Yvonne Barr

Yvonne Barr
Born
Yvonne Margaret Barr

(1932-03-11)11 March 1932
Carlow, County Carlow, Ireland
Died13 February 2016(2016-02-13) (aged 83)
Melbourne, Australia
Alma mater
Known forEpstein–Barr virus
Scientific career
FieldsVirology
Doctoral advisorAnthony Epstein

Yvonne Margaret Balding (née Barr; 11 March 1932 – 13 February 2016) was an Irish virologist when co-discovered the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), which, because it identified a virus as a cause of cancer in humans, has been called "one of the 20th century's most significant scientific discoveries."

Barr's role in the discovery of EBV, also called human herpesvirus 4, was instrumental, as she prepared the samples used for experimentation as well as characterized the morphological and biological characteristics of the virus.