Ursula Franklin

A black and white photo of a scientist in a lab coat, sitting in front of a large piece of lab equipment.

Ursula Franklin

Date of birth

1921

Point of origin

Germany

After surviving 18 months in a Nazi labour camp, Franklin earned a PhD in physics in 1948.

Ideas & Innovation

A scientist smiles at the camera from her place in front of a microscope

After being the first woman to reach the rank of professor with the University of Toronto in 1984, Franklin continued to push for just treatment of women in the academy. In 2001, she and three colleagues spearheaded a successful, retroactive pay equity suit. She is shown in her laboratory in the 1970s.

University of Toronto Archives

A woman speaks into microphones placed on the table in front of her

Franklin survived eighteen months in a German concentration camp, an experience that anchored her pacifism. She was an active member of organizations such as Science for Peace as the Voice of Women. Shown here in 1970, Franklin was advocating for Canada to pursue environmental rather than warfare research.

CP PHOTO/Chuck Mitchell

Franklin worked as a senior research scientist for the Ontario Research Foundation for fifteen years before joining the faculty of the University of Toronto in 1967.

University of Toronto Archives

Ursula Franklin, 1921-2016, Germany.

After surviving 18 months in a Nazi labour camp, Franklin earned a PhD in physics in 1948, and moved to Toronto in 1949 to pursue further research in metallurgy. Her scholarship contributed to many innovations, including medical implants. Franklin was also an activist, and her expertise contributed to a global partial nuclear test ban in 1963.