Signe Schmidt-Nielsen
Signe Torborg Schmidt-Nielsen was a Swedish-Norwegian physicist and nutritionist. She was the first woman to become a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters.
Family
Signe Torborg Sturtzen-Becker was born on 1 December 1878 in Stockholm. Her parents were Vilhelm Teodor Patrik Sturzen-Becker, the son of Swedish poet Oscar Patric Sturzen-Becker, and Astrid Sturzen-Becker.Sturtzen-Becker married chemist Sigval Schmidt-Nielsen in 1907 in Stockholm. They had four children, including the physiologist Knut Schmidt-Nielsen, who emigrated to America and worked at Duke University.
Career
Schmidt-Nielsen studied for her PhD in physics at Stockholm University and was one of the first women in Sweden to receive a doctoral degree when she graduated in 1907. She was also the first woman to become a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters.Schmidt-Nielsen collaborated with her husband in natural science research and publications, including into the rennet of calves and the vitamin content of herrings.