Early Life

Lise Meitner was born on November 7, 1878 in Vienna to a Jewish family. She was the third of eight children. Although it was difficult for women to get an education at the time, Meitner's parents made sure she got an education equal to that which her brother's received. Her parents hired private tutors when necessary, and their efforts paid off. In 1906 Lise got her doctorate from the University of Vienna.

In 1906, because she was a women, Meitner would have only been able to be a teacher had she stayed in Vienna. Meitner wanted to do research so in 1907 she went to Berlin in search of research opportunities. Meitner got a position at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute (KWI) for chemistry in 1912 when it was established.