The nomination period has opened for the Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early-Career Women Scientists, which annually recognize excellence in research achieved by scientists in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. This year’s five regional awards will be selected in the fields of physics and mathematics. Nominations will be accepted from May 15 through October 17, 2014.
The awards are sponsored and organized by The Elsevier Foundation, the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS). The competition will be judged by a distinguished panel of international physicists and mathematicians, including members of TWAS and OWSD, and chaired by OWSD; and one winner from each region will be announced in mid-February 2015 at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
The five winners will each receive a cash prize of US$5,000, plus all-expenses paid attendance at the AAAS meeting in San Jose, California; as well as one year access to Elsevier’s ScienceDirect and Scopus. In addition, this year the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), based in Trieste, Italy, is offering each of the winners free attendance and accommodation at one of ICTP’s renowned workshops or conferences.
The Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early-Career Women Scientists rotate annually between disciplines (physics/math, medical/life sciences, and chemistry) to ensure optimal exposure and networking synergies. Previous winners say the awards have had a powerful effect, enhancing the visibility of their past work and creating new opportunities for the future.
“Receiving this award has made me honored and touched that my hard work in science has not gone unnoticed and I encourage other woman scientists to do their best in all that they do,” said Dr. Nilufar Mamadalieva from the Institute of Plant Substances Chemistry in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, one of the 2014 winners in chemistry.
Nominations for the 2015 awards will be accepted for early-career women scientists from the 81 scientifically lagging countries as defined by TWAS who are working in the field of physics and mathematics and have received their PhD within the past ten years.
“This award will provide women physicists and mathematicians with much-needed recognition for delivering high-impact research both regionally and internationally,” said Fang Xin, OWSD President, China. “All of our winners have served as an inspiration to their peers and I’m sure that the five 2015 winners will build on this important tradition.”
Romain Murenzi, TWAS Executive Director said, “Past winners of the Elsevier Foundation Awards represent some of the most promising young researchers in the world. The award recognizes both their strong work and their potential. It also reflects that these women are leaders in their regions who may some day make valuable contributions in education, business and government policy.
“Women physicists and mathematicians in developing countries often face particular career challenges and dynamics as they pursue their careers and research. Working closely with TWAS, OWSD – and this year with ICTP as well – to celebrate these talented women is a great opportunity and honor,” said David Ruth, Executive Director of the Elsevier Foundation.
