On this day in 1917, Johanna Westerdijk becomes the first female professor in the Netherlands
On this day in 1917, plant pathologist Johanna Westerdijk became the first female professor in the Netherlands. She was appointed Professor of Phytopathology at Utrecht University, resurrecting the study of plant diseases as a field of science within plant biology.
She supervised 56 PhD candidates, and in 1930 was assigned as Professor by special appointment at the University of Amsterdam.
Read more about women’s achievements through history here