Martha Annie Whiteley

Martha Annie Whiteley, (11 November 1866 – 24 May 1956) was an English chemist and mathematician. She was instrumental in advocating for women's entry into the Chemical Society, and was best known for her dedication to advancing women's equality in the field of chemistry. Her mother died in the 1870s, after which her father remarried Mary Bargh Turner Clark in 1880. at Royal Holloway College for Women (London), where she graduated in 1890 with a B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of London. Her dissertation was on the preparation and properties of amides and oximes. At the same time, she worked part-time as a science lecturer at St Gabriel's Training College in Camberwell, a college for female teachers.

University career After completion of her doctorate in 1902, Whiteley was invited by Tilden to join the staff at the College of Science, and was one of only two female professional staff when the college merged with the newly formed Imperial College in 1907. She was the first woman to become a Reader in Imperial College.

In 1912, Whiteley founded the Imperial College Women's Association upon recommendation from rector Sir Alfred Keogh. This association helped women of the college strive for equal treatment in the field of chemistry. The work was hazardous: Whitely wounded her arm whilst testing mustard gas on herself.