Honours qualification in Physics (also at Macquarie University). Between 1986 and 1992, in addition to being a single parent and working full-time at the CSIRO, she completed a PhD (part-time) in Physics at the University of New South Wales. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, USA), Frances returned briefly to CSIRO before moving to the University of Melbourne as an Associate Professor & Reader in 1996. Later career and public recognition In 2005, Separovic became the first woman to be appointed to a professorship in chemistry in Victoria. She is currently Professor of Chemistry and Group Leader at the Bio21 Institute, Past-President of the Biophysical Society and Foreign Secretary of the Australian Academy of Science and was Head of School at the University of Melbourne (2010–2016), President of the Australian & New Zealand Magnetic Society for Resonance (ANZMAG), Treasurer of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, President of the Australian Society for Biophysics, and chaired the board of the Centre for Chemistry and Biotechnology at Deakin University. She has been on the editorial board of Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, an editor of European Biophysics Journal and a member of the editorial advisory board of Accounts of Chemical Research and Chemical Reviews. In 2012 Frances Separovic was made Fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR), the Biophysical Society (USA) and the Australian Academy of Science – the first woman to be elected to the AAS in the field of chemistry. At the time, Separovic had published over 130 papers and successfully organized more than 25 conferences, which she has since doubled. In 2017 Frances was one of twelve IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering awardees and received a University of New South Wales Alumni Award for Science & Technology and in 2019 received the Royal Australian Chemical Institute Margaret Sheil Leadership Award. In March 2018 Separovic was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women and became Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor Emeritus in February 2019. Frances was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours for her "distinguished service to science education, particularly to biophysical chemistry, as an academic, and to young women scientists". References Living people Women biochemists Australian women chemists Australian biochemists Australian biophysicists Croatian scientists Croatian biochemists Croatian emigrants to Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Macquarie University alumni University of New South