• B.S. - 1957 - Zoology - University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
  
• M.S. - 1970 - Plant Biology- University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
  
• Ph.D.- 1973 - Plant Physiology - University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.(with John Terborgh)
  
• Postdoctoral - 1973-75 - Biology - State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY, USA.(with Robert Day Allen)

• Professor, Plant BiologyDepartment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. 1995 to present
• Professor, Biology Department, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 1993-1994
• Associate Professor, Biology Department, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 1984-1992
• NSF Visiting Professorship for Women, Biological Sciences Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. 1990-1991. Sponsor: Sharon Long
• Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences Department, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 1976-1983
• Visiting Assistant Professor and Research Associate, Biological Sciences Department, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 1975-1976
• Research Assistant, Biological Sciences Department, SUNY Albany, Albany, NY, 1970-1973
• Summer Researcher, Investigator, Corporation Member, Trustee, Executive Committee, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 1970-2000.
• Visiting Scientist,  MBL, Woods Hole, MA. 1996-
• Teaching Assistant, Plant BiologyDepartment, University of Maryland, College Park, NY, 1964-67
• Child Rearing, 1958-1966 (five children, now ages 41-28)
• Teaching Assistant, Plant BiologyDepartment, University of Wisconsin, 1957-1958. Major Professor: John T. Curtis

• Phi Beta Kappa, Mortarboard, Phi Sigma, University of Wisconsin, 1957
• NIH Predoctoral Fellow, University of Maryland, 1967-70
• Sigma Xi, SUNY Albany, 1972
• Fellow, AAAS, 1990

Editorial work.

• Ad hoc reviewer for ten journals and reviewer for NSF, USDA and NIH grants.
  
• Cell Motility, Editorial Board, 1980-1985
  
• Plant Biology, Alan R. Liss, Inc. Series Editor and Founder. (12 volumes) 1985-
  
• BioTechniques, Editorial Board, 1989-1996
  
• Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology (formerly Protozoology), Editorial Board, 1995-
  
• Microscopy Research and Technique, Editorial Board, 1995-
  
• Study Sections., NSF Biological Centers Panel, 1987. Center, Site Visit, 1988.
  
• Presidential Young Investigator Awards Panel, l991.
  
• ILI Panel, 1993. InstrumentationPanel, 1994-present
  
• NIH. Biomedical Research Technology Review Committee. Ad Hoc reviewer. 1988. Study Section Member, 1989-1993. Instrumentation Study Section, Ad Hoc Reviewer, 1990.1995
  
• Minorities Program, Program Study Review and Site visit. 1993.
  
• AAAS, Biological Sciences (1998-2001); Committee on Council, 1999 -
  
• AWIS, President, RTP Chapter, 1998 -
  
• Consultant to RJR Technical Co., Winston-Salem, N.C., Piedmont Chemical Company, Winston Salem, N.C., Carolina Biological, Burlington, N.C., and Molecular Probes, Eugene, Oregon
  
• Executive Board:
  

Microscopy Short Courses.

• "Optical Microscopy and Imaging in the Biomedical Sciences" at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA. N.S. Allen, Director (with C. Izzard). 1988 1992.
• R.D Allen, Course Director, N.S. Allen, Organizer, instructor, 1977-82 "Video Microscopy". NCSU Summer Biotechnology Series. 1993, 1995.
  

• American Society for Cell Biology,
• American Society of Plant Physiologists,
• American Women in Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science,
• Marine Biological Laboratory,
• Phycological Society of America,
• North Carolina Academy of Science,
• International Society for Plant Molecular Biology,
• Royal Microscopical Society, Fellow,
• Electron Microscopical Society of America,
• Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions.
• American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology.

U.S. Patent #4,412,246. R.D. Allen and N.S. Allen. For the development of AVEC (Allen video enhanced contrast) light microscopic methods. October 25, 1983.