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UNESCO–L’Oreal International Awards for Women in Science 2026
UNESCO–L’Oreal International Awards for Women in Science 2026
The UNESCO–L’Oréal For Women in Science International Awards have officially announced their 2026 Laureates. Marking 28 years of impact, the program has recognized five pioneering female researchers from five major regions of the world for their groundbreaking contributions to Life and Environmental Sciences.
The selection was made from a record 504 nominations spanning 89 countries by an independent international jury chaired by Professor Brigitte L. Kieffer. Each laureate receives €100,000 to advance their research. The official ceremony will take place at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on June 11, 2026.
Meet the 2026 Laureates
Africa and the Arab States
Professor Liesl Zühlke
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Institution: Professor at the University of Cape Town & Vice President of the South African Medical Research Council (South Africa).
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Field: Cardiac and Cardiovascular systems.
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The Breakthrough: Recognized for dramatically improving care for children with heart conditions, particularly rheumatic heart disease (RHD), which disproportionately impacts children living in poverty. Her research effectively reshaped RHD from being seen purely as a clinical issue into a socio-political health system deficiency, leading global efforts to eliminate health inequities for vulnerable children.
Asia and the Pacific
Professor Felice Jacka
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Institution: Deakin Distinguished Professor and Director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University (Australia).
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Field: Psychiatry.
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The Breakthrough: Celebrated for establishing the entirely new field of nutritional psychiatry. Her foundational research unraveled how diet and nutrition act as critical risk factors for mental and brain health. Her work has fundamentally altered global treatment strategies, integrating nutritional guidelines directly into psychiatric care.
Europe
Professor Sarah A. Teichmann
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Institution: Chair in Stem Cell Medicine at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom).
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Field: Cell Biology.
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The Breakthrough: Honored for her exceptional interdisciplinary research using genome science and computational biology to map the human body at single-cell resolution. Her pioneering work on single-cell technologies acts as a blueprint for global biomedical research, precision medicine, and drug discovery.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Professor Raquel Lia Chan
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Institution: Superior Researcher at CONICET & Professor at the National University of Litoral (Argentina).
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Field: Agricultural Biotechnology.
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The Breakthrough: Recognized for translating complex plant biology into vital agricultural security. She discovered specific genes and biological mechanisms that enhance plant tolerance to harsh environmental changes, successfully engineering drought-tolerant varieties of wheat, maize, rice, and soybean to defend global food security against climate change.
North America
Professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
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Institution: University Professor and Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University (USA).
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Field: Bioengineering.
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The Breakthrough: Honored for her revolutionary advances in human tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. She pioneered the development of "organs-on-a-chip" and biological substitutes designed to repair or mimic human organs, fundamentally shifting how scientists model physiology and test.
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