Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 July 2025
Spanish physicist Maria Lluïsa Canut (1924–2005) specialized in the application of X-ray diffraction to the determination of molecular crystal structures, a field at the intersection of crystallography and quantum mechanics. She completed her PhD at the University of Barcelona under the supervision of José Luís Amorós (1920–2001). After becoming a couple, the two developed joint research projects. In the 1960s, they moved to Southern Illinois University, where she notably built computing programs to analyze molecular structures from X-ray diffraction patterns. In parallel, Canut became involved in the struggle for pay parity at the university. This participation in the US second feminist wave sparked her interest in science policy. After the couple moved back to Madrid in the 1970s, Amorós continued with crystallographic research, whereas Canut became involved in American–Spanish scientific cooperation and computing systems applied to university libraries. This chapter analyzes Canut’s scientific contributions against the backdrop of her gender and across the changing contexts of her career, including the role played by scientific couples in the research enterprise.
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