Helen Redfield (b. 1900) had been introduced to genetics when studying with Herman Muller, and her research focused on drosophila and on mice. She had earned a Ph.D. at University of California and in 1921, she was on faculty at Stanford University; in 1925-1928, she was a National Research Council fellow at Columbia University. She married Jack Schultz in 1926 but retained her maiden name professionally