Introduction
The L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science UK & Ireland Rising Talent Programme offers awards to promote, enhance and encourage the contribution of women pursuing their scientific research careers in the UK or Ireland.
The programme is run in partnership between L’Oréal UK and Ireland, the UK National Commission for UNESCO and the Irish National Commission for UNESCO, with the support of the Royal Society.
The L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science UK & Ireland Rising Talents 2024 are:
Dr Sara Keller
University of Oxford
Engineering
Dr Sara Keller is a Glasstone Research Fellow in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. Her research involves developing ultrasound molecular imaging probes for the rapid diagnosis of bacterial infections with the aim of creating new tools for image-guided interventions. Sara received her PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Washington, Seattle.
Dr Océane Seudre
Queen Mary University of London
Life Sciences
Dr Océane Seudre is a postdoctoral research fellow at Queen Mary University of London. Her current interdisciplinary research aims to uncover the developmental regulatory basis of phenotypic plasticity in tropical butterflies. Her long-term goal is to integrate epigenetic mechanisms into our understanding of resilience to changing ecosystems. Océane received her PhD in evolutionary and developmental biology from Queen Mary University of London.
Dr Giulia Laura Celora
University College London
Mathematics and Computing
Dr Giulia Laura Celora is an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellow at the Department of Mathematics at University College London. Her research is in the field of mathematical biology and aims to develop mechanistic mathematical models to understand the multiscale dynamics of cell collectives in development and cancer. Giulia received her PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Oxford in 2023.
Dr Ann Njeri
Newcastle University
Physical Sciences
Dr Ann Njeri is a postdoctoral research associate in Extragalactic Astrophysics at Newcastle University. Her current research work involves the use of wide-field and high-resolution radio imaging to probe the nature of hidden supermassive black holes in galaxies, for a better understanding of how they influence the formation and evolution of galaxies (including our own Milky Way Galaxy) and stars through cosmic time. Dr Njeri has a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Manchester.
Dr Reem Swidah
University of Manchester
Sustainable Development
Dr Reem Swidah holds a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Manchester and currently serves as a postdoctoral researcher at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, focusing on the Sc3.0 and minimal genome for the synthetic Sc2.0 strain. Her goal is to harness the exceptional evolutionary abilities of synthetic yeast strains to develop innovative and cost-effective technologies to produce biofuels. She believes that these advancements hold the potential to combat climate change and play a pivotal role in achieving the ambitious goal of Net Zero emissions by 2050.
Award Grant
Each Rising Talent has received a grant that is fully flexible and tenable at any UK or Irish university or research institute to support a 12-month period of research. The awards have been designed to provide flexible and practical financial support for winners to spend on scientific equipment, paying for childcare, travel costs or indeed whatever they need to continue their research.
Project Announcements
The shortlist for the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science UK & Ireland Rising Talent Awards 2024 has been announced.
This year’s shortlist is made up of 11 women postdoctoral scientists in the categories of Physical Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Computing, Life Science, and Sustainable Development. Universities represented in the shortlist include York, Imperial College London, University College London, Manchester, Newcastle and Warwick.
The 2024 Rising Talents will be announced at the Awards Ceremony in the Palace of Westminster on Monday 18 March. Five grants will be awarded. Each Rising Talent will receive a grant that is fully flexible and tenable at any UK or Irish university or research institute to support a 12-month period of research.
