Sophia Satina

Sophia Alexsandrovna Satina (April 17, 1879 – February 24, 1975) was a Russian botanist. She is best known for her research into growing the fungus Penicillium and her publications on women's education in Russia.

Biography Sophia A. Satina and Albert Francis Blakeslee, shown with samples of mold

Satina was born on April 17, 1879, in Tambov, Russia. Satina had a room in the Ivanovka estate, her family home.

Satina strongly advocated for women's education in the Russian Empire. She was part of the first graduating class of the Women's University in Moscow. She went on to become assistant professor in the Department of Botany, and helped open a botanical museum in Moscow. She emigrated from Russia to the United States in 1921.

Satina was brought on at Carnegie Research Laboratories, and her research at the Carnegie Institution of Washington was focused on plant tumors. She later joined the Genetics Experimental Station (GES) at Smith College as a research assistant. She worked closely with Albert Francis Blakeslee, and eventually became associate professor of botany at Smith and assistant director of the GES. She retired in 1955.

Satina died in New York City on February 24, 1975.