Beirut, December 3rd, 2020: For the 7th edition of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women In Science Levant Young Talents Program, L’Oréal Levant, in partnership with the National Council for Scientific Research Lebanon (CNRS-Lebanon), hosted an online event to announce the recipients of the 2020 edition and foster the distinction of promising female scientists for their contribution to valuable research.
Committed to highlighting the key role women play in the advancement of scientific research, and recognizing their active contribution in making the world a better place for future generations, the L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women In Science” Levant Young Talents Program acknowledges each year six exceptional women scientists, for the quality of their research work.
This year, the six Levant Young Talents come from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and the Syrian Arab Republic. Three talented PhD students received Euros 6,000 each and three post-doctoral researchers obtained Euros 10,000 each as financial support to carry out their research projects and help them pursue a brilliant career in science in the Levant countries.
“Today, we face an unprecedented health crisis which is wreaking havoc on the global economies and societies. It shall serve as a wakeup call regarding the urgency for creating coalitions for a more inclusive science, to best address the challenges facing the world, said Philippe Patsalides, Managing Director of L’Oréal Levant. “It is more important than ever to reiterate our commitment to honor the women who are capable of changing the world and to lend them our support”.
Dr. Mouin Hamzé, Secretary General of the National Council for Scientific Research – CNRS Lebanon and President of the Jury, applauded the achievements of the fellows of the 2020 edition saying: “Fueled by an exceptional talent and focused ambition, the ladies of 2020 deserve a high accolade. Not only they defied the contextual and personal challenges, but also the pandemic couldn’t stop them from giving to the world an additional scientific proof that the world can be a better place with Science, and this is the whole mission behind this noble program”.
BRILLIANT WOMEN IN SCIENCE IN 2020
More than 100 candidates were on the list this year, but only six brilliant female scientists were selected.
Iraq:
Ms. Farah Al-Mamoori – Pharmaceutical Sciences
Farah has been awarded for her research about the usage of medicinal plants for the Prevention and treatment of kidney stones
Jordan:
Dr. Lina Dahabiyeh – Bioanalysis and Pharmaceutical Analysis
Lina has been honored for her research about the Plasma Drop to Improve the diagnosis of Pre-eclampsia
Lebanon, 2 Young Talents:
Ms. Crystel Hajjar – Pathogens and Antimicrobials
Crystel has been recognized for her research on the development of therapeutics to improve overall survival after a bone marrow transplant
Dr. Farah Nassar – Molecular Oncology
Farah has been honored for herresearch about the markers for effect of water pipe and cigarette Smoke on Colorectal Cancer
Palestine:
Haneen Dwaib – Nutrition and Cardiovascular Pharmacology
Haneen has been awarded for her research on Dietary interventions targeting early cardiovascular dysfunction in prediabetes
Syrian Arab Republic:
Dr. Dima Souleiman – Molecular Biology & Population Genetics
Dima has been privileged for her research focused on the Impact of war-derived metallic pollution on the livings
Among the outstanding women scientists internationally recognized earlier this year, two laureates of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards, Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier and Professor Jennifer A. Doudna, received in October the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of a revolutionary method of genome editing: the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors. This brings to five, the number of Laureates who have received this distinction, after Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine), Ada Yonath (2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry), Elizabeth H. Blackburn (2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine). Since the creation of the Nobel Prize in 1901, a total of 621 scientists have been awarded for their work in Physics, Chemistry or Medicine, including only 22 women. The last time a Nobel Prize was awarded only to a woman in these fields was in 1964.
FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE: A COMMITMENT SINCE 1998
Convinced that the world needs science, and science needs women, the Fondation L’Oréal and UNESCO are actively supporting women in science, in order to give them more visibility, raise awareness of their talent and inspire more women to enter science.
Since its creation in 1998, the For Women in Science programme has honoured and supported 112 laureates and more than 3,500 talented young women scientists, including doctoral candidates and post-doctoral researchers, in more than 110 countries.
The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women In Science Levant Young Talents Program, part of the global initiative, launched in 2014 in partnership with the National Council for Scientific Research-Lebanon (NCSR), aims to promote and empower Arab women scientists from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and the Syrian Arab Republic, and to acknowledge their crucial role in the development of the region.