Elsevier Foundation award

In partnership with TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, and the Organization for Women for Science in the Developing World, the Award recognizes the research excellence of women scientists working and living in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Background

"The Elsevier Awards for Early-Career Women Scientists in the Developing World" were launched in 2012 by The Elsevier Foundation, TWAS and OWSD to celebrate the achievements of women scientists in the early stages of their careers, with the aim of creating role models for other women to follow, a step that is critical for retaining top talent and building a stronger research culture in developing countries.

The five region-specific annual prizes will rotate between life sciences, chemistry and physics/math and provide professional exposure at the annual American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference. Nominations are accepted from early career scientists (within ten years of graduating with a PhD degree) from the 81 countries with low scientific output as defined by TWAS. They will be reviewed by a committee of distinguished life scientists chaired by OWSD president.

Nature of the Awards

• Five Awards will be awarded annually, one each to a female scientist from one of the five regions of the world: Latin America and the Caribbean; the Arab region; Sub-Saharan Africa; Central and South Asia; and East and South-East Asia and the Pacific.
• The five region-specific annual Awards will rotate between the life sciences, chemical sciences and physical, mathematical and engineering sciences. In 2014, the five Awards will be given in the chemical sciences.
• The five winning scientists of the 2014 edition will be celebrated for their research excellence, and receive a cash prize of USD5,000 in addition to a year’s complimentary access to ScienceDirect and all-expenses-paid attendance at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in February 2014 in Chicago, IL, USA, where the awards ceremony will take place. The winners will also be invited to attend international events pertaining to OWSD and TWAS.

Award partners

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Winners

2017

• Dr. Tanzima Hashem, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
• Dr. María Fernanda Rivera Velásquez, Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo in Ecuador
• Dr. Felycia Edi Soetaredjo, Widya Mandala Catholic University Surabaya in Indonesia
• Dr. Grace Ofori-Sarpong, University of Mines and Technology in Ghana
• Dr. Rania Mokhtar, Sudan University of Science and Technology.

2016

• Sri Fatmawati,
• Sushila Maharjan,
• Magaly Blas,
• Etheldrera Nakimuli‐Mpungu,
• Ghanya Naji Mohammed Al-Naqeb

Read the full article on ElsevierConnect

2015

• Nashwa Eassa, PhD, Assistant Professor of Physics, Al Neelain University, Khartoum
• Dang Thi Oanh, PhD, Head of the Division of Science, Thái Nguyên University of Information and Communications Technology
• Mojisola Oluwyemisi Adeniyi, PhD, Head of the Atmospheric Physics/Meteorological Research Group, Department of Physics, University of Ibadan
• Mojisola Usikalu, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Physics, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
• Rabia Salihu Sa'id, PhD, Deputy Dean of Student Affairs, Bayero University, Kano

Read the full article on ElsevierConnect

2013

• Dr. Adediwura Fred-Jaiyesimi (Pharmacology and medicinal plants), Department of Pharmacognosy, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria.
• Dr. Nasima Akhter (Medical Sciences), Center for Nuclear Medicine and Ultrasound, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, and Dhaka Medical College Hospital Campus in Bangladesh.
• Dr. Dionicia Gamboa (Molecular Biology/parasitology), Department of Cellular and Molecular Sciences and Institute of Tropical Medicine & Alexander Von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
• Dr. Namjil Erdenechimeg (Biochemistry), Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Mongolia.
• Dr. Huda Omer Basaleem (Community and Public Health), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Aden University, Yemen.

Read the full article on ElsevierConnect

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Application process

Eligibility

• Candidates must be female early-career scientists (within ten years of earning their PhD degree).
• At nomination, candidates must have lived and worked for at least three years in one of the countries listed in the nomination form.

Selection

• The selection process will be administered by OWSD and TWAS.
• The assessment will be based on achievements in the field, with particular attention paid to the nominees’ publications in international peer-reviewed journals.

Nominations

• Nominations are invited from OWSD members, TWAS members, national science academies, national research councils and senior academics (heads of departments, heads of universities) both in developing and developed countries.
• Self-nominations, or nominations by selection committee members, are not accepted.
• Nominations need to be made on the nomination form and be signed by the nominator; they must include the candidate's curriculum vitae and full list of publications; and be accompanied by three reference letters.

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