrane structure and mechanism of membrane-active pep- her tertiary studies at the University of Sydney, but then left tides and proteins, with a focus on antimicrobial peptides, to work at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial amyloid peptides, membrane proteins, and pore-forming toxins. Research Organisation (CSIRO), where she began her career in To this end, she has studied lipid–peptide interactions using a science. At the CSIRO, she began working as a technical range of biophysical techniques, but primarily using solid-state assistant in a microbiology laboratory (1972–78). Frances had NMR spectroscopy. Frances is credited with developing a an incredible capacity with mathematics and so she was technique that utilises NMR spectroscopy to study peptides in recommended to join a section of the department involved in aligned lipid bilayers, which has applications in the study of the modelling lipid membranes. It was whilst working on this structure of membrane proteins and their effects on the mem- project that Frances first encountered a Nuclear Magnetic brane. Her more recent research is centred on the structure and Resonance (NMR) spectrometer. At that time (the 1970s), NMR interactions of amyloid peptides from Alzheimer’s disease, spectroscopy was a new technique, giving her the opportunity pore-forming toxins, and antibiotic peptides in model biological to be at the cutting edge of new frontiers in science. NMR membranes. spectroscopy went on to play a major role in her research. It Frances has organised over 45 major national and interna- was while Frances was at the CSIRO that she made her first tional conferences and published more than 230 peer reviewed contribution to a scientific paper. papers (H index of 54, .9900 citations). Her expertise in NMR In 1978, Frances completed a technical certificate in biology spectroscopy has contributed to the success of several major at Sydney Technical College and continued to work at the infrastructure grants for the Bio21 NMR Facility at the Univer- CSIRO as a technical officer while studying part-time for a sity of Melbourne, which includes nine spectrometers ranging bachelor of arts degree at Macquarie University, with majors in from 400 to 800 MHz. mathematics and physics. She completed her undergraduate During her time at the University of Melbourne, Frances degree in 1984, at which time she became an experimental went on to become Professor of Chemistry, Deputy Director of scientist at CSIRO. In 1986, she finished an honours qualifica- the Bio21 Institute and Head of the School of Chemistry (2010– tion in physics (also at Macquarie University). Between 1986 2015). In 2019, Frances retired and is currently Professor and 1992, in addition to being a single parent and working full- Emeritus of Chemistry. time at the CSIRO, she completed a Ph.D. (part-time) in physics Frances has received numerous awards and accolades in her at the University of New South Wales. Following a post- academic career, a testament to her being a science leader. In doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health 2005, Frances became the first woman to be appointed to a (Bethesda, USA), Frances returned briefly to CSIRO before professorship in chemistry in Victoria and she was the third moving to the University of Melbourne as an Associate Profes- female professor in chemistry in Australia. She served as sor and Reader in 1996. President of the Australian and New Zealand Magnetic Society Sylvia Urban obtained her Ph.D. in marine natural products chemistry from The University of Melbourne with Professor Robert Capon. She was then appointed as a research fellow with Professor Ronald Quinn in a natural product drug discovery venture between Griffith University and AstraZeneca. A subsequent post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand) with Professors Murray Munro and John Blunt and PharmaMar followed, focussed on the discovery of anticancer marine natural products. Joining RMIT University in 2002, she is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Science. Her field of research is in bioactive natural product discovery and strategies that expedite their discovery. Sylvia is also the Program Manager of the Bachelor of Science degree at RMIT University and is a passionate chemistry educator. She has received various awards for innovative learning and teaching methodologies to engage her students. Journal compilation Ó CSIRO 2020 www.publish.csiro.au/journals/ajc 74 S. Urban Fig. 1. Professor Frances Separovic AO, an ambassador and role model for Women in Chemistry and Women in STEM. for Resonance (ANZMAG), Treasurer of the Royal Australian Frances is an ambassador and role model for Women in Chemical Institute, President of the Australian Society for Chemistry and Women in STEM (Fig. 1), and is a passionate Biophysics, Secretary of Biophysical Society (USA) and advocate for improving gender equity in science. In November chaired the board of the Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnol- 2019, Frances was a participant in the 4th Homeward Bound ogy at Deakin University. She has been on the editorial board of (HB4) journey to Antarctica. Homeward Bound is a ground- Biochimica et Biophysica Acta and an editor of European breaking, global leadership initiative, set against the backdrop of Biophysics Journal and a member of the editorial advisory Antarctica, which aims to heighten the influence and impact of board of Accounts of Chemical Research and Chemical Reviews. women in making decisions that shape our planet. On a personal In 2012, Frances was made a Fellow of the International level, Frances has been a role model and a mentor to not only Society for Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR), the Biophysical myself, but to many Australian female chemists. Society (USA) and the Australian Academy of Science This special issue of the Australian Journal of Chemistry is a (AAS). She was the first woman to be elected to the AAS in collection of contributions from various people who have the field of chemistry. In 2017, Frances was one of 12 IUPAC collaborated with Frances over the years. The issue is dedicated Distinguished Women in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering to Frances as an acknowledgement of her enormous contribution awardees and received a University of New South Wales to chemistry in Australia and for her continued work to advocate Alumni Award for Science and Technology. In March 2018, for gender equity in chemistry and in science. With the World she was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women, and Health Organisation (WHO) declaring 2020 as the Year of became Professor Emeritus in February 2019. Frances was Women in STEM, this special issue is especially timely. appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours for her ‘distinguished service Conflicts of Interest to science education, particularly to biophysical chemistry, as an academic, and to young women scientists’. The author declares no conflicts of interest..