Lise Meitner (1878-1968)

• Meitner was an Austrian/Swedish nuclear physicist and the first woman to acquire a professorial title in Germany.
• She was part of a small group of scientists that discovered nuclear fission, which helped develop nuclear weapons and generate electricity.
• Lise was among the first people to isolate the isotope protactinium-231.
• In the 1930s, she lost many job positions due to anti-Jewish laws, and emigrated to Sweden for her safety.
• Meitner received many honourable awards in her life, however, not the Nobel Peace Prize in 1944 for the discovery of nuclear fission; this was given to her male colleague only.

Text and image: Britannica

Author: Gabriele Perminaite (2021) LJMU Student

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