Agnes Marion Moodie

Agnes Marion Moodie was born in Arbroath on 6 October 1881,[1] one of at least two children born to Robert Moodie, a founder of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society,[2] who taught mathematics and physical science at Arbroath High School, and Mary Lithgow Mackintosh, daughter of Donald Mackintosh, a schoolmaster from Shotts, Lanarkshire.[3] Agnes had a younger brother William Moodie born on 15 March 1886.[3]

Moodie and her brother both studied at the University of St Andrews where Agnes was the first female student of chemistry.[4] Moodie gained an MA in 1902, a BSc in 1903, and graduated in 1904 with first class honours in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy.[5] After graduating, she remained at the University of St Andrews, where she undertook research with James Irvine. Moodie and Irvine co-authored a number of papers on alkylated sugars[1] between 1905 and 1908.[6] In 1905 Moodie was awarded a Berry Scholarship in Science,[7] and in 1807 she received a Carnegie Scholarship.[1] Moodie also campaigned for women to be admitted as fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry.[8]

After leaving the University of St Andrews, Moodie worked for the Ministry of Education until her retirement in 1946.[1] Following her retirement, Moodie took up residence in Hove, where she remained until her death in 1969.