Carolyn Ann Converse Cooper

Carolyn Converse grew up in Wilton, Connecticut, with two sisters and one brother. Her father died when she was fourteen, which left her and her family with financial struggles for much of her younger life. After graduating high school, Converse went on to attend Pembroke College (affiliated with Brown University) on a partial scholarship and she graduated in 1964 with a B.S. in Biology. She went on to obtain her PhD and pursue postdoctoral work at Oxford University where she met her husband and fellow scientist Alan Cooper.