Winners announced for 2024 Inspiring Women in Science Awards
Computational biologist researching neglected tropical disease and STEM mentorship programme for girls in Nigeria celebrated in the 2024 Inspiring Women in Science Awards, hosted by Nature and The Estée Lauder Companies
London | New York | Berlin, 1 November 2024
The Nature Awards, part of Springer Nature, and The Estée Lauder Companies are proud to announce that Claire Chewapreecha, a computational biologist in the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Thailand, and WITIN Girls STEM Clubs & Outreaches in Nigeria, are the winners of this year’s Inspiring Women in Science Awards. They were honoured at a ceremony at The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland headquarters in London on 31 October.
- Claire Chewapreecha leads a team to collect, sequence, and analyse genetic data from a neglected tropical disease which affects 165,000 people each year and is often fatal. Melioidosis is a bacterial infection that is spread through contact with contaminated soil or water and her research has reduced risk through the development of a DNA-based rapid diagnostic test, enabling fast detection.
- WITIN Girls STEM Clubs & Outreaches provide hands-on STEM programs, mentorship, and resources for socio-economically disadvantaged girls in Nigeria. It aims to ignite girls’ interest in STEM, support them in pursuing careers, and nurture leadership potentials; ultimately contributing to long-term poverty reduction and closing the gender gap in STEM fields.
Magdalena Skipper, Editor in Chief of Nature, says: “Diversity of thought fuels innovation, so when women and girls are empowered to contribute their skills and talents in research we all benefit from the results. Science shapes the future and it is crucial that women are equally represented in research. We must ensure that girls and women see no limits to their aspirations.”
The awards are held by Nature Awards in partnership with The Estée Lauder Companies, championing those who are working to encourage girls and women* to engage with STEM** subjects and who work to support women to stay in STEM careers around the world.
Lisa Napolione, Senior Vice President, Global R&D, The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) added:
"We are delighted to celebrate the seventh year of the Nature Awards for Inspiring Women in Science. Each year, the calibre of applications from around the world gives me great hope, knowing the impact of these women who are at the centre of producing such exceptional research outcomes and those who are working to expand STEM outreach so more girls and young women around the world have the opportunity to do so in the future. At ELC, we believe that recognizing the breakthrough research being led by women and honouring their contributions toward developing the next generation of women scientists accelerates gender equality in STEM fields and beyond. We are closely aligned with Nature on this goal. Congratulations to this year’s award winners – we look forward to seeing the results of the great work you continue to lead and we will be celebrating your every success!"
The Scientific Achievement Award recognises early-career women researchers who have made an exceptional, demonstrable contribution to scientific discovery and may have faced significant personal or professional challenges.
The Science Outreach Award celebrates initiatives that either: encouraged girls or young women to engage with and study natural sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEM); or, increased retention of women in STEM careers, with a focus on providing tools to support women through their career progression in a STEM discipline.
Around the world, ELC is dedicated to cutting-edge science with multidisciplinary expertise ranging from basic science and advanced technologies to the intersections of physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. ELC R&D has 75 years of formulation authority and is deeply integrated into the scientific community, regularly presenting at leading events and publishing in peer-reviewed journals. ELC has a commitment to advancing women in STEM; within its own operations, all of the company’s R&D and innovation laboratories worldwide are led by women, and more than half of its scientists, engineers, and technical professionals are women.
Springer Nature is committed to supporting progress and development in research, for all researchers across all disciplines and all global locations. These awards form part of a suite of programmes, which seek to provide a platform for all researchers to be able to share their work and communicate their impact, recognising the vital role that research plays in driving society forwards. More information on Springer Nature’s diversity, equity and inclusion commitments can be found here. More on the awards programme can be found here.
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*We use an inclusive definition of ‘woman’ and ‘women’. We welcome those that self-identify as women, trans women, genderqueer and non-binary people.
**STEM includes natural sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine.
Judging process:
- Winners are selected by a judging panel consisting of editors from Nature Portfolio, academic scientists, external experts working in organisations supporting access to science for women, and our corporate partner, Estée Lauder Companies.
- The award winners each receive prize money of US$50,000 to spend on initiatives relating to their work, mentoring through Estée Lauder Companies and other publicity opportunities. Profiles of the winners have been published on the Nature Awards website.
Award categories:
- The Scientific Achievement Award, recognising early-career women researchers that have made an exceptional contribution to scientific discovery, and may have faced significant challenges.
- The Science Outreach award is presented for initiatives that support girls or young women to engage with STEM subjects or to increase the retention of women in STEM careers.
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Theodore HibbertGreaves| Corporate Affairs | Springer Nature
