Tinsley, Beatrice M., 1941-1981

Beatrice Tinsley, astronomer and cosmologist, was first female professor of astronomy at Yale University, whose research made fundamental contributions to the astronomical understanding of how galaxies evolve, grow and die. Born in England, her family emigrated to New Zealand following World War II. She and her husband moved in 1963 to to Dallas, Texas. In 1964, she enrolled at UT-Austin, where she was the only woman in the astronomy programme and where she would later publish her groundbreaking research.

Despite receiving recognition for her work, Tinsley was unable to find a permanent academic position. In 1974 she took a position as assistant professor at Yale; she was appointed a professor of astronomy at Yale in 1978, becoming the first woman to hold the position. She worked at Yale until her death from melanoma in 1981.