Past Awardees

OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awardees for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World

2019

Tabassum Mumtaz

Awarded in: Biological sciences

Specialization field: Environmental microbiology

Principal Scientific Officer, Institute of Food and Radiation Biology, Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission

For her work on bioconversion of waste byproducts and biomass into more environmentally-friendly compounds.

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2019

Tista Prasai Joshi

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Nepal, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Environmental microbiology

Scientific Officer, Environment and Climate Study Laboratory, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology

For her research in developing novel metal oxide adsorbents to remove harmful organic and inorganic arsenic compounds efficiently from water.

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2019

Amira Shaheen

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Palestinian Aut. Terr., Arab Countries

Specialization field: Epidemiology

Assistant Professor in Epidemiology and Public Health, An-Najah University

For her work investigating health care system responses to gender-based violence in primary and reproductive health services in Palestine.

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2019

Narel Paniagua-Zambrana

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Bolivia, Latin America & Caribbean

Specialization field: Ethnobotany

Associate Researcher, National Herbarium of Bolivia, Institute of Ecology Universidad Mayor de San Andres

For her work documenting and protecting traditional knowledge of plant use by indigenous populations and local communities, especially in Bolivia. Her work provides local populations with tools to conserve their natural resources and associated traditional knowledge.

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2019

Uduak Okomo

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Gambia, Africa

Specialization field: Paediatrics and epidemiology

Clinical Research Fellow, Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

For her work in defining routes of transmission of infections to neonates. Dr. Okomo’s research has pointed to hospital-acquired transmission rather than maternal or community acquisition, which contributes to improved control of infections and better planning of health systems and resource distribution, thereby reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality.

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2018

Hasibun Naher

Awarded in: Physical sciences

From: Bangladesh, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Applied mathematics

Associate Professor, BRAC University

For her work in nonlinear partial differential equations. Dr. Naher's significant academic contributions to this field have included her most recent work on tsunami simulation and her research on travelling waves.

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2018

Dawn Iona Fox

Awarded in: Physical sciences

From: Guyana, Latin America & Caribbean

Specialization field: Environmental and material chemistry

Lecturer, University of Guyana Turkeyen

For her research on converting local waste products into value-added materials to solve environmental problems, focused on improving drinking water quality for vulnerable communities and on 'water-stress' events such as floods, storms and hurricanes.

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2018

Witri Wahyu Lestari

Awarded in: Physical sciences

From: Indonesia, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Organometallic and co-ordination chemistry

Junior Lecturer, Universitas Sebelas Maret

For her research on the synthesis of Metal-Organic Frameworks whose structures have widespread potential applications in areas such as molecular magnets, gas separation and storage, selective drug synthesis and delivery and environmental protection.

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2018

Germaine Djuidje Kenmoe

Awarded in: Physical sciences

From: Cameroon, Africa

Specialization field: Physics

Lecturer, University of Yaounde 1

For her work on mechanics and the study of friction-and-wear processes on the molecular level, which has the potential for important implications in the area of energy efficiency.

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2018

Silvia González Pérez

Awarded in: Physical sciences

From: Ecuador, Latin America & Caribbean

Specialization field: Theoretical and computational chemistry

Research Professor, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja

For her research on hetereogenous catalysis in metal, bimetal, nanotubes and oxides. Dr. González Pérez performs molecular modelling of potential new materials that can be synthesized or purified from natural products.

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2017

Felycia Edi Soetaredjo

Awarded in: Engineering sciences

From: Indonesia, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Chemical engineering

Lecturer, Widya Mandala Catholic University Surabaya

For her research on utilizing biomass for environmental remediation and renewable energy. Dr. Soetaredjo uses biomass and clay material to produce biosorbents, adsorbents and composites, which effectively remove hazardous compounds such as antibiotics, heavy metals and dyes from wastewater.

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2017

Rania Abdelhameed Mokhtar

Awarded in: Engineering sciences

From: Sudan, Arab Countries

Specialization field: Computer engineering

Director of External Relations, Sudan University of Science and Technology

For her work on solutions in the field of wireless communications engineering, agriculture automation sensor networks and advanced security systems, including significant advances in the knowledge, methods, theory and application of security systems for mobile devices.

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2017

Tanzima Hashem

Awarded in: Engineering sciences

From: Bangladesh, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Computer science and engineering

Associate Professor, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

For her contributions to the field of spatial databases and ubiquitous computing, including computation approaches to location-based services that allow citizens to have control over their personal and sensitive data relating to their health, habits and whereabouts.

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2017

Grace Ofori-Sarpong

Awarded in: Engineering sciences

From: Ghana, Africa

Specialization field: Energy and minerals engineering

Associate Professor, University of Mines and Technology

For her research on microbial-mineral interaction, recovery of precious metals, water quality monitoring and acid mine drainage. Dr. Ofori-Sarpong uses fungi to break down recalcitrant gold-bearing minerals and free gold particles to enable and improve the efficiency of their extraction.

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2017

María Fernanda Rivera Velásquez

Awarded in: Engineering sciences

From: Ecuador, Latin America & Caribbean

Specialization field: Environmental engineering

Professor, Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo

For her work using the fibre of a native Ecuadorian plant (Cabuya) and reactive minerals (zeolites) taken from the region to reduce contamination in inudstrial areas. Dr. Rivera Velásquez's work has had a profound impact on the improvement of working conditions in small-scale and artisan mineral mining.

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2016

Sushila Maharjan

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Nepal, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Biochemistry and biotechnology

For her work using soil microbes to develop medically useful chemicals. Microbes create a great number of the materials used in medicine, including antibiotics. Dr. Maharjan studies bacterial strains from the high-altitude regions of Nepal to identify substances useful for the development of new antibiotics, as well as other medically useful compounds.

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2016

Sri Fatmawati

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Indonesia, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Bioenvironmental sciences

Assistant Professor, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember

For her work analyzing the medical and pharmaceutical potential of plant and fungi extracts normally used in herbal medicine. Dr. Fatmawati has also received the prestigious Pemenang Fellowship from the International L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards, for her research analyzing substances from sponges that may lead to treatments for malaria, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

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2016

Magaly Blas

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Peru, Latin America & Caribbean

Specialization field: Epidemiology

Associate Professor, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia

For her work using information and communication technology to solve health problems, particularly sexually transmitted diseases in urban and rural Peru. Dr. Blas also leads the Mama River Programme, training community members to use smartphones to collect basic information from pregnant women and forward this information to a medical ship to schedule visits.

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2016

Ghanya Al-Naqeb

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Yemen, Arab Countries

Specialization field: Nutritional sciences

Assistant Professor, Sana'a University

For her research using chemicals isolated from Yemeni herbal plants for disease prevention. A major focus of Dr. Al-Naqeb's work has been black cumin seeds, which are commonly used as a spice in Yemen, other Middle Eastern countries and India. Her research on these seeds has focused on their effects in protecting the heart from cardiovascular disease.

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2016

Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Uganda, Africa

Specialization field: Psychiatric epidemiology

Senior Lecturer, Makerere University College of Health Sciences

For her work using psychotherapy as a treatment for depression and alcoholism in Ugandans living with HIV. Depression is a serious problem for HIV patients throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, making it more likely that those patients will stop taking their HIV-antiretroviral medications. Dr. Nakimuli-Mpungu works with service providers to integrate depression screening with HIV-treatment, as well as to include local communities in discussions of depression to help destigmatize the illness.

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2015

Rabia Salihu Saiid

Awarded in: Physical sciences

From: Nigeria, Africa

Specialization field: Atmospheric physics

Deputy Dean of Student Affairs, Bayero University

For her research that seeks to solve Nigerian environmental challenges, such as decreasing deforestation by turning carpenters' waste into briquettes to replace firewood. She is currently working on a government project to gather atmospheric data, and is a mentor in local and national science projects that encourage youth participation in science.

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2015

Dang Thi Oanh Do

Awarded in: Engineering sciences

From: Vietnam, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Computational mathematics

Head of Division of Science, Thái Nguyên University of Information and Communications Technology

For her work in developing algorithms that are used to solve problems normally too complicated for computers. Her work has helped to improve the accuracy of these methods, typically used for solving problems in fields such as artifical intelligence and computer graphics.

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2015

Mojisola Oluwyemisi Adeniyi

Awarded in: Physical sciences

From: Nigeria, Africa

Specialization field: Lower atmospheric physics

Head of the Atmospheric Physics/Meteorological Research Group, University of Ibadan

For her research using modelling to understand weather and climate, as well as atmospheric radioactivity, lightning and food security. Her research has shed light on when to best plant staple crops in Nigeria. She has also presented on efforts to improve the accuracy of climate models.

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2015

Nashwa Eassa

Awarded in: Physical sciences

From: Sudan,

Specialization field: Material physics and nanotechnology

Assistant Professor, Al Neelain University

For her research on a type of high-speed semiconductor, focusing on how to lessen the film that accumulates on its surface and interferes with the flow of electrical current. She is also involved in a project developing methods for using solar radiation to treat water and for splitting water molecules so that hydrogen can be collected.

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2015

Mojisola Usikalu

Awarded in: Physical sciences

From: Nigeria, Africa

Specialization field: Medical-radiation physics

Senior Lecturer, Covenant University

For her research on how radiation affects health, for example her finding that exposure to microwave radiation could increase anxiety and reduce sperm counts in animals. Dr. Usikalu is also active in promoting physics in her home country, participating in programmes meant to guide young women into studying university-level physics.

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2014

Simone Ann Marie Badal-McCreath

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Jamaica, W.I., Latin America & Caribbean

Specialization field: Biochemistry

Manger of the biochemistry lab, the Natural Products Institute at the University of the West Indies

For her work in designing a new cell culture lab to investigate the cancer-fighting properties of Jamaican natural compounds.

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2014

Eqbal Mohamed Abdu Dauqan

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Yemen, Arab Countries

Specialization field: Biochemistry and food science

Associate Professor at the University of Agder, Norway

For her research on the antioxidant properties of vegetable oils and specialized research in sensory evaluation and organic chemistry.

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2014

Nilufar Mamadalieva

Awarded in: Physical sciences

From: Uzbekistan, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Organic chemistry

Senior Scientific Researcher, Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, Tashkent

For her work on the phytochemical and biological investigation of active compounds derived from medicinal plants growing in Central Asia, in particular the development of efficient nutraceuticals and the discovery of new lead compounds for the pharmaceutical industry.

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2014

Leni Ritmaleni

Awarded in: Physical sciences

From: Indonesia, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Organic chemistry

Lecturer at the Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Gadjah Mada University

For her work in the field of organic synthesis, focusing on the development of tropical medicines, in particular improved methods for the synthesis of sulfoxides and their application in the preparation of biologically active targets.

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2014

Taiwo Olayemi Elufioye

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Nigeria, Africa

Specialization field: Pharmacology

For her research on the medicinal properites of native Nigerian plants, in particular the effectiveness of different species in treating malaria, wounds, memory loss, leprosy and cancer.

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2013

Namjil Erdenechimeg

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Mongolia, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Biochemistry

For her investigations of catalytically active antibodies with oxidoreductase activities from the sera of rats.

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2013

Huda Omer Basaleem

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Yemen, Arab Countries

Specialization field: Community and public health

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Aden University

For her dedication in the fight against cancer and for the well-being of women and children in the Arab region.

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2013

Nasima Akhter

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Bangladesh, Asia & Pacific

Specialization field: Medical sciences

For her research on fetal screening for congenital anomalies using ultrasonography and her introduction of the use of inactive iodide adjunct medication with radioiodine therapy in Graves' disease.

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2013

Dionicia Gamboa

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Peru, Latin America & Caribbean

Specialization field: Molecular biology/parasitology

Department of Cellular and Molecular Sciences, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia

For her multidisciplinary approach to fighting leishmaniasis and malaria, in particular for her studies into the molecular epidemiology of these diseases in endemic regions.

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2013

Adediwura Fred-Jaiyesimi

Awarded in: Biological sciences

From: Nigeria, Africa

Specialization field: Pharmacognosy

Department of Pharmacognosy, Olabisi Onabanjo University

For her work on the medicinal uses of plants, particularly her research on antidiabetic properties of plants including the hypoglycaemic and a-amylase-inhibitory activities of the extracts of two local plant species.

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