PATRICIA HANNAH CLARKE: 29 July 1919 — 28 January 2010

Patricia Hannah Clarke was a distinguished British biochemist and microbiologist who won an international reputation for her work on microbial evolution. After completing the Natural Sciences Tripos at the University of Cambridge at the beginning of World War II, she chose to work for the Armaments Research Department, before moving into microbiological research on bacterial toxoids. She was appointed to an assistant lectureship in biochemistry at University College London in 1953, eventually becoming Professor of Microbial Biochemistry in 1974. Her pioneering work on the directed evolution of bacterial metabolic capability led to her election to Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1976. Patricia gave dedicated service to the scientific community through her many years of committee work with the Royal Society, the Biochemical Society and the Society for General Microbiology. She was a passionate advocate of the importance of equal opportunities for women in education and scientific careers.