Born Susan Wyber in 1946 in Riverstone, New South Wales, Serjeantson was educated at Caringbah High School.
[3] She was appointed full professor in 1988[3] and in 1993 became Deputy Vice-Chancellor of ANU and Director of its Institute of Advanced Studies.
In 1994, she was interviewed by Ann Moyal and included as one of three women in Portraits In Science.
[3] In that year she gave Ruth Sanger oration and was made a life member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion.
[6] In the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours, Serjeantson was made an Officer of the Order of Australia "service to science, particularly through research in the field of human genetics, and to academic administration as an advocate of scientific research in higher education".