2023 Welcomed The Research of 5 Visionary Arab Female Scientists

Earlier this year, The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents Program, now in its ninth year, recognized and supported five trailblazing women from the GCC region for their ground-breaking work in the fields of life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, and computer science.

The regional program is part of the L’Oréal-UNESCO’s global For Women in Science initiative, in partnership with Khalifa University of Science and Technology. The outstanding researchers were awarded funds totaling EUR 76,000 to advance their creative work in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Fostering and empowering upcoming female scientists and their ground-breaking research, particularly in the GCC region, where women scientists’ contributions are crucial to finding answers for pressing global issues including climate change, food shortages, pandemics, future technology, and cybersecurity.

The award winners stand for the most driven and ambitious women in the region who are unafraid to overcome obstacles in their quest to develop creative solutions to issues that have a social impact. They also serve as role models for young girls who are just beginning their careers in STEM.

The UAE has achieved significant progress in ensuring equality and representation in all spheres, from the educational system to the forefront of important scientific and technical achievements led by women, which has improved its competitiveness on the world stage.

About the Middle East Regional Young Talents:

1. PhD student Hessa Ebrahim Ali Alfalahi (UAE): For her studies on the early identification and diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and depression utilizing smartphone data gathered in the outdoors using revolutionary Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms.
2. PhD student Ayesha Abdulla Alkhoori (UAE): For her work on the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into clean fuel to reduce global warming and address the energy problem.
3. Post-doctorate researcher Dr. Maha Zakariya Yahya Al-Riyami (Oman): for her investigation of somatic mutations in type 1 diabetes, which may open up new research directions in the study of autoimmune diseases.
4. Post-doctorate researcher Dr. Raefa Abou Khouzam (UAE): For her research on examining innovative treatments to thwart the development and spread of pancreatic cancer.
5. Post-doctorate researcher Dr. Fatiha M. Benslimane (Qatar): For her work on creating a quick, dependable, and affordable microbiological analysis procedure that would enable real-time diagnosis.