Eva Philbin

Eva Philbin (4 January 1914 – 24 June 2005) was an Irish chemist who became the first woman president of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland.

Early life and education
Born Eva Maria Ryder in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland, Philbin the elder of two daughters of Kate and George Ryder. She attended the Convent of Mercy in Ballina, and received her B.Sc in 1936 with first class honors and M.Sc from University College Galway. While at University College Galway she worked under Tom Dillon where they worked on identifying carbohydrates in seaweed.

Career and research
Philbin began her career in 1939 as an industrial chemist and was chief chemist at Hygeia Ltd in Galway during World War II. At Hygeia she was responsible for developing alternative sources for chemicals that were unavailable due to the war.

In 1945, Philbin joined the staff at University College, Dublin as demonstrator in the department of chemistry. There she collaborated with Professor Thomas S. Wheeler to establish an active research school in Natural Product Chemistry. Philbin was subsequently promoted to assistant lecturer (1949) and college lecturer (1955). In 1958, Philbin was awarded a doctorate of science (DSc) from the National University of Ireland for her published work on flavonoids. Philbin was one of the first women science professors at UCD when she became an organic chemistry professor in 1962 and in 1963, took over as head of the chemistry department at UCD following the death of Prof. Wheeler. She continued to work on flavonoids, related compounds and potential anti-cancer agents through collaborations with other UCD staff. Philbin also held visiting and research fellowships in the United States, and at Zurich, with Vladimir Prelog. She retired from teaching in 1979 from her professorship, but continued to conduct some research.

Over her long career, Philbin became a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a member of the Council of the Royal Irish Academy and the Natural Science Council. Philbin became the first woman to chair the National Science Council, was the first female senior vice-president of the Royal Irish Academy, and was the first woman president of the Institute of Chemistry in 1966. Since 2007, the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland Annual Award for Chemistry lectures series has been named in her honor as the Eva Philbin Public Lecture Series.

Philbin's interests ranged beyond science, taking a strong interest in the treatment of those with learning difficulties, leading her to take up the chair of the Consultative Council on Mental Handicap as well as becoming honorary treasurer of the National Association for the Mentally Handicapped of Ireland.

Personal life
Philbin married John 'Jack' Madden Philbin, and they had two daughters and a son. Her eldest daughter Eimear married broadcaster and historian John Bowman. Philbin died in 2005, aged 91.