Five women scientists have been named laureates of the 2026 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards, marking 28 years of the programme that recognises women researchers across the world.
The awards, announced in Paris, France on May 19, 2026, will be presented at UNESCO headquarters on June 11, 2026. This year’s laureates have been recognised for work in life and environmental sciences, including cardiovascular care, nutritional psychiatry, single-cell biology, agricultural biotechnology and tissue engineering.
UNESCO and Fondation L’Oréal said the 2026 edition had received a record 504 nominations from 89 countries. The five winners will join more than 5,000 women researchers who have been recognised through the programme since it began. The international awards have so far honoured 142 laureates, seven of whom have later received Nobel Prizes in science.
The selection was made by an independent international jury chaired by Professor Brigitte L Kieffer, Research Director Emeritus at France’s National Institute for Health and Medical Research and a former laureate of the programme.
Professor Liesl Zühlke, of the University of Cape Town and Vice President of the South African Medical Research Council, was named laureate for Africa and the Arab States. She was recognised for her work to improve care for children with heart conditions, particularly rheumatic heart disease, which disproportionately affects children living in poverty.
The Asia and the Pacific award went to Professor Felice Jacka, Deakin Distinguished Professor and Director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University in Australia. She was honoured for helping establish the field of nutritional psychiatry, which examines the links between diet, brain health and mental health.
Professor Sarah A Teichmann, Chair in Stem Cell Medicine at the University of Cambridge, was named Europe laureate. Her work uses genome science and computational biology to understand the human body at single-cell resolution, providing resources for biomedical research and drug discovery.
The Latin America and the Caribbean award went to Professor Raquel Lia Chan of Argentina, a senior researcher at CONICET and professor at the National University of Litoral. She was recognised for translating plant biology research into drought-tolerant varieties of wheat, maize, rice and soybean.
Professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, University Professor and Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University in the US, was named North America laureate for her work in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, including the development of “organs-on-a-chip”.
The announcement comes as UNESCO and Fondation L’Oréal renewed their partnership for another six years. The organisations said the extension would support girls and women at different stages of scientific careers, from school-level initiatives to programmes for young researchers in 140 countries and territories.
UNESCO said women still account for only one in three researchers globally, warning that the imbalance limits diversity and risks excluding perspectives needed to address major global challenges.
Jean-Paul Agon, President of Fondation L’Oréal, said the programme was “mobilising more than ever to defend the place of women in science”.
UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany said women scientists were “expanding what we believe is possible”, adding that science could not “afford to leave half of humanity’s talent on the sidelines”.