Elizabeth Caldwell
| Elizabeth Alexander | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Frances Elizabeth Somerville Caldwell 13 December 1908 Merton, Surrey, UK |
| Died | 15 October 1958 (aged 49) Ibadan, Nigeria |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Newnham College, Cambridge |
| Spouse(s) | Norman Alexander |
| Children |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
Frances Elizabeth Somerville Alexander (née Caldwell; 13 December 1908 – 15 October 1958) was a British geologist, academic, and physicist, whose wartime work with radar and radio led to early developments in radio astronomy and whose post-war work on the geology of Singapore is considered a significant foundation to contemporary research. Alexander earned her PhD from Newnham College, Cambridge, and worked in Radio Direction Finding at Singapore Naval Base from 1938 to 1941. In January 1941, unable to return to Singapore from New Zealand, she became Head of Operations Research in New Zealand's Radio Development Lab, Wellington. In 1945, Alexander correctly interpreted that anomalous radar signals picked up on Norfolk Island were caused by the sun. This interpretation became pioneering work in the field of radio astronomy, making her one of the first women scientists to work in that field, albeit briefly.
Alexander was born Frances Elizabeth Somerville Caldwell on 13 December 1908 in Merton, Surrey. She spent some of her early life in India, where her father, Dr. K. S. Caldwell, was a professor at Patna College. (He was later principal of Patna Science College after its founding in 1928). In 1918, Alexander returned to the United Kingdom and began secondary school.
Alexander then attended Newnham College, Cambridge and studied natural science, initially focusing on physics. She graduated with First-class honours in 1931, then received a PhD in geology for a thesis on Aymestry Limestone, under the supervision of Owen Thomas Jones. She was a member of the Sedgwick Club, along with fellow female geologists, Dorothy Hill and Constance Richardson. Like all women graduates of Cambridge University at that time, she could not become a full member of the university until after equal rights were granted post 1945.
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