Patricia Clarke was one of Britain’s most respected biochemists and committed to ensuring more women could pursue careers in science.

For more than three decades, Professor Patricia Clarke (1919 – 2020) was a vital part of UCL’s Department of Biochemistry. 

Born in Pontypridd, South Wales, Patricia studied natural sciences at Cambridge before joining the department in the early 1950s. She progressed from Assistant Lecturer to Lecturer, Reader, and in 1973 she was appointed Professor of Microbial Biochemistry. She remained at UCL until her retirement in 1984, when she was made Emeritus Professor. 

Her scientific work focused on microbial biochemistry and genetics, and she led pioneering work with her UCL students and colleagues on the properties and evolution of bacterial enzymes. Patricia and her team were the first to show that a mutation on a single bacterial gene could produce an enzyme with a new activity. This provided early experimental evidence that new biological functions could evolve at the molecular level, with important implications for medicine, industry and antibiotic development. In 1976, she was elected a fellow of the Royal Society on the strength of her research. 

Beyond the lab, Patricia was a great supporter of women in science. In 1993, she was one of only six women appointed to the government’s Committee on Women in Science and Technology. The committee’s report, The Rising Tide (1994), drew attention to the structural barriers facing women in science. This included the lack of female role models, poor employment practices, and inadequate maternity provision. Many of the issues it raised are used as benchmarks for current equity initiatives, notably the Athena Swan charter.  

[For women], children are not an impossible barrier to successful careers in science. but it does help to have flexibility in conditions of employment and good childcare and nursery provision ... High standard nursery education benefits the whole national economy by avoiding the loss of all qualified people.

Patricia Clarke in letter to the Guardian following ‘The Rising Tide’ report (1990s)

Patricia was also committed to promoting science among young people. She supported the Biochemical Society and the Society for General Microbiology (SGM) to develop biochemistry education. In 1974, she oversaw the production of Careers in Microbiology, a practical booklet for school students, designed to make careers in science more visible and accessible. 

Even after retiring, Patricia continued to teach, advise, and contribute to the scientific community. She devoted her life, not only to advancing research, but to widening access to science; a legacy that continues today.  

Top photo: (c) The Royal Society

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