Next generation of female scientists honoured
The winners of the four 2011 L’Oreal-UNESCO UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science were announced on 28 June at an awards ceremony held at the Royal Society in London. The Fellowships are awarded annually by L’Oréal UK & Ireland and the UK and Irish National Commissions for UNESCO. The Royal Society also joined this partnership for the first time this year.
The fellowships, now in their fifth year in the UK, promote the importance of ensuring greater participation of women in science by offering awards to outstanding female postdoctoral researchers. The £15,000 fellowships have been designed to provide practical help for the winners to undertake research in their chosen fields. Since the international fellowships began, over 1000 women in over 100 countries have been recognised for their research and received funding to further their studies.
The 2011 winners, who were selected by a panel of eminent scientists, are:
- Dr Victoria Coker, University of Manchester. Will undertake research into the fate of toxic and radioactive metals.
- Dr Emily Flashman, University of Oxford. Will undertake research into the adaptation of oxygen- sensing enzymes in times of stress
- Dr Monika Gullerova, University of Oxford. Will undertake research into gene loop structures associated with convergent genes in genetic diseases.
- Dr Heather Whitney, University of Bristol. Will undertake research into the ecological relevance of blue leaf iridescence in plants.
For further information on the winners and their research, click here.
Professor Dame Athene Donald, For Women In Science Laureate for Europe and chair of the 2011 judging panel who was recently made a Dame for her services to Physics, commented:
It is vitally important for aspiring scientists to have visible role models in science. There are still too many young girls who receive subtle messages that science is not for them and girls often believe that mixing families and a serious science career cannot be done. Despite these obstacles, there is plenty of talent out there amongst the women, as demonstrated by the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women In Science awards this year. I strongly believe that acknowledging and highlighting the pioneering work of female scientists will help encourage more and more women into science.”
The UK and Ireland judging panel for 2011 comprised Professor Dame Athene Donald DBE FRS, (Chair); Professor Frances Ashcroft FRS; Professor Alec Boksenberg CBE FRS FInstP; Professor Uta Frith FRS; Professor Dame Julia Higgins DBE FRS, FREng; Julie McManus, L’Oréal UK and Ireland and Professor John O’Halloran.
The UNESCO L’Oréal partnership operates at three levels globally – the L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards, the UNESCO-L’Oréal International Fellowships and L’Oréal-UNESCO National Fellowships.
Written: 08/07/2011 , last modified: 08/07/2011
The winners of the four 2011 UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science 
The UK and Ireland judging panel for 2011 comprising Professor Dame Athene Donald DBE FRS, (Chair); Professor Frances Ashcroft FRS; Professor Alec Boksenberg CBE FRS FInstP; Professor Uta Frith FRS; Professor Dame Julia Higgins DBE FRS, FREng; Julie McManus, L’Oréal UK and Ireland and Professor John O’Halloran.