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

06-Mar-2009 - France

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 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 Pešic (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 Marin (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).

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