In her autobiographical essay, "Rachael's Story", she discussed her lifelong gender identity as female, and one motive behind going to England was a hope for an opportunity to address her gender issues. In 1977  she went to England to work for PhD in astronomy at an all-male St John's College, Cambridge, and did research at the Cavendish Laboratory in University of Cambridge. Among the first things she did on arrival in Cambridge was to approach John Randall at Charing Cross Hospital in London, who prescribed oestrogen. In 1978, she came out as transgender, and started with her PhD supervisor, Richard Hills. She said Rachael spontaneously came up as her name one morning; she initially thought about using Susan from a pupil from her primary school, before renouncing because there were already two Susans in her laboratory, including the secretary. Career At the Cavendish Laboratory, Padman was appointed Deputy Project Scientist for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii in 1984. She worked there for four years until she became a University Lecturer in the Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, in 1998. From 2005  she has been primarily involved in the administration of teaching in the Department of Physics. She is Director of Education in School of Physical Sciences. At Newnham she is both teaching physics and serves as Director of Studies in Natural Sciences. She was publicly outed in the press in 1996, when Padman was elected Fellow of Newnham College. The college statutes allowed only female members in the institute. The Principal Dr. Onora O'Neill knew that Padman had undergone a sex-change operation. Famed radical feminist Germaine Greer, who was a member of the college's governing body, strongly opposed the appointment, saying that Padman was a man and male. Fellows, students, and staff of Cambridge University supported Padman, and she was admitted without further opposition. Clare Longrigg published an article titled "A Sister with No Fellow Feeling" in the 25 June 1997 issue of The Guardian making charges on Padman and containing remarks attributed to Greer. The article was retracted on 19 March 1998 as information was found to be false, and the accusation made against Greer was considered groundless. Category: LGBT scientists Category: 1954 births Category:  Monash University alumni Category: Living people Category:Transgender and transsexual women Category:Australian physicists Category:Academics of the University of Cambridge Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Category:Australian astrophysicists Category:Austrian women physicists Category:Fellows of Newnham College, Cambridge Category:LGBT scientists from Australia Category:Transgender academic
In her autobiographical essay, "Rachael's Story", she discussed her lifelong gender identity as female, and one motive behind going to England was a hope for an opportunity to address her gender issues. In 1977 , she went to England to work for PhD in astronomy at an all-male St John's College, Cambridge, and did research at the Cavendish Laboratory in University of Cambridge. Among the first things she did on arrival in Cambridge was to approach John Randall at Charing Cross Hospital in London, who prescribed oestrogen. In 1978, she came out as transgender, and started with her PhD supervisor, Richard Hills. She said Rachael spontaneously came up as her name one morning; she initially thought about using Susan from a pupil from her primary school, before renouncing because there were already two Susans in her laboratory, including the secretary. Career At the Cavendish Laboratory, Padman was appointed Deputy Project Scientist for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii in 1984. She worked there for four years until she became a University Lecturer in the Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, in 1998. From 2005 , she has been primarily involved in the administration of teaching in the Department of Physics. She is Director of Education in School of Physical Sciences. At Newnham she is both teaching physics and serves as Director of Studies in Natural Sciences. She was publicly outed in the press in 1996, when Padman was elected Fellow of Newnham College. The college statutes allowed only female members in the institute. The Principal Dr. Onora O'Neill knew that Padman had undergone a sex-change operation. Feminist Germaine Greer, who was a member of the college's governing body, strongly opposed the appointment, saying that Padman was a man and male. Fellows, students, and staff of Cambridge University supported Padman, and she was admitted without further opposition. Clare Longrigg published an article titled "A Sister with No Fellow Feeling" in the 25 June 1997 issue of The Guardian making charges on Padman and containing remarks attributed to Greer. The article was retracted on 19 March 1998 as information was found to be false, and the accusation made against Greer was considered groundless. Category: 1954 births Category: Living people Category: Monash University alumni Category: LGBT scientists Category:Transgender and transsexual women Category:Australian physicists Category:Academics of the University of Cambridge Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Category:Australian astrophysicists Category:Austrian women physicists Category:Fellows of Newnham College, Cambridge Category:LGBT scientists from Australia Category:Transgender academic
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Famed radical feminist
Feminist
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LGBT scientists Category:
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Living people Category:
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Living people
LGBT scientists