Rosemary Helen Lowe was educated at Howell's School in
Denbigh,
Wales before receiving B.S., M.Sc., and D.Sc. degrees from the
University of Liverpool. She went from there to the
Freshwater Biological Association,
Far Sawrey working on various projects aimed at producing wartime food from fresh waters. Here, she helped found the East African Fisheries Research Organisation and briefly served as its Acting Director. This rule prevented the permanent employment of a married woman in the British Public Service. Soon after their wedding, the McConnells moved to the
Bechuanaland Protectorate, where their joint research focused on
Botswanan
natural history. During this time, Lowe-McConnell was appointed as the ichthyologist on the R.V. Cape St Mary to conduct marine fieldwork on the unexplored
Guiana shelf. She also developed her
Okavango fish collection, now housed in the
Natural History Museum, London. In 1955, she described four new species and subspecies of tilapias in
Lake Jipe and the
Pangani River. Lowe-McConnell continued to remain active in her field until her death on 22 December 2014 at St. George’s Park in
Ditchling, England. ==Taxon described by her==