Signe Torborg Schmidt-Nielsen (, 1 December 1878 – 2 October 1959) was a Swedish-Norwegian physicist and nutritionist. She was the first woman to become a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters.
Family Signe Torborg Sturtzen-Becker was born on 1 December 1878 in Stockholm. Her parents were Vilhelm Teodor Patrik Sturzen-Becker (1841–1910), the son of Swedish poet Oscar Patric Sturzen-Becker, and Astrid Sturzen-Becker (, 1848–1908).
Sturtzen-Becker married chemist Sigval Schmidt-Nielsen [no, sv] in 1907 in Stockholm. They had four children, including the physiologist Knut Schmidt-Nielsen (1915–2007), who emigrated to America and worked at Duke University.
Career Schmidt-Nielsen studied for her PhD in physics at Stockholm University and was one of the first women in Sweden to receive a doctoral degree when she graduated in 1907.Danielsson, Anna. (2007) "The gendered doing of physics: A conceptual framework and its application for exploring undergraduate physics students' identity formation in relation to laboratory work." PhD thesis, Department of Physics, Uppsala University. p. 12. Retrieved 2025-10-02. She was also the first woman to become a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters.
Schmidt-Nielsen collaborated with her husband in natural science research and publications, including into the rennet of calves and the vitamin content of herrings.
Death Schmidt-Nielsen died in 1959 in Stockholm. She was buried at , Trondheim, Norway.
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