Background
Cooper was born in Auckland, she received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts
Cooper was born in Auckland, she received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts
From the University of Auckland, and her Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Wellington.
In 1957, she made the first regional study of phytoplankton in New Zealand. Later in life, she focused more on aquatic botany, and was appointed a research scientist of freshwater algae at the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (Department of Scientific and Industrial Research) in the botany division. In her career, she wrote over fifty papers and several books, including Marine Phytoplankton in New Zealand Waters and Checklists of the Freshwater Diatoms of New Zealand.
Cooper also published Micro Algae - Microscopic Marvels which she writes to appeal to a more popular readership.
She was described as New Zealand"s "leading expert" on the microscopic algae diatom. She retired in 1986.
Cooper was a founding member of the Australasian Society for Phycology and Aquatic Botany, the International Society of Diatomists, and the Asian Pacific Phycological Association.