L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science

L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Program

The L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science aims to improve the position of women in science by recognizing outstanding women researchers who have contributed to scientific progress. The awards are a result of a partnership between the French cosmetics company L'Oréal and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and carry a grant of $100,000 USD for each laureate.

Each year an international jury alternates between life and material sciences and selects a winner from each of the following regions:

• Africa and the Middle East.
• Asia-Pacific
• Europe
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• North America (since 2000)

The same partnership awards the UNESCO-L'Oréal International Fellowships, providing up to $40,000 USD in funding over two years to fifteen young women scientists engaged in exemplary and promising research projects.

Recipients

1998 Laureates:

• Grance Aladunni L. Taylor (Nigeria): Biochemistry
• Myeong Hee-Yu (South Korea): Microbiology
• Pascale Cossart (France): Bacteriology
• Gloria Montenegro (Chile): Botany

2000 Laureates:

• Valerie Mizrahi (South Africa): Molecular biology
• Tsuneko Okazaki (Japan): Molecular biology
• Margarita Salas (Spain): Molecular biology
• Eugenia María del Pino Veintimilla (Ecuador): Molecular biology
• Joanne Chory (USA): Molecular biology

2001 Laureates:

• Adeyinka Gladys Falusi (Nigeria): Molecular genetics
• Suzanne Cory (Australia): Molecular genetics
• Anne McLaren (United Kingdom): Reproductive biology
• Mayana Zatz (Brazil): Molecular biology
• Joan Argetsinger Steitz (USA): Molecular biophysics and biochemistry

2002 Laureates:

• Nagwa Meguid (Egypt): Genetics applied to the prevention of mental diseases
• Indira Nath (India): The treatment of leprosy
• Mary Osborn (Germany): Methods for the observation of cell structures
• Ana María López Colomé (Mexico): Prevention of blindness.
• Shirley Tilghman (Canada, USA): Gene expression and parental origin of chromosomes

2003 Laureates :

• Karimat El-Sayed (Egypt): Physics
• Fang-hua Li (China): Electron microscopy
• Ayse Erzan (Turkey): Condensed matter physics
• Mariana Weissmann (Argentina): Computational condensed matter physics
• Johanna M.H. Levelt Sengers (USA): Thermodynamics

2004 Laureates:

• Jennifer Thomson (South Africa): "For work on transgenic plants resistant to drought and to viral infections, in an effort to respond to the continent's chronicfood shortage."
• Lúcia Mendonça Previato (Brazil): "For studies which enable progress in the understanding, treatment and prevention of the Chagas disease."
• Philippa Marrack (United States) "For the characterization of lymphocyte T functions in the immune system and the discovery of superantigens.
• Nancy Ip (China): "For discoveries concerning proteins which favour the growth and preservation of neurons in brain development."
• Christine Petit (France): "For research on the molecular and cellular bases of humanhereditary deafness and other sensorial deficiencies."

2005 Laureates:

• Zohra ben Lakhdar (Tunisia): "For experiments and models in infrared spectroscopy and its applications to pollution, detection and medicine."
• Fumiko Yonezawa (Japan): "Fir pioneering theory and computer simulations on amorphous semiconductors and liquid metals."
• Dominique Langevin (France): "For fundamental investigations on detergents, emulsions and foams."
• Belita Koiller (Brazil): "For innovative research on electrons in disordered matter such as glass."
• Myriam P. Sharachik (USA): "For important experiments on electrical conduction and transitions between metals and insulators."

2006 Laureates:

• Habiba Bouhamed Chaabouni (Tunisia): "For her contribution to the analysis and prevention of hereditary disorders."
• Jennifer Graves (Australia): "For studies on the evolution of mammaliangenomes."
• Christine Van Broeckhoven (Belgium): "For the genetic investigation of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases."
• Esther Orozco (Mexico): "For the discovery of the mechanisms and control of infections by amoebas in the tropics."
• Pamela Bjorkman (USA): "For the discovery of how the immune system recognizes targets."

2007 Laureates:

• Ameenah Gurib-Fakim (Mauritius): "For her exploration and analysis of plants from Mauritius and their bio-medical applications."
• Ligia Gargallo (Chile): "For her contributions to understanding solution properties of polymers."
• Mildred Dresselhaus (USA): "For her research on solid state materials, including conceptualizing the creation of carbon nanotubes."
• Margaret Brimble (New Zealand): "For her contribution to the synthesis of complex natural products, especially shellfish toxins."
• Tatiana Birshtein (Russia): "For her contribution to the understanding of the shapes, sizes and motions of large molecules."

2008 Laureates:

• Lihadh Al-Gazali (United Arab Emirates): "For her contributions to the characterization of inherited disorders."
• V. Narry Kim (South Korea): "For elucidating the formation of a new class of RNAmolecules involved in gene regulation"
• Ada Yonath (Israel): "For her structural studies of the protein biosynthesis system and its disruption by antibiotics."
• Ana Belén Elgoyhen (Argentina): "For her contributions to the understanding of the molecular basis of hearing (sense)."
• Elizabeth Blackburn (United States): "For the discovery of the nature and maintenance of chromosome ends and their roles in cancer and aging."

2009 Laureates:

• Tebello Nyokong (Africa and the Arab States): "for her work on harnessing light for cancer therapy and for environmental clean-up".
• Akiko Kobayashi (Asia-Pacific): "for her contribution to the development of molecular conductors and the design and synthesis of a single-component molecular metal".
• Athene M. Donald (Europe): "for her work in unraveling the mysteries of the physics of messy materials, ranging from cement to starch".
• Beatriz Barbuy (Latin America): "for her work on the life of stars from the birth of the Universe to the present time".
• Eugenia Kumacheva (North America): "for the design and development of new materials with many applications including targeted drug delivery for cancer treatments and materials for high density optical data storage".

2010 Laureates:

• Rashika El Ridi (Africa and the Arab States): "for paving the way towards the development of a vaccine against the tropical disease schistosomiasis".
• Lourdes J. Cruz (Asia-Pacific): "for the discovery of marine snail toxins that can serve as powerful tools to study brain function".
• Anne Dejean-Assémat (Europe): "for her contributions to our understanding of leukaemia and liver cancers".
• Alejandra Bravo (Latin America): "for her work on a bacterial toxin that acts as a powerfulinsecticide".
• Elaine Fuchs (North America): "for her contributions to our knowledge of skin biology and skin stem cells".

Prof. Jill Farrant from South Africa at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France (2012 L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards Ceremony)

2011 Laureates:

• Faiza Al-Harafi (Africa and the Arab States): "for her work on corrosion, a problem of fundamental importance to water treatment and the oil industry; for her notable contributions to electrochemistry with particular emphasis on corrosion and catalysis".
• Vivian Wing-Wah Yam (Asia-Pacific): "for her work on light-emitting materials and innovative ways of capturing solar energy; for her pioneering contributions in the molecular design of photo-active materials that are particularly relevant to solar energy conversion".
• Anne L'Huillier (Europe): "for her work on the development of the fastest camera for recording the movement of electrons in attoseconds (a billionth of a billionth of a second); for her pioneering experimental and theoretical contributions to harmonic light generation as a base technology for attosecond science".
• Silvia Torres-Peimbert (Latin America): "for her work on the chemical composition of nebulae which is fundamental to our understanding of the origin of the universe; for her fundamental contribution to the studies of nebulae that have led to a better understanding of the chemical evolution of galaxies and the universe".
• Jillian Banfield (North America): "for her work on bacterial and material behavior under extreme conditions relevant to the environment and the Earth; for pioneering achievements in environmental science integrating chemical, biological, mineralogical, and proteogenomic influences".

Prof. Marcia Barbosa at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France (2013 L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards ceremony)

2012 Laureates:

• Jill Farrant (Africa and the Arab States): "for the elucidation of mechanisms by which plants overcome drought conditions".
• Ingrid Scheffer (Asia-Pacific): "for identifying genes involved in some forms of epilepsy".
• Frances Ashcroft (Europe): "for her discovery of an ATP-sensitive potassium channel linking glucose metabolism and insulin secretion and its role in neonatal diabetes".
• Susana López Charreton (Latin America): "for elucidating the mechanisms of rotavirus infections".
• Bonnie Bassler (North America): "for discovering the chemical signals and mechanisms bacteria use to communicate and coordinate group behaviors".

2013 Laureates:

• Francisca Nneka Okeke (Africa and the Arab States): "for her significant contributions to the understanding of daily variations of the ion currents in the upper atmosphere which may further our understanding of climate change."
• Reiko Kuroda (Asia-Pacific): "for discovering the functional importance of the difference between left handed and right handed molecules which has wide applications including research on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s."
• Pratibha Gai (Europe): "for ingeniously modifying her electron microscope so that she was able to observe chemical reactions occurring at surface atoms of catalysts which will help scientists in their development of new medicines or new energy sources."
• Marcia Barbosa (Latin America): "for discovering one of the peculiarities of water which may lead to better understanding of how earthquakes occur and how proteins fold which is important for the treatment of diseases."
• Deborah S. Jin (North America): "for having been the first to cool down molecules so much that she can observe chemical reactions in slow motion which may help further understanding of molecular processes which are important for medicine or new energy sources."

See also

• Women in science
• List of prizes, medals, and awards for women in science

External links

• For Women in Science
• UNESCO: Women and Science