Roger Arliner Young (1899 - 9 November 1964) was an American scientist of zoology, biology, and marine biology. She was the first African American woman to receive a doctorate degree in zoology. Ernest Everett Just then invited Young to work with him during summers at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts beginning in 1927. While there, they worked on researching the fertilization process in marine organisms, as well as the process of hydration and dehydration in living cells. In 1929, Young returned to Howard to be interim she was black department head for the zoology department for Just while he was in Europe seeking grant money.