Joan W. Bennett

Joan Wennstrom Bennett (born September 15, 1942) is a fungal geneticist who also is active in issues concerning women in science.

After Professor Bennett joined the Rutgers faculty,[2] she was appointed Associate Vice President to establish an Office for the Promotion of Women in Science, Engineering & Mathematics [3][4] which promotes gender and racial equity in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering.

Professor Bennett was the first tenure track woman hired on the faculty of the Biology Department at Tulane University.

This research provided a useful model for other polyketide secondary metabolites and expanded the possibilities for reducing these poisons in foods and the environment.

Her Rutgers laboratory has pioneered the use of genetic model systems for elucidating the physiological effects of fungal volatile organic compounds.