| | Annie Jump Cannon | Dec. 11, 1863 | classification of stellar spectra | catalogued tens of thousands of stars down to the 11th magnitude |
| | Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming | May 15, 1857 | classification of stellar spectra | pioneered the classification of stellar spectra |
| | Caroline Herschel | March 16, 1750 | cataloging of nebulae and star clusters | noted for her contributions to the astronomical researches of her brother, Sir William Herschel |
| | Maria Kirch | Feb. 25, 1670 | astronomy and the production of calendars | first woman to discover a comet |
| | Henrietta Swan Leavitt | July 4, 1868 | study of Cepheid variables | discovered the relationship between period and luminosity in Cepheid variables |
| | Maria Mitchell | Aug. 1, 1818 | astronomy education | first professional woman astronomer in the United States |
| | Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin | May 10, 1900 | analysis of stellar temperature and gaseous composition | discovered that stars were made mainly of hydrogen and helium and established that stars could be classified according to their temperatures |
| | Mary Watson Whitney | Sept. 11, 1847 | celestial mechanics and astronomy education | noted for having built Vassar College's research program in astronomy into one of the nation's finest and as a founding member of the American Astronomical Society |
| Chemistry and biochemistry |
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| | name | date of birth | specialty | principal contribution |
|---|
| | Mary Anning | May 21, 1799 | fossil hunting | discovered several iconic dinosaur specimens and assisted in the early development of the field of paleontology |
| | Rachel Carson | May 27, 1907 | biology | wrote on environmental pollution and the natural history of the sea |
| | Margaret Bryan Davis | Oct. 23, 1931 | paleoecology | conducted pioneering work in the study of plant pollen and spores (palynology) |
| | Sylvia Earle | Aug. 30, 1935 | marine biology and oceanography | studied marine algae and contributed to ocean conservation |
| | Dian Fossey | Jan. 16, 1932 | zoology | conducted influential research on the mountain gorilla |
| | Jane Goodall | April 3, 1934 | primatology | conducted extensive research on the chimpanzees of Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania |
| | Mary Douglas Leakey | Feb. 6, 1913 | archaeology and paleoanthropology | discovered fossils of great importance in the understanding of human evolution |
| | Margaret Mead | Dec. 16, 1901 | anthropology | conducted pioneering studies of the psychology and culture of the peoples of Oceania |
| | Maria Sibylla Merian | April 2, 1647 | entomology and nature art | created scientifically accurate illustrations of insects and plants |
| | Margaret Morse Nice | Dec. 6, 1883 | ethology and ornithology | conducted long-term behavioral studies of song sparrows and field studies of North American birds |
| Mathematics |
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| | name | date of birth | specialty | principal contribution |
|---|
| | Maria Gaetana Agnesi | May 16, 1718 | algebra and analysis | considered to be the first woman in the Western world to have achieved a reputation in mathematics |
| | Sophie Germain | April 1, 1776 | acoustics, elasticity, and number theory | contributed to the study of acoustics, elasticity, and number theory |
| | Evelyn Granville | May 1, 1924 | computer programming | one of the first African American women to receive a doctoral degree in mathematics |
| | Euphemia Lofton Haynes | Sept. 11, 1890 | mathematics and education | the first African American woman to receive a doctoral degree in mathematics |
| | Grace Hopper | Dec. 9, 1906 | computer technology | pioneered computer technology, helping to devise the first commercial electronic computer, and naval applications for COBOL (COmmon Business Oriented Language) |
| | Hypatia | c. 355 | Neoplatonist philosophy | first notable woman in mathematics |
| | Mary Jackson | April 9, 1921 | aerospace engineering | first African American female engineer to work at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) |
| | Katherine Johnson | August 26, 1918 | computerized celestial navigation | calculated the flight paths of spacecraft during her more than three decades with the U.S. space program, helping send astronauts to the Moon |
| | Sofya Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya | Jan. 15, 1850 | theory of partial differential equations | first woman in modern Europe to gain a doctorate in mathematics, the first to join the editorial board of a scientific journal, and the first to be appointed professor of mathematics |
| | Emmy Noether | March 23, 1882 | algebra | recognized for her innovations in higher algebra and considered to be the most creative abstract algebraist of modern times |
| | Mary Somerville | Dec. 26, 1780 | mathematics and the physical sciences | wrote influential books that synthesized many different scientific disciplines |
| | Dorothy Vaughan | September 20, 1910 | computer programming | provided data later essential to the success of the U.S. space program, first African American manager at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA; later part of NASA) |
| Medicine |
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| | name | date of birth | specialty | principal contribution |
|---|
| | Elizabeth Garrett Anderson | June 9, 1836 | general medicine | advocated the admission of women to professional education, especially in medicine |
| | Virginia Apgar | June 7, 1909 | treatment of the newborn | developed the Apgar Score System to evaluate infant health shortly after birth |
| | Elizabeth Blackwell | Feb. 3, 1821 | general medicine and education | considered the first woman doctor of medicine in modern times |
| | Emily Blackwell | Oct. 8, 1826 | general medicine and education | with her elder sister, Elizabeth Blackwell, contributed to the education and acceptance of women medical professionals in the United States |
| | Mae Jemison | Oct. 17, 1956 | international medicine and space exploration | first African American woman to become an astronaut |
| | Mathilde Krim | July 9, 1926 | medical research and health education | explored AIDS and HIV through research and education |
| | Florence Nightingale | May 12, 1820 | nursing | considered the foundational philosopher of modern nursing |
| | Elizabeth Stern | Sept. 19, 1915 | pathology and cancer | noted for her work on the stages of a cell's progression from a normal to a cancerous state |
| | Marie Stopes | Oct. 15, 1880 | paleobotany and contraception | advocated birth control and founded (1921) the United Kingdom's first instructional clinic for contraception |
| | Mary Edwards Walker | Nov. 26, 1832 | surgery | thought to have been the only woman surgeon formally engaged for field duty during the American Civil War |
| Physics |
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| | name | date of birth | specialty | principal contribution |
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