Doris Mackinnon, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Doris Mackinnon

British protozoologist & scholar

Date of Birth: 30-Sep-1883

Place of Birth: Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 10-Sep-1956

Profession: zoologist

Nationality: United Kingdom

Zodiac Sign: Libra

Doris Mackinnon (30 September 1883 – 10 September 1956) was a British zoologist.
Born in Scotland, her father was a Consular Agent and her mother managed a "women's home".
Influenced by Maria Gordon, Mackinnon studied botany and geology at Aberdeen University, graduating in 1906.
She received the "Carnegie scholarship", studying abroad for two years before returning to Scotland.
She achieved her doctorate from Aberdeen University in 1914, becoming a lecturer at University College, Dundee (the forerunner of the University of Dundee, but then a part of the University of St Andrews) in 1916. During World War I, Mackinnon worked in military hospitals in Britain, researching and helping to diagnose amoebic dysentery.
Her work in the military hospitals fuelled her interest in the topic, which she focused on during the following years.
In 1919, Mackinnon joined King's College London as a lecturer and became Chair of Zoology in 1927, the first female Chair at the college.
She remained in the role as Chair and professor for 22 years.
Her research work focused on parasitic protozoa, and she gave many lectures on the subject over the period of 30 years.
She also gave broadcast lectures for schools.