Alice Leigh-Smith

Who is Alice Leigh-Smith?

Alice Leigh-Smith was an English nuclear physicist. She married Philip Leigh-Smith, the son of the Arctic explorer Benjamin Leigh-Smith, in 1933. She was a student of Marie Curie and was the first British woman to receive a PhD in nuclear physics. She, together with Walter Minder, announced the discovery of element 85 in 1942. They proposed the name anglohelvetium for the new element. Later it was proven that in fact Walter Minder had not discovered element 85. Leigh-Smith was also involved in the use of radioactive substances as a treatment for cancer.