Nancy Millis

Millis was born in Melbourne in 1922, the fifth child of six. She attended high school at Merton Hall, Melbourne Girls Grammar, but had to leave before completing her studies when her father had a heart attack. She attended business college, then worked for a customs agent and then as a technician at the CSIRO. Millis Matriculated part-time, taking two years to complete her high school studies. The University of Melbourne refused her entry into the Bachelor of Science; however, she could gain entry to the degree of agricultural science. In 1945 she graduated with a BAgSc, and went on to complete a master's degree in 1946 studying the soil organism Pseudomonas.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

Millis travelled to Papua New Guinea with the Department of External Affairs to teach women agricultural methods. However, her posting was cut short due to serious illness that almost claimed her life{{Cite web |url=https://www.science.org.au/learning/general-audience/history/interviews-australian-scientists/professor-nancy-millis |title=Professor Nancy Millis, microbiologist |publisher= Australian Academy of Science |website=www.science.org.au |access-date=2016-03-10}} and she was airlifted to hospital in Brisbane. After recovering from her illness she applied for a Boots Research Scholarship at the University of Bristol. She spent three years at Bristol working on the fermentation of cider, and microorganisms that can affect the process. This led Nancy in her lifelong passion in anything that ferments.

When she completed her PhD in 1951, Millis returned to Australia; she had hoped to work for Carlton United Brewery, but at that time they did not employ women in their laboratories. She joined the Department of Microbiology at the University of Melbourne in 1952 and worked as a demonstrator, and then as a lecturer, setting up the Applied Microbiology course at the university. In 1954 Millis was awarded a Fulbright Travel Grant; she went to Hopkins Marine Station at Stanford University and worked with C B Van Neil, and then to the Institute of Applied Microbiology at the University of Tokyo.

Millis was the Chancellor of La Trobe University from 1992 until her retirement in 2006.{{cite web |title=Past Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors |url=https://www.latrobe.edu.au/about/at-a-glance/history |work=Our history |publisher=La Trobe University |date=16 March 2018 |access-date=17 April 2018 }}

She died on 29 September 2012, aged 90.Tributes & Celebrations, The Age, 2 October 2012, p. 10{{cite web |url=http://www.lifescientist.com.au/article/437942/vale_nancy_millis_ac_australia_first_lady_biotechnology/ |title=Vale Nancy Millis AC, Australia's "first lady" of biotechnology - genetically modified organisms, agriculture, microbiology, Biotechnology |publisher= Australian Life Scientist |website= Lifescientist.com.au |access-date=2012-10-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016032443/http://www.lifescientist.com.au/article/437942/vale_nancy_millis_ac_australia_first_lady_biotechnology/ |archive-date=2012-10-16 }}

Millis was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1977 New Year's Honours.[https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1086971 MBE], 1 January 1977, It's an Honour. She was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour, Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1990.{{cite web |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/886116 |title= Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) |publisher= It's an Honour |date= 6 June 1990 |website=www.itsanhonour.gov.au}} She was awarded the Centenary Medal on 1 January 2001{{cite web |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1115455 |title= Centenary Medal |publisher= It's an Honour |date= 1 January 2001 |website=www.itsanhonour.gov.au}} and inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2003.{{Cite web |date= |title=Emeritus Professor Nancy Millis AC, MBE |url=https://www.vic.gov.au/emeritus-professor-nancy-millis-ac-mbe |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=State Government of Victoria |language=en-au}}

She was one of six scientists featured in the 2002 Australian Legends series of postage stamps.{{Cite web |title=History of Australian Legends stamp series |url=https://australiapostcollectables.com.au/articles/history-of-australian-legends-stamp-series |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=Australia Post |language=en}}

She was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA), a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Victoria (FRSV) in 1999.

The Nancy Millis Room at the Royal Society of Victoria is dedicated to her distinguished contribution to science in the State of Victoria at the Society.{{cite web |url=https://rsv.org.au/about-us/fellows/ |title=Elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Victoria |publisher= The Royal Society of Victoria |website=rsv.org.au}} In 2014 the Australian Academy of Science inaugurated the Nancy Millis Medal for Women in Science in her honour.{{Cite web |title=Nancy Millis Medal for Women in Science |url=https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P007060b.htm |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation |language=en-gb}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite web |author= McCarthy, G.J. |url=http://www.eoas.info/biogs/P001521b.htm |title= Millis, Nancy Fannie (1922-2012) |date= 18 October 2012 |work= Biographical entry |publisher= Encyclopaedia of Australian Science }}
• Morrison, S. (2001). [https://web.archive.org/web/20120923060100/http://www.science.org.au/scientists/interviews/m/nm.html "Interview with Professor Nancy Millis"], Australian Academy of Science

• {{Australian Women and Leadership|WLE0664b|Millis, Nancy Fannie (1922 - 2012)}}
• [http://www.wnsstamps.post/en/stamps/AU002.02 Australian Legends in Medicine Postage Stamp]
• {{cite journal |url= https://www.atse.org.au/Documents/focus/175-the-scramble-for-natural-resources.pdf |title= Nancy Millis - extraordinary involvement and influence |author= Adrienne Clarke |author-link= Adrienne Clarke |number= 175 |journal= Focus |page=42 |date= 8 December 2012 |publisher= Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) }}

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Category:Australian microbiologists

Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol

Category:1922 births

Category:2012 deaths

Category:Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science

Category:Companions of the Order of Australia

Category:Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire

Category:Chancellors of La Trobe University

Category:Australian women microbiologists

Category:20th-century Australian women scientists

Category:Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering

Category:People educated at Melbourne Girls Grammar