[3][4] Her most notable research is in understanding the evolution of recombination, sex chromosomes and mating system for plants.
[3] Charlesworth grew up in a London suburb, and from a young age was very interested in the natural world around her.
[5] Although Charlesworth initially studied biochemistry, genetic variation played a significant role from the beginning her research.
[8] She is best known for her work on the evolution of genetic self-incompatibility in plants and is recognised as a leader in that field.
[9] She has been married since 1967 to the British evolutionary biologist Brian Charlesworth, who she ended up working in population genetics with.