Clara Benson
Clara Cynthia Benson | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 5, 1875 Port Hope, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | March 24, 1964 Port Hope, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto (BA in chemistry, 1899; PhD in chemistry, 1903) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | physical chemistry, biochemistry |
| Institutions | University of Toronto |
| Thesis | The rates of the reactions in solutions containing ferrous sulphate, potassium iodide, and chromic acid |
| Doctoral advisor | William Lash Miller |
| Other academic advisors | Archibald Byron Macallum |
Clara Cynthia Benson (1875–1964) was a Canadian chemist, the sole female founder of the American Society for Biological Chemistry (now the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)) and one of the first two women to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (U of T) (the other being philosophy student Emma Baker). She later became one of U of T's first two female associate professors. Trained in physical chemistry, she switched focus to biochemistry when lack of job opportunities for female chemists led her to take a position teaching food chemistry as part of U of T's Domestic Science program. She also played a large role in the development of U of T's women's athletics program.