Fifteen women researchers receive UNESCO-L’Oréal For Women in Science International Fellowships

Paris, 4 March

• © All rights reserved
• (From left to right) Lydia Lynch, Ireland - Ivana Pešić, Serbia - Paula Villar, Argentina - Berta Gonzalez Frankenberger, Mexico - and Cecilia Gonzalez Marin, Perou.

Fifteen women researchers from all over the world have received UNESCO-L’Oréal International Fellowships, awarded by UNESCO and L’Oréal every year since 2000, to support women’s research in the Life Sciences at the doctoral or post-doctoral level. The ceremony of the 4th of March at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, recognized exceptional women, reflecting UNESCO and LOréal’s sustained commitment to encouraging talent.

Each of the 15 researchers has been awarded up to US$40,000 over two years to help finance her research, and will have a unique opportunity to pursue her studies at a renowned institution abroad.

This year’s International Fellowships have been awarded to:

Fina Kurreeman (Mauritius). Research project: Study of genes specifically associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Host Institution: Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, USA).

Nonhlanhla Dlamani (South Africa). Research project: African traditional medicine used in the treatment of Kaposi’s sarcoma. Host Institution: University of Florida (Gainesville, USA).

Joan Munissi (Tanzania). Research Project: Antimicrobial compounds isolated from cultures of Tanzanian marine-derived fungi. Host Institution: University of Göttingen (Germany).

Marie Abboud (Lebanon). Research Project: Non-invasive optical methods for the study of biological structures. Host Institution: Université de Bretagne Occidentale (Brest, France).

Khadijetou Lekweiry (Mauritania). Research Project: Transmission of malaria in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott. Host Institution: Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (Dakar, Senegal).

Rima AlBesharat (Syria). Research Project: Characterization of local probiotic bacteria for use in functional food products. Host Institution: Technische Universitat München (Germany).

Jingyi Shi (China). Research Project: Genetics of acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of white blood cells. Host Institution: The Institute of Cancer Research (Sutton, Surrey, UK).

Yean Yean Chan (Malaysia). Research Project: Electrochemical DNA biosensors for molecular diagnosis of infectious disease. Host Institution: University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia).

Ishrat Bano (Pakistan). Research Project: Development of magnetic nanoparticles for use in drug delivery. Host Institution: University of Cambridge (UK).

Mareike Posner (Germany). Research Project: Study of the resistance of enzyme structures within organisms adapted to extreme conditions. Host Institution: Centre of Extremophile Research, University of Bath (UK).

Lydia Lynch (Ireland). Research Project: The human omentum as an immunological tool. Host Institution: Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre (Boston, USA).

Ivana Pešić (Serbia). Research Project: Study and identification of urine proteins, a tool for the diagnosis and prognosis of renal disease. Host Institution: Georg-August University (Göttingen, Germany).

Paula Villar (Argentina). Research Project: Development of a computer-based model of the heart in 3D. Host Institution: Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (Spain).

Berta Gonzalez Frankenberger (Mexico). Research Project: Development of speech and voice processing in neonates and premature babies. Host Institutions: Sainte-Justine University Medical Center (Montreal, Canada) and Amiens University Hospital (France).

Cecilia Gonzales Marín (Peru). Research Project: Association between oral infections and medical complications in pregnant women. Host Institution: Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry (London, UK).

An Important Milestone

As an ongoing commitment in support of female researchers, the 10th year of the UNESCO-L’Oréal International Fellowship programme marks an important milestone in the advancement of women in science. The programme has recognized a total of 135 women from 71 countries to date.

With the goal of encouraging scientific cooperation and the development of cross-cultural networks, the UNESCO-L’Oréal International Fellowships foster the development of talented researchers from countries in which opportunities in science might otherwise be limited: for example, Tatyana Savchenko of Azerbaijan (2000), Fatima Abbas of Sudan (2007), and Susanna Phoboo of Nepal (2008).

Moreover, the programme sees new countries added to the list every year and a scientist from Mauritania received a Fellowship for the first time in 2009.

To ensure the programme’s diversity, every year three Fellows from each of the programme’s five geographic regions – Africa, Arab States, Asia & the Pacific, Europe & North America, and Latin America – are given an opportunity to study at top-tier institutions around the world.

A number of former International Fellows will share their experience and lend their support to new Fellows during the 2009 UNESCO- L’Oréal International Fellowship Awards Ceremony in Paris. These women, who have participated in past years of the programme, have gone on to make important contributions to both science and society. For example:

• Dr. Ines Atmosukarto (2004, Indonesia), who studied the extraction of molecular compounds from endophyte cultures during her Fellowship, is today the Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer of a start-up biotechnology company at the Australian National University.

• Dr. Prudence Mutowo (2006, Zimbabwe), who studied a group of primitive organisms known as Arachea during her Fellowship, was nominated in 2007 for the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society Rising Talent programme and is currently a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham, UK.

• Dr. Christine Ouinsavi (2007, Benin), who researched new strategies for the conservation of forest plant species during her Fellowship, was named Minister of Maternal and Primary Education of the Republic of Benin in late 2007, before becoming Minister of Trade and Industry in 2008.


About the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Programme:
In 1998, L’Oréal and UNESCO joined forces to found the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme. United by a shared conviction that the world needs science, and that science needs women, the L’Oréal-UNESCO partnership is a unique and ambitious programme developed with the goal of promoting women in scientific research. Since the programme’s inception, 57 Award Laureates from 27 countries and 135 International Fellows from 71 countries have been recognized, in addition to the L’Oréal National Fellowship initiatives.

About the L’Oréal Corporate Foundation:
Created in 2007, the L’Oréal Corporate Foundation is committed to the pursuit of a better world. The projects of the Foundation, linked to the values and expertise of the L'Oréal Group, reinforce and guarantee the long-term goals of the group’s engagement to serve the public interest. Accompanied by partners respected in their fields, the Foundation pursues major international initiatives, such as the programme For Women in Science as well as many other actions, in a spirit of openness and compassion.

About UNESCO:
Since its creation in 1945, UNESCO’s mandate has been to contribute to peace by promoting collaboration among nations through education, culture and science – the “S” in its acronym. Today, UNESCO strives to reinforce international cooperation in the basic sciences among its 193 Member States and to mobilize science knowledge and policy for sustainable development. The Organization is also dedicated to eliminating all forms of discrimination and promoting equality between men and women. As well as developing educational programmes in science specifically designed for girls, UNESCO has established a network of academic chairs linking women in science around the world.

• Author(s):Press Release N°2009-19
• Source:UNESCOPRESS
• 04-03-2009

• © All rights reserved - Photo 2 : (From left to right) Rima Al Besharat, Syria - Mareike Posner, Germany - Yean Yean Chan, Malaysia - Ishrat Bano, Pakistan and Jingyi Shi, China.
• © All rights reserved - Photo 3 : (From left to right) Fina Kurreeman, Mauritius - Nonhlanhla Dlamani, South Africa - Rose Joan Munissi, Tanzania - Maria Abboud, Liban and Khadijetou Lekweiry, Mauritania.