On May 14 , UNESCO and the Foundation L’Oréal are proud to reveal the names of the five laureates of the 2024 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards. Chinese scientist, Professor Ning Yan from the School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University is one of the five laureates.
She is rewarded for discovering the atomic structure of multiple membrane proteins that mediate the traffic of ions and sugars across the cell membrane, revealing principles that govern cross-membrane transport. Her exceptional research has informed multiple disorders such as epilepsy and arrhythmia and guided the treatment of pain syndrome. As a leading authority in her field, Prof. Yan inspires female scientists globally and is a strong advocate for gender equality in research and science education.
Every year, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards honour an exceptional woman from each of the five broad regions: Africa and the Arab States; Asia and the Pacific; Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; and North America.
The laureates of this 26th edition have been selected from among 350 candidates worldwide by an independent international jury chaired by Professor Brigitte L. Kieffer, Research Director at the Inserm Research Institute, member of the French Academy of Sciences and past laureate of L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards.
Through the excellence of their work, these laureates demonstrate that science needs women now more than ever, for example to meet major public health challenges, at a time when cases of cancer could increase by 77% by 2050, obesity affects 1 in 8 people worldwide, and there are still more than 249 million cases of malaria infection.
