Aleksandra Kornhauser Frazer

Aleksandra Kornhauser Frazer (26 September 192617 May 2020) was a Slovenian chemist. She was a Professor of Chemistry at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering and Director at the International Centre for Chemical Studies, of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Before studying in university she attended general educational course in mathematics and physics under the auspices of the People’s University. One of her professors there was the mathematician, Emilija Mlakar Branc, of whomAleksandra later said that had "initiated her into logical thinking for life".

Career Between 1954 and 1980, Frazer carried out extensive research into alkaloids and antibiotics for pharmaceutical companies. After 1980 she combined her chemical research with lecturing and was employed as a researcher for international organizations including the EU, UNDP, UNESCO, ILO, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In her later life she was notably involved with promoting clean technologies, and in 1999 she was the first woman scientist to be given the Honda Prize in Tokyo for her development of knowledge in this field. ), where she was in charge of health, culture, science, and education sectors. After three years in office, she returned to academia. and was a recipient of the Laurent Lavoisier Medal of the Académie de Pharmacie and the Robert Brasted Memorial Award of the American Chemical Society, among others. She received the Zois Prize for life-time achievements in 1997, the highest prize in the scientific field in Slovenia. She was also an honorary citizen of Ljubljana.

Personal life Frazer was married twice. Her first husband was Pavle Kornhauser, a Slovenian physician. Her second husband was British chemist, Malcolm Frazer, Professor of a Chemical Education at the University of East Anglia and subsequently chief executive of the Council for National Academic Awards. She kept both surnames of her husbands. She died in May 2020 at the age of 93.