Nancy Fannie Millis AC MBE FAA FTSE (10 April 1922 – 29 September 2012) was an Australian microbiologist and Emeritus Professor who introduced fermentation technologies to Australia, and created the first applied microbiology course taught in an Australian university.
She attended high school at Merton Hall, Melbourne Girls Grammar, but had to leave before completing her studies when her father had a heart attack.
[citation needed] Millis travelled to Papua New Guinea with the Department of External Affairs to teach women agricultural methods.
However, her posting was cut short due to serious illness that almost claimed her life[1] and she was airlifted to hospital in Brisbane.
[1] When she completed her PhD in 1951, Millis returned to Australia; she had hoped to work for Carlton United Brewery, but at that time they did not employ women in their laboratories.