Early Life and Education


1910 : Born 20 August in London, England

1914 - 1920 : Early education in Italy

1920 - 1927 : Early education in France

1927 : Entered University College, London


Degrees


1931 : University of London, Bachelor of Science in Zoology and Human Physiology (First Class Honours)

1932 : University of London, Master of Science

1940 : University of London, Doctor of Science

1959 : University of Melbourne, Master of Science

1979 : University of Sienna, Dottore in Scienze Biologiche honoris causa


Positions held


1932 - 1935 : University College, London, England (Assistant Lecturer in Zoology)

1935 - 1940 : University College, London, England (Lecturer in Zoology)

1937 - 1938 : Columbia University, United States of America (Rockefeller Research Fellow)

1940 - 1945 : British Ministry of Food, Wartime positions as Statistician and Entomologist

1945 - 1947 : University of London, Reader in Zoology

1947 March-September

: Carnegie Institute of Washington, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Department of Genetics (Guest Investigator)

1947 September - 1953 June

: University of Texas, United States of America (Professor of Zoology)

1951 September - 1952 July

: Carnegie Institute of Washington, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. (Visiting Fellow)

1953 July - 1956 December

: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Canberra, Australia (Senior Research Fellow)

1957 January - 1958 June

: University of Missouri, United States of America (Associate Professor, then Professor of Zoology)

1958 July - 1964 July

: University of Melbourne, Australia (Professor of Zoology)

1964 August - 1975

: University of Melbourne, Australia (Professor of Genetics)

1968 January-March

: Harvard University, United States of America (Visiting Agassiz Professor)

1976 - 1983 : Department of Population Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia (Visiting Fellow)

1983 : Died 16 December in Canberra, Australia


Membership of Academies


1955 : Australian Academy of Science, Fellow (Member of Council 1960-1962)

1961 : Royal Society of London, Fellow

1962 : University College, London, Fellow

1963 : American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Honorary Foreign Member

1978 : American Philosophical Society, Foreign Member

: Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Socio Straniero

1979 : The Linnean Society of London, Fellow honoris causa

1981 : United States of America National Academy of Sciences, Foreign Associate


Medals


1965 : Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement Science, Mueller Medal

1979 : Royal Society of Victoria, Silver Medal for Research

1983 : Linnean Society of London, Linnean Medal for Zoology

1983 : University of Rome, Minerva Medal


Membership of Professional Organizations


1946 - 1983 : Society for the Study of Evolution (Vice President 1961 and 1967)

1947 - 1983 : Genetics Society of America

1948 - 1983 : American Society of Naturalists

1948 - 1972 : Society of Sigma Xi

? : Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (President of Section D 1962)

? : Genetics Society of Australia (President 1970-1972, (Honorary Member 1980)

? : Australian Entomological Society (President 1969-1971)

1958 - 1972 : Royal Society of Victoria

? : Association d'Acridologie

? : Unione Zoologica Italiana (socio onorario 1979)

? : Accademia Nazionale Italiana di Entomologia (socio onorario 1979)

1982 : Accademia Mediterranea delle Scienze


Editorial Boards


M.J.D. White was on the editorial boards of the following journals at various times in his career: Evolution; Cytogenetics; Journal of Theoretical Biology; Caryologia; Bolletino di Zoologia; Entomologia Generalis; Acrida; Genetique Selection Evolution.


Main Expeditions and Field Work


1938 : Mexico (States of Yucatan, Vera Cruz, Michoacan especially)

1947 - 1952 : Western United States of America

1954 : Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

1955 : Cape York Peninsula, northern

1956 : Queensland, Australia

1960 : Northern Territory, Australia

1961 - 1962 : Queensland

1963 : Southern Africa (Karroo, eastern Transvaal, Mozambique, Rhodesia)

1964 - 1965 : Queensland

1965 : Eyre Peninsula

1966 : Northern Territory

: Eyre Peninsula

: Kangaroo Island, South Australia

1967 : Gunbarrel Track (Gibson and Great Victoria Deserts), Western Australia, January-February

: Queensland

: Kangaroo Island, South Australia

: Eyre Peninsula

1968 : Kenya and south-western Madagascar

1969 : Birdsville Track, South Australia-Queensland

: Kimberley Ranges, north-west Australia

1970 : Malaysia, June

: Central Australia, November

1972 - 1975 : Western Australia (arid zone, annual trips) January-February

1976 : Hawaii

1977 - 1983 : Western Australia (arid zone, annual trips) January-February

1982 : Central Australia, January

: Sicily, Italy

1983 : Sardinia, Italy


Participation in International Congresses and Symposia


International Congresses of Genetics - Edinburgh 1939; The Hague 1963; Berkeley, California 1973; Moscow 1978 (Vice President)


International Congresses of Entomology - Canberra 1972; Washington 1976; Kyoto 1980


International Congress of Cell Biology - Boston 1976


International Chromosome Conferences - Oxford 1970; Oxford 1980


Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Exchange of Genetic Materials: Mechanisms and Consequences 1958


The Eukaryote Chromosome Conference - Canberra 1973


International Symposium on Mechanisms of Speciation, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome 1981


Books written by M.J.D. White


The Chromosomes. Methuen, London: 1st edition 1937; 2nd edition 1942; 3rd edition 1947; 4th edition 1950; 5th edition 1961. Chapman & Hall: 6th edition 1973. Published in translation in Spanish (1947), Italian (1950), French (1964), Polish (1966), and Portuguese (1977).


Animal Cytology and Evolution. Cambridge University Press: 1st edition 1945; 2nd edition 1954; 3rd edition 1973; Paperback edition (with minor changes) 1977. Published in translation in Spanish (1951).


Modes of Speciation. W.H. Freeman & Co. San Francisco 1978 [Copyright held by White family].


Books in honor of M.J.D. White


Evolution and Speciation: Essays in honor of M.J.D. White edited by William R. Atchley and David S. Woodruff, Cambridge University Press 1981