Professor Kathleen Anderson, who played a significant part in the transformation of Napier University from its

original status as a local authority college, has died.

Professor Anderson, who was 75, died of a heart condition. Universally known by her middle name Janette, she was vice-

principal of Napier when she retired in 1992, a month after it became a university.

Professor Anderson was educated at Queen's Park School, Glasgow, and later at Glasgow University where she obtained her first degree and her

doctorate in biology.

Her first post was as a lecturer in botany at West of Scotland College of Agriculture where she met her husband, Mark, who was one of her students. Following a period as a research fellow in Australia and New Zealand, Dr Anderson returned to the UK to Durham University, firstly as a research fellow and then as a lecturer in biochemistry. Dr Anderson then moved to Edinburgh and, following a series of part-time posts in a number of educational establishments, she joined the staff of Napier College as a senior lecturer, followed by a period of 14 years as head of department in the department of biological sciences.

Professor Anderson was instrumental in the development of the first interdisciplinary degree courses at a time when the college only had three people with experience of undergraduate teaching. She also made a significant contribution to the development of the research activities of the university from the award of the first large research grant to Napier College in 1972, the sum of (pounds) 146,000 to the department of biological sciences to study ''the effect of the City of Edinburgh sewage scheme on the ecology of the Firth of Forth''.

When she became depute principal in 1983, she was the first woman to be appointed to such a senior post in Scotland. One of her main tasks was to expand across the college the academic development she had introduced in her own department. This had included the introduction of a BSc honours degree and and MSc degree, as well as attracting (pounds) 300,000 in research grants.

Although appreciative of the generous support the college had received from Lothian Region over the years, Dr Anderson felt it was a natural step for Napier to join Paisley and Robert Gordon's Institute of Technolgy as a centrally funded institution.

She held the post for nine of the most interesting years in the development of the institution, years in whichit made the transition from college to polytechnic and then to university.

Profesor Anderson's services to education were recognised by the award of the OBE in 1987.

She also contributed a great deal outside the university in the academic world and beyond. She had a wealth of experience as an external examiner in universities as far apart as Hong Kong, Sydney, Newcastle, and Edinburgh.

She was a vice-chairman of Scotvec (now merged as part of the Scottish Qualifications Authority) and a governor of Moray House college of education. She was a fellow of both the Institute of Biology and the Royal Society of Chemistry and was a crown trustee of the National Library of Scotland.

Shortly after she retired she was asked to chair a committee to prepare a review of the training of further education lecturers.

But it is for her work in the academic world and Napier University that she will be best remembered. She took some quiet satisfaction that on her retirement it took two men to replace her.

She is survived by her daughter and son.

Professor Kathleen Janette Anderson OBE; born 1927, died July 5, 2002.