Distinguished Professor Emeritus Frances Separovic is a Biophysical Chemist at the University of Melbourne and Foreign Secretary of the Australian Academy of Science. Her research has focussed on the structure and dynamics of molecules in biological membranes, with an emphasis on peptide antibiotics and toxins. Frances was the first woman professor of chemistry (2005) and Head of School (2010) at Melbourne and the first female chemist elected to the Australian Academy of Science (2012). She was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women (2018) and appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (2019). Frances has served as President of the Biophysical Society (USA); President of Australian New Zealand Society for Magnetic Resonance (ANZMAG); General Treasurer of Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI); and Council member of International Union of Pure & Applied Biophysics (IUPAB). She is a member of several international organisations, including the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Advisory Committee and the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Science Board, and believes that science thrives by bringing together diverse ideas and input from all parts of the world.