Fifteen international  UNESCO-L’Oréal Fellowships are awarded yearly to doctoral and post-doctoral women who, through their enthusiasm and innovative research, are making valuable contributions to further the development of life sciences, to allow them to pursue their research in host laboratories outside their home countries. These young women scientists are identified with the support of the UNESCO National Commissions. Candidates must already be engaged in pursuing research at the doctoral or post-doctoral level in one or allied fields of life sciences including biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, agriculture, medicine, pharmacy and physiology.

The work of the 15 fellowship winners is presented on 2 March 2011 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, followed by the awarding of the fellowships.

•  UNESCO-L'OREAL International Fellowships in Life Sciences - 2011 (.pdf)

The UNESCO-L'Oréal National Fellowships anchors the For Women in Science programmes in countries around the world, while respecting their particularities and specific needs.

This year, celebrating the Marie Curie Nobel Prize Centennial, a new Special Fellowship “in the footsteps of Marie Curie” will be awarded to a former recipient of a For Women in Science International Fellowship who, through her outstanding career over the past 10 years, incarnates the future of science.

The first "Special Fellowship" goes to biotechnologist Marcia Roye (Jamaica), a Fellow in 2000 for her research on geminivirus, a crop-destroying insect-borne virus.