Anne Fausto-Sterling
Biology and Gender Studies Pioneer

Anne Fausto-Sterling (b.1944), a Rye public schools alum, was shaped by her parents’ activism and their civil rights work, which exposed her family to antisemitism and threats. After earning a PhD in genetics at Brown, she joined the faculty in 1970 and retired in 2014 as the Nancy Duke Lewis Professor Emerita of Biology and Gender Studies. She continues to research, write, speak, and serve as an expert for national media.

Fausto-Sterling shaped gender studies and biology. Her books Myths of Gender and Sexing the Body examine gender’s social construction and the male/female dichotomy. She developed dynamic systems theory, explaining gender’s feedback between biology and culture, redefining public understanding and expanding opportunities for women in science.