She moved to the University of Auckland where she undertook a PhD in chemistry (1966),[1] supervised by Professor (later Sir) Neil Waters.

She then moved to the University of Oxford on a postdoctoral fellowship and studied protein crystallography under Dorothy Hodgkin.

She was appointed Professor Emeritus in July 2009,[5] officially retiring in November of the same year.

[2] Rumball was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to science, in the 1998 Queen's Birthday Honours.

[11] In the 2008 New Year Honours, she was promoted to Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, also for service to science.