Despite their groundbreaking research, women scientists remain underrepresented, comprising only 33.3%* of researchers globally. Their remarkable achievements often go unnoticed, with less than 4% of Nobel Prizes for science awarded to women and only 11% of senior research roles held by women in Europe.
According to the World Economic Forum, at the current rate of progress, it will take over two centuries to achieve gender parity in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The world needs science and science needs women
For 25 years, the Fondation L’Oréal and UNESCO have collaborated to empower women in science and accelerate efforts to bridge the gender gap through the For Women in Science program. This visionary partnership has placed the issue of gender equality in science high on the international agenda by highlighting the work of many outstanding women scientists, accelerating women’s pathways to leadership in science, and inspiring the next generation of women researchers.
Each year the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program honours the achievements of female scientists. These exceptional women, often in the early stages of their careers, are granted a prestigious Fellowship and valuable funding to help further their research.
To date, 127 laureates have been honoured for their excellence in science, including five who have gone on to win a scientific Nobel Prize. Further, through the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science programs, spanning five continents, more than 4,000 women scientists have been supported through grants and leadership training, including providing crucial support during their thesis or post-doctoral studies.
L’Oréal-UNESCO Global For Women in Science Awards – Australian 2023 Fellows
Since 1998, the L’Oréal-UNESCO Global For Women in Science Awards have been celebrating and empowering female scientists worldwide and has recognised 4,100 female researchers globally and 65 locally with 500 scientific experts involved in the selection worldwide.
This past November, heralding the 25th anniversary of the awards, five local (Australia and New Zealand) scientists were honoured:
Dr Renata Borovica-Gajic (University of Melbourne, VIC)
Dr Borovica-Gajic is a Senior Lecturer in Data Analytics and ARC DECRA Fellow in the School of Computing and Information Systems, as well as Assistant Dean (Diversity and Inclusion) for the Faculty of Engineering and IT at the University of Melbourne.
Dr Borovica-Gajic’s research focus is on solving data management problems when storing, accessing and processing massive data sets, enabling faster, more predictable, and cheaper data analysis as a result. Envisioning database systems as dynamic entities able to adjust query processing strategies to fit the characteristics of data and usage patterns, she facilitates data exploration in scientific domains, where the lack of amenable tools for efficient data analysis hinders scientific discoveries.
“My research aims to develop a next-generation self-driving database for seamless data exploration, where users can interactively search for insights buried in the data without a clear outcome in mind. Using new machine learning techniques, my research advances databases and makes them accessible to non-experts by automating laborious and complex tasks that currently require costly domain expertise. Self-driving databases predict user intention and help them retrieve data of interest promptly,” said Dr Borovica-Gajic.
Dr Deborah Burnett (Garvan Institute of Medical Research, NSW)
Dr Burnett’s research has contributed vital insights to understanding autoimmune pathophysiology and has redefined the accepted role of B cells in vaccine responses against threats which mimic our own proteins, resulting in first-author publications in numerous scientific journals.
Her research continues in the field of comparative immunology in health and disease as she focuses on the sophisticated mouse models to understand the role of antibodies in healthy vaccine responses and in autoimmune disease.
“This award supports my research into understanding why certain immune triggers result in the production of particular antibodies. I’m fascinated by learning how we can help the immune system better target difficult-to-fight threats and why in some situations, the immune response goes “rogue” and people develop autoimmune diseases following normal immune stimuli. Better understanding would allow us to prevent this from happening in the future and develop targeted therapies for these devastating immune diseases,” said Dr Burnett.
Dr Anna Trigos (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC)
Dr Anna Trigos is focused on understanding the dynamics of cancer ecosystems based on evolutionary principles, using a combination of single-cell omics technologies and spatial platforms.
With extensive expertise in the spatial analysis of cells in tissues, Dr Trigos conceived and led a project developing algorithms for the spatial distribution of cells of the microenvironment from spatial proteomics data.
“Every day at work I, alongside my incredible team, am actively contributing to breaking down the stereotype of women in science. Whether you are wanting to manage a team in a lab, research, or play an active role in an experiment, STEM is all about narrowing in on what your strengths are and matching the person with the right role. I’m so grateful to receive this Fellowship to help make a difference to the lives of future cancer patients and the people around them,” said Dr Trigos.
Dr Lucia Romani (Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney)
A world leader in epidemiologic research, Dr Romani has over 15 years’ experience leading and collaborating on implementation research focused on infectious diseases in low and middle-income countries.
Over the past 10 years, Dr Romani’s research has focused on the epidemiology, control and elimination of NTDs in the Pacific. She was recently awarded a grant to reduce STI prevalence and adverse perinatal outcomes in Fiji while addressing antimicrobial resistance in a population of over 150,000 people. Dr Romani is recognised internationally receiving over $4.5 million in funding as CIA and over 25 grants as Co-CI worth $21 million, and is actively involved in the oversight of four large clinical trials, funded by NHMRC and the Bill & Melinda Gate Foundation, to control infectious diseases in the Pacific Islands.
“There are two important lessons that I have learned during my career in science: to remember that we never stop learning and growing, and that your failures are just as important as your successes, because they teach you just as much. Through this Fellowship, I hope to show young people, and especially girls, who would like to unlock a career in STEM that there is space for them, that they have important contributions to make, and STEM is a field where they can discover their fullest potential,” said Dr Romani.
Dr Georgia Grant (GNS Science, NZ)
Dr Grant’s PhD explored climate cycles that took place between roughly two and three million years ago by analysing marine mud from the Whanganui Basin, to reconstruct the timing and magnitude of sea-level changes in response to ice sheet variability. These changes occurred because atmospheric carbon dioxide was at similar levels to today and the Earth was as warm as it will be in the coming decades.
Dr Grant’s climate research is ongoing in her current role at GNS Science, from sea surface temperature reconstruction three million years ago across the Tasman Sea to analysing sand particle size and distribution in the Hokianga Harbour to understand how the recent evolving landscape changes sediment input to the harbour.
Just recently, Dr Grant took part in an ocean expedition offshore Greenland with the International Ocean Discovery Program to investigate how the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets act to changing sea level in the past.
Dr Grant’s ongoing contribution to science, specifically climate cycles, is actively contributing to a healthier future for New Zealand.
“Studying Geology at university I was immediately taken by the lesson in Earth’s history and how it came to be the world we know today. I loved the patterns and cycles that are imprinted on the chaos of time and change, particularly in regard to climate and the climate system,” said Dr Grant.
2023 Australian laureate honoured
In addition to the 5 local nominees, L’Oréal-UNESCO announced Australian Prof Lidia Morawska from the Queensland University of Technology as a Laureate for the prestigious 2023 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Program.
Prof Morawska was recognised at the awards ceremony in Paris earlier in 2023 for her outstanding contributions to scientific research in the field of air pollution and its impact on human health and the environment. Professor Morawska also received €100,000 ($165,000 AUD) to further her research.
Chief Corporate Affairs & Engagement Officer at L’Oréal Australia & New Zealand, Marnie Carroll said, “The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program continues to recognise and celebrate the groundbreaking achievements and contributions to scientific progress made by females across Australia and New Zealand. Through awarding our 2023 Fellows, we aim to continue breaking down gender barriers within STEM and inspire younger generations of women to pursue their curiosity and ambitions within the field.”
While progress is being made through such programs, it’s important to acknowledge that achieving true gender equality in science requires continued efforts. The ultimate vision is a world where girls are encouraged to study science, women receive adequate support to balance research and motherhood responsibilities, and scientists are evaluated solely based on the merit and potential of their discoveries to transform the world.
For more information visit www.forwomeninscience.com.au.
*UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 (2021)
