Irene Agnes McCulloch

Irene Agnes McCulloch (13 September 1885 - 30 May 1987) was a marine biologist and USC biological sciences professor. McCulloch started at the University of Southern California in 1924 where the marine biology research department lacked funding and resources. McCulloch was given her own foundation in 1969 at USC to continue marine biology research. McCulloch studied microbes within the Pacific Ocean with her main focus being foraminifera.

Early life Irene Agnes McCulloch was born in Kansas on September 13, 1885. She received her Bachelor of Arts as well as her University Teacher's Diploma from the University of Kansas in 1913. She then worked as a graduate assistant in zoology at University of California, Berkeley, They compared T. triatomae to Trypanosoma cruzi, the cause of Chagas disease.

Research When McCulloch first arrived at USC, the marine biology research department only had one skiff, one lab, and one lecture room. McCulloch convinced Hancock to use his money to fund marine research To honor McCulloch, Schmidt named the species Tetrasquilla mccullochae. McCulloch also aided in the design of Hancock Hall on USC's campus as well as establishing the Hancock Library of Biology and Oceanography. She published 5 works with Cushman, multiple of them cataloguing microbes in the Hancock Collection

Death and legacy Although she retired from teaching in 1953, McCulloch continued her research late into her life. McCulloch died at the age of 101 on May 30, 1987. She is buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery. The Irene McCulloch Foundation continued publishing a monograph series after her death, which catalogued even more marine microbes. The chair of the marine biology department at USC is now named the McCulloch-Crosby Chair of Marine Biology in her honor.