Five researchers win 16th L’Oreal-UNESCO Women Scientist Award

Doctor Segenet Kelemu of Ethiopia is among five outstanding researchers who were awarded Wednesday evening the L’Oreal-UNESCO prize for Women in Science, for their contributions to change the world, support future talent and encourage scientific vocations.

The five laureates are Professor Brigitte Kieffer from University of Strasbourg, Professor Laurie Glimcher from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, Professor Cecilia Bouzat from the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) in Buenos Aires, Professor Kayo Inaba from Kyoto University, and Doctor Segenet Kelemu from International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology in Nairobi.

“Brilliant, creative and passionate, these women all boast a career that demands admiration. Their discoveries have already led to concrete applications in the areas of neurobiology, immunology and ecology,” said the United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in a statement.

“The five women recognized have dazzled me with their boldness and the pertinence and scope of their work,” Chairman of the Jury, Nobel Prize winner in Medicine Gunter Blobel was quoted as saying.

Initiated 16 years ago, the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science program has identified, rewarded and celebrated more than 2,000 women around the world, two of whom received the Nobel Prize in 2009.

Africa and the Arab States: DOCTOR SEGENET KELEMU – Biology & Plant Pathology

Director General, International Center for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi, Kenya

The first women from her region to attend what was then Ethiopia‘s only university, Dr. Segenet Kelemu is being honored for her research on how microorganisms living in symbiosis with forage grasses can improve their capacity to resist disease and adapt to environmental and climate change. Her work is providing new solutions for ecologically responsible food crop production, especially by local, small-scale farmers. After having studied inthe United States and worked in Colombia, she returned to Africa and is now at the heart of an impressive international scientific research network.

Source: Xinhua and L’Oreal