Marion Bidder

Marion Bidder (née Greenwood) (26 August 1862 – 25 September 1932) was an English physiologist and one of the first women to do independent research in Cambridge. For nearly a decade, she was in charge of the Balfour Laboratory in Cambridge and in 1895 she was the first woman to speak about a paper she had written at a Royal Society meeting.

Early life and education Born in Myton, Hull, she was the sixth child and her family moved to Oxenhope in 1869. Her parents were Agnes (born Hamilton) and George Greenwood. Her father was a lay preacher and a shipping agent. She was one of the first women deciding her own research and she was the first winner of the Gamble Prize in 1888 They had two daughters; one, Anna McClean Bidder (1903–2001), was a zoologist and academic.

After marrying, Bidder continued to publish works, however they were on the subject of domestic economy. In 1901, Domestic Economy in Theory and Practice was published, to which Bidder contributed on the theoretical and scientific aspects of the subject.

Later life Bidder was president of the Cambridge Women's Liberal Association and was passionate about women becoming involved in town councils. She also held the position of vice-chairman of the Cambridgeshire Voluntary Association for Mental Welfare. She was a governor of both Homerton Teacher Training College in Cambridge and of Girton College. She served as governor of Girton College until her death, she died of tuberculosis on September 25, 1932.