PROF. HEATHER ZAR

Medicine and Health Sciences / Paediatrics

Professor and Chair, Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital Director SAMRC Unit, University of Cape Town, South Africa

In contrast to the aging populations of wealthy, developed countries, in Africa, children make up almost 50% of the population¹. Too many of them succumb to diseases that could be prevented or treated. Pneumonia affects 36 million children across Africa each year, and is fatal in more than 700,000 children globally, with nearly 60% of these deaths occurring in Africa². The rate of tuberculosis infection on the continent is among the highest in the world, and asthma affects between 10 and 20% of children³. Heather Zar has dedicated her career to improving the diagnosis and treatment of these common causes of childhood illness and mortality in her native South Africa. “I have always felt a strong commitment to work in areas where there is a real need,” she says.

In a context where resources are in short supply, Dr Zar has adopted a pragmatic approach, focusing on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases with the greatest impact. She has developed simple tests to diagnose tuberculosis and pneumonia in children from spit and nasal swab samples, which have been integrated into global World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. She demonstrated that preventative use of a common tuberculosis treatment, the antibiotic “isoniazid”, reduced mortality by 50% and tuberculosis incidence by 70% in HIV-infected children who were not undergoing antiretroviral therapy⁴.

Heather Zar is committed to reducing health inequalities in the world. Her drive to become a scientist began the day her aunt and uncle brought her into their laboratory; her preoccupation with social justice came from her own parents. “Being a paediatrician and clinician-scientist combines my desire to advance knowledge with my need to improve children’s lives,” she reflects.

One of her earliest contributions involved a common impediment to treating children with asthma: the lack of “spacers” that enable small children to breathe in inhaled medication at a natural rate. As a paediatric respirologist who had just returned to South Africa from sub-specialty training at Columbia University in New York, Dr Zar adapted regular plastic soda or water bottles for the purpose. She then conducted a random clinical trial to show that the homemade device worked just as well as the commercial spacer.

Heather Zar was the first African and first child health specialist to receive, in 2014, the World Lung Health Award from the American Thoracic society. Her work encompasses research, clinical care, education, training and advocacy. She is Department Chair at Red Cross Children’s Hospital, the largest African hospital dedicated to children, and has led the development of education and research programmes to increase capacities in Africa.

Through her latest project, the Drakenstein Child Health Study, Dr Zar is following women and children in an underprivileged area of South Africa, from pregnancy onwards, to investigate the impact of early life factors on child lung health and adult-onset illnesses. An early study arising from the project, published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine in 2016, points to a novel approach to preventing early childhood pneumonia by immunizing pregnant women. Once again, Heather Zar’s dedication to improving the health of Africa’s children stands to bring benefits on a global scale.

^{1. Generation 2030|AFRICA, UNICEF, August 2014}

^{2. GBD 2015 LRI Collaborators. Estimates of the global, regional, and national morbidity, mortality, and aetiologies of lower respiratory tract infections in 195 countries: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet Infect Dis. 2017 Nov;17(11):1133-1161}

^{3. Pearce N, Aý¨t-Khaled N, Beasley R, et al and the ISAAC Phase Three Study Group. Worldwide trends in the prevalence of asthma symptoms: phase III of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Thorax 2007;62:757–765}

^{4. Zar HJ, Cotton MF, Strauss S et al. Effect of isoniazid prophylaxis on mortality and incidence of tuberculosis in children with HIV: randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2007; 334(7585):136.}

PROF. MEE-MANN CHANG

Biological Sciences/Palaeontology

Professor, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

In evolutionary theory, it was long thought that land mammals, including humans, evolved from fish, through the intermediary of a species called lungfish that had the ability to breathe through gills as well as lungs. It turns out that this was not the case. In fact, lungfish and the amphibian tetrapods from which mammals evolved can be traced back to a marine life form dating back 400 million years: the sarcopterygian lobe-finned fish.

This revision of humanity’s distant origins came about thanks to the work of Professor Mee-mann Chang, who has spent decades examining fish fossils, some of which date back to the Devonian period, some 400 million years ago. In 1982, she completed a 3D reconstruction of the skull of a fish, called "Youngolepis", from the Devonian era, finding characteristics that identified it as an early relative of the tetrapod, while also sharing features with the lungfish. She later worked on a more lungfish-like "Diabolepis". It took some time for other palaeontologists to share her view, but the significance of the discovery to evolutionary theory raised Mee-mann Chang’s profile in the field. The American Museum of Natural History placed a replica of one of her specimens, "Diabolepis", together with a photo of Chang in the cabinet for “lungfish and relatives”, which is on permanent display in the Hall of Vertebrate Evolution.

Professor Chang has contributed many insights into this early evolutionary period. “My work falls into the category of pure science,” she says. “It explores fundamental questions about who we are and where we came from.” Her discoveries over the past 50 years have helped explain the reasons and timeframe for evolving features in certain species of fish. In 2013, one of her fossil analyses highlighted that 30 million years ago, fish developed thick skeletons to adapt to the high concentrations of calcium that occurred as the waters of the Tibetan Plateau ran dry. The discovery reflects a dramatic physiological adjustment to severe environmental distress. “To be able to figure out what the new fossil is, how it is related to other organisms, how it lived, and what it can tell us about the ancient environment is truly a scientific illumination,” says Professor Chang. “China is rich in fossil resources, which provides excellent opportunities for research,” she adds.

Professor Chang’s career has not been without obstacles, notably during the Cultural Revolution after 1966. Diverse challenges interrupted her research for over a decade. However, she has overcome travel issues, for example, to create important international collaborations, and ensured that these contribute to the development of science in China. Professor Chang’s longstanding engagement with Beijing’s Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology has made China a leader in the field of palaeontology and helped to develop a vibrant world-class research environment that is inspiring new generations of outstanding scientists. Now 82, Mee-mann Chang remains active in the field, still just as determined as ever to discover more about humanity’s origins and explore the voyage of fish across time and around the globe.

PROF. DAME CAROLINE DEAN

Biological Sciences/Molecular biology

Professor, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, United Kingdom

The surface of the earth is growing warmer, raising fundamental concerns regarding global food security, and reinforcing the importance of understanding whether crops and ecosystems can adapt to a changing climate, and to what extent. This question has preoccupied Caroline Dean for some time.

Much of Professor Dean’s career has revolved around two central questions in plant biology: why do certain plants have to pass through winter before they bloom, and how do they remember their exposure to cold temperatures months earlier? Her interest in these questions was sparked when, in sunny California, the British scientist was advised to put her tulip bulbs in the refrigerator for six weeks before planting. “That was the trigger for me to start reading about vernalization, the ‘winter requirement’,” she says.

Plants change from growth mode to flowering mode according to signals they receive from their environment. Dean discovered how the memory of this signal is retained by the plant’s cells. “My eureka moment,” Professor Dean says, “was when I realized that all the major strands of research in my lab were converging on the regulation of just one gene – “Flowering Locus C”– and therefore, what an important gene that was in the regulation of plant flowering time.”¹

Her research into factors that determine expression of genes has implications beyond plants. For example, it helps to clarify how cells with the same DNA content all behave and respond differently to specific signals – a research field called epigenetics. The mechanisms in humans and plants are very similar, potentially enabling plant research to catalyse the development of better diagnostics and treatments for human diseases. By clarifying the mechanism behind how genes change in response to environmental cues, she has contributed significantly to our general understanding of gene regulation.

The issue is not merely academic: the ability to breed winter and spring-sown plant varieties with different vernalization requirements could help to extend the geographical range of agricultural crops. Professor Dean’s research provides valuable insights into the potential ecological impact of climate change on agriculture, while also pointing to potential solutions.

Caroline Dean is recognized as a world leader in plant biology, and her research group was a central player in the international effort to map the genome of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which has since become an important point of reference for all plant research.

With a love of science inspired by TV shows featuring oceanographer Jacques Cousteau (she once drove to Marseille on a spur-of-the-moment, unsuccessful mission to meet him), Dean took advantage of early career opportunities as they came, and strongly recommends that every scientist move around internationally as they continue their training. “My five years in California totally changed by scientific horizons and gave me a ‘can do’ attitude,” she says. “We returned to the UK because my husband and I had a wonderful double job offer.” Professor Dean and her husband have both advanced their careers while bringing up their children, and she warmly encourages other women scientists to do the same. In particular, she urges them to “lean in”, an expression coined by business woman and author Sheryl Sandberg, meaning to seize opportunities to lead despite the impulse to hold back. Dean says: “I encourage women to continually expand their comfort zone, so at those key moments, they always lean in.”

^{1. Vernalization requires epigenetic silencing of FLC by histone methylation". Nature. 427 (6970): 164–167, 2014}

PROF. AMY T. AUSTIN

Ecology and Environmental sciences

Professor, IFEVA-CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sustainable development and climate change represent the greatest challenges facing humanity. To plan for a sustainable future in a rapidly changing environment, we need to understand how these changes are likely to affect basic natural processes. Professor Amy Austin’s research in the southern reaches of Argentina fills crucial gaps in knowledge about plant decomposition and soil fertility. Her research has led the scientific community down new paths, pursuing novel hypotheses, and will help better manage and conserve ecosystems affected by global change.

Professor Austin was the first researcher to demonstrate, in 2006, that solar radiation is the dominant process controlling carbon loss in semi-arid ecosystems where biotic decomposition activity is minimal or absent. Her findings countered the prevailing idea that microbial and faunal biotic decomposition dominated carbon and nutrient cycling in all terrestrial ecosystems.

She discovered that, when they fall to the ground, senescent tree and grass leaves can lose a portion of their carbon and nitrogen through photo-degradation by sunlight. Ultra-violet light, which has increased due to ozone depletion, is particularly effective at breaking down lignin, a dominant structural material in plant cell walls. The lignin degradation process then facilitates decomposition on the ground.

Photo-degradation acts to short-circuit the carbon cycle, releasing CO2 from organic matter directly into the air rather than during biodegradation on the soil surface. Increased sunlight and UV rays, along with drier conditions, may contribute to increasing CO2 release from plants, thereby potentially contributing to climate change.

Professor Austin credits her father, a NASA engineer, for sparking her early interest in science. “His passion and enthusiasm for the moon landing invaded our everyday life in a way that made it impossible not to feel inspired by the potential of scientific discovery,” she says. On the day of the Apollo 11 launch, Austin’s father took all five of his children onto the roof to see the actual space launch that eventually landed on the moon. “The sparkle in my father’s eye and the pride of scientific accomplishment is something that has always stayed with me,” she adds.

In the United States, Austin had witnessed the wonder of scientific discovery in humanity’s conquest of space. When she moved to Argentina, where she has pursued her entire scientific career, she focused on understanding the workings of nature in its pristine state. “I focus on developing game-changing ideas that can be tested in a straightforward, low-tech way,” she says, explaining that her best insights into the mechanisms controlling ecosystem processes arise in the field.

Environmental concerns prompted Austin to conduct research in Argentina: “I felt that the future decisions of ecology and conservation in Latin America were going to be critical at the regional and planetary scale.” She has developed regional collaborations in South America to evaluate human impacts, notably nitrogen fertilizer use, on agriculture’s nutrient cycles, and participates in international initiatives on the issue. Professor Austin foresees a much greater push to translate ecological sciences into useful tools for decision-making, as climate change becomes an ever greater political priority.

By improving the understanding of terrestrial ecosystem ecology, and of human impact on these ecosystems, Professor Amy Austin hopes to help society strike a better balance between human needs and the conservation of natural ecosystems.

PROF. JANET ROSSANT

Biological Sciences/Developmental biology

Senior Scientist, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada University Professor, University of Toronto, Canada President, Gairdner Foundation, Canada

Advances in genetics are opening up new possibilities for treatment and prevention. They also raise important ethical dilemmas: should we use these discoveries to eliminate disease-causing genes permanently from the human gene pool? Or only to fix defects on an individual basis? And where do we draw the line between disease prevention and genetic enhancement? Professor Janet Rossant believes that scientists must be deeply engaged in creating ethical frameworks for their discoveries. In North America, she has played a leading role in developing guidelines for research and practice that are now internationally recognized.

Her influence among scientists and her concern for ethics arose from her own contribution to understanding and altering gene development. With almost 400 publications, Professor Rossant is a pioneer in the field of mammalian stem cells and embryonic development.

Whether the aim is to create replacement body tissue or assure a healthy pregnancy, it comes down to understanding how embryonic cells behave and function. In the first few days after conception, the fertilized egg develops into the blastocyst. Inside the blastocyst is a small group of cells that later forms the embryo, while the outer layer of cells goes on to form the placenta. The embryonic cells divide and develop into all cell types present in the body; they are called “pluripotent stem cells” due to their capacity to self-regenerate into multiple forms. Rossant was the first to identify the stem cells, known as “trophoblasts”, that go on to form the placenta, opening up new ways to address pregnancy disorders such as intrauterine growth retardation.

Professor Rossant’s work has been driven by a desire to understand basic developmental mechanisms. “When I was studying at Cambridge, a lecture by John Gurdon (who went on to win the Nobel Prize in 2012) on early frog development introduced me to the wonders of developmental biology: how does the single cell — the fertilized egg — develop into a complex organism such as ourselves? I was captivated and have pursued this question throughout my career,” she says.

On the way, she has connected these mechanisms with genetic disorders, birth defects and diseases, laying the foundations for therapeutic innovations. Her research into these mechanisms was made possible by a technique she helped to develop. Rossant’s group was one of the first to make targeted mutations in developmental genes in laboratory models, precursors to today’s CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system, a method that could be likened to "genetic scissors" (by cutting a specific region of the DNA, it is possible to modify a gene, or to replace it with another). It enabled her to introduce specific mutations into embryos and clarify gene function.

Born and educated in the United Kingdom, Professor Janet Rossant developed her career in Toronto after meeting her husband, a Canadian, while studying at Cambridge. However, her impact now crosses international borders. “One of the best things about being a scientist is the opportunity to travel and interact with scientists elsewhere, who bring different viewpoints and skill sets to bear on a common challenge,” she says. In a complex world facing complex challenges, Professor Rossant highlights the importance of bringing greater diversity to scientific communities, and encouraging young people to enter the world of science. She herself has mentored more than 70 doctoral and post-doctoral students. “Young people have innovative ideas that can transcend the disciplinary boundaries that most of us grew up with,” she says. “We must not lose their skills – they will change the world.”

Pr Serge Abiteboul

Senior Researcher Inria, ENS

"The cause of Women in Science is essential because we can not do without their talents, and it concerns us all, men and women, of course."

Serge Abiteboul obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, and a State Doctoral Thesis from the University of Paris-Sud. He has been a researcher at the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique since 1982, Directeur de Recherche CE since 01/01/2004, in a research team located at Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris, since 2016. He is Distinguished Affiliated Professor at Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan . He was a Lecturer at the École Polytechnique and Visiting Professor at Stanford and Oxford University. He has been Chair Professor at Collège de France in 2011-12 and Francqui Chair Professor at Namur University in 2012-2013. He co-founded the company Xyleme in 2000. Serge Abiteboul has received the ACM SIGMOD Innovation Award in 1998, the EADS Award from the French Academy of sciences in 2007; the Milner Award from the Royal Society in 2013; and a European Research Council Fellowship (2008-2013). He became a member of the French Academy of Sciences in 2008, and a member the Academy of Europe in 2011. He has been a member of the Conseil national du numérique (2013-2016) and Chairman of the Scientific board of the Société d'Informatique de France (2013-2015). He is, since 1917, Chair of the Stretegic Council of the Blaise Pascal Foundation. His research work focuses mainly on data, information and knowledge management, particularly on the Web. He founded and is an editor of the blog binaire.blogs.lemonde.fr.

Serge Abiteboul also writes novels, essays, and is editor and founder of the Blog Binaire. He was scientific curator of the exhibiti "Terra Data" at the Cité des Sciences in 2017-2018.

Pr Paul Anastas

Founding Director of the Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering at Yale

Scientific advances will never reach their full potential to do good for humanity if half of the population’s insights and wisdom continues to be ignored and under-valued by the scientific enterprise. The “Male Champions for Women in Science” initiative is the simple recognition that any man truly interested in advancing science needs to be truly dedicated to women in science.

Paul T. Anastas is a scientist, inventor, author, entrepreneur, and public servant from the United States.

Dr. Anastas has served in three U.S. Presidential Administrations including the appointment by President Barack Obama as the Assistant Administrator for Research and Development at the US Environmental Protection Agency and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under Presidents Clinton and Bush. Known as the ‘Father of Green Chemistry’ he is credited with establishing the field of green chemistry in 1991 and is has been internationally recognized for his advancement of the field.

Professor Paul T. Anastas currently holds the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Chair in Chemistry for the Environment at Yale University and is the founding Director of the Center for Green Chemistry & Green Engineering at Yale. Dr. Anastas has appointments at Yale’s School of Medicine/School of Public Health, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Department of Chemistry, School of Management, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Trained as a synthetic organic chemist, Dr. Anastas received his Ph.D. from Brandeis University, co-founded the not-for-profit Green Chemistry Institute and 4 companies based on sustainable technologies.

Dr. Anastas has published widely on topics of science through sustainability including over 150 research papers and 14 books, such as Benign by Design, Designing Safer Polymers, Green Engineering, and his seminal work with co-author John Warner, Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice.

Pr Gilles Boeuf

Professor, Pierre et Marie Curie University, Sorbonne

"A commitment for women: they are more than half of humanity and not respected as they should! And even often, little girls do not go to school! Women have a perception and sensitivity that are often more relevant than men. They also have solutions we do not have. So let's restore the original justice and help them fully express their qualities!"

Gilles Boeuf is professor at the University Pierre et Marie Curie/Sorbonne Université (UPMC) where he carries out his research within the research team « Integrative biology of marine organisms » at the Oceanological Observatory of Banyuls (OOB), in the Pyreneans, on the Mediterranean Sea. He spent 20 years at the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) in Brest, then he was director of OOB, the Arago Laboratory (Pierre & Marie Curie University and French National Center for Scientific Research “CNRS”, OOB), then director of the research team «Models in cell and evolutionary biology» for 4 years. From 2009 to 2015 he was chairman of the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) in Paris. He was also invited to teach «Sustainable Development, energies, environment and societies» at the Collège de France for the academic year 2013-2014, devoting his lessons to the subject of « Biodiversity and its interrelationship with humankind ». In 2015-2017, he was scientific advisor for life and wildlife sciences, climate and ocean for Ségolène Royal, minister of environment, energy and sea (MEEM). Presently, he is the chairman of the Scientific Board of the French Agency for Biodiversity.

Pr Jean Chambaz

President, Sorbonne Université

"To advance science and advance society, we need more women to get involved and promoted in science. In higher education, as everywhere else, we need to take action to value their potential and promote their achievements. "

Jean Chambaz is President at Sorbonne Université. He became President of Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC) in March 2012. In March 2016, he was reelected for a second term that concluded on December 31, 2017.

A Professor of Cellular Biology at Pierre and Marie Curie Faculty of Medicine, Jean Chambaz was head of Endocrine Biochemistry at La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. In 1999, he created a joint INSERM-UPMC research unit in the field of Metabolism and Intestinal Differentiation, which in 2007 merged with the Cordeliers Research Center, of which he became deputy director.

In 2005, he created the Institute of Doctoral Education at UPMC. From 2008 to 2011, he presided over the Council for Doctoral Education of the European University Association (EUA). He was elected to the EUA board in 2015. Since November 2014, he has been President of the Coordination of French Research-Intensive Universities (CURIF).

Pr Mark Ferguson

Director General, Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland

"Diverse workforces enhance productivity , creativity and profitability. To that end creating the conditions for many more talented women to join and remain in scientific research is a priority."

Professor Mark W.J. Ferguson commenced as Director General of Science Foundation Ireland in January 2012 and as Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland in October 2012. Professor Ferguson is a founding member of the Small Advanced Economies Initiative, was Chair of the eHealth Ireland Committee, (2015 – 2017) and a member of the EU High Level Expert Group on Horizon 2020 Impact (2017) and has been involved in a number of international reviews of R&D systems, including Hungary and Canada. Previously he was Professor in Life Sciences at the University of Manchester (since 1984) and co-founder, CEO and Chairman of Renovo Group plc (1998-2011).

He is the recipient of numerous international research awards including the 2002 European Science Prize (jointly), and is the author of 327 research papers and book chapters, 60 patent families and author / editor of 8 books.

Mark graduated from the Queens University of Belfast with degrees in Dentistry (BDS 1st class honours), Anatomy and Embryology (BSc 1st class honours, PhD) and Medical Sciences (DMedSc), holds Fellowships from the Royal Colleges of Surgeons in Ireland (FFD), and Edinburgh (FDS) and is a Founding Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci). He is a member or Fellow of a number of learned Societies, and was made a “Commander of the British Empire” (CBE) by the Queen in 1999 for services to Health and Life Sciences.

Pr Alain Fuchs

President, Paris Sciences & Lettres (PSL) University

"Gender equality is not a women’s issue, it is a human issue and a civilization issue."

Professor Alain Fuchs is the president of Paris Sciences & Lettres (PSL) University in Paris, France. He studied chemistry at EPFL, Lausanne and received his PhD in physical chemistry at the University Paris-Sud, Orsay France in 1983. After a postdoctoral stay at the University of Edinburgh, he was appointed as a research fellow at the french Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). He became Professor of chemistry at Université Paris-Sud in 1996 and director of the École de Chimie-Paris, a graduate school of chemistry and chemical engineer, in 2006. He was appointed in 2010 as the President and CEO of CNRS. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a member of the Academia Europea. His research activity is devoted to the modelling and theory of fluids confined in nanoporous materials.

Pr Mouin Hamze

Secretary General, National Council for Scientific Research – Lebanon (CNRS-L)

“Sustainable development is only possible if we rely on all contributing members of our community; making it our moral and ethical responsibility to provide equal opportunities for both men and women. Believing also that scientific research is the main engine for building a knowledge economy and a community free of violence, extremism, and discrimination.”

M. Hamzé obtained his “Doctorat d’Etat - Es Sciences” from the University of Montpellier, France. He started his academic career at the Lebanese University where he established the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and acted as Dean of the faculty from 1985 to1997. He was acting concurrently as Chairman of the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute.

In 1998, M. Hamzé was appointed Secretary General of the National Council for Scientific Research – Lebanon (CNRS-L). He has since given special attention to launching and enhancing new programs including: the Ph.D. Scholarship Program, the Grant Research Program, and the Associated Research Units Program; as well as established the CNRS-L Lebanese Science Journal and acts as its editor-in-chief. In 2011, he established the CNRS-L Annual Research Excellence Award, which recognizes scientists who excel in conducting research in different scientific disciplines in Lebanon. M. Hamzé has also developed and implemented a fundamental science policy programme (Science Technology & Innovation Policy –STIP). While in 2016 he has lead an initiative to develop the Charter of Ethics and Guiding Principles of Scientific Research in Lebanon (signed by 19 universities and adopted as an integral part of all CNRS-L Programmes) for defining basic principles of ethics and regulations for a responsible conduct of research in the different disciplines of science. The charter was also recently confirmed as a basis for a regional Arab charter.

In recognition of his work, M. Hamzé received two Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Haute Alsace and from the University of Montpellier and was distinguishly awarded from France and Italy.

Pr Etienne Klein

Director of the Research Laboratory on Matter Sciences at CEA (LARSIM)

Born in 1958, Etienne Klein is physicist at CEA, the French Atomic Energy Commission, at Saclay near Paris.

Since 2007, he is the Director of the Research Laboratory on Matter Sciences at CEA (LARSIM). His research interests include the foundations of physics, the interpretation of quantum mechanics, the question of time in physics and the relationship between science and society.

He is professor at Ecole Centrale de Paris, both in physics and philosophy of science. He is member of the French Academy of Technologies.

Pr Philippe Kourilsky

Professor Emeritus, Collège de France

Honorary Director General, Pasteur Institute

Philippe Kourilsky (born in 1942) graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris in 1964. He started research in biology in 1965. A member of CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), he joined the Pasteur Institute in 1972. His major scientific achievements are in the fields of molecular genetics and immunology. From 1998 to 2012, he held the chair of Molecular Immunology at the College de France. He has also been involved in biotechnologies and in the administration of research. In1981, he was the co-founder of Transgène, the first large french biotech company. From 1993 to 1996, he was the Director of Research of the Pasteur Mérieux Connaught vaccine company (now Sanofi-Pasteur). From 2000-2005, he was appointed Director General of the Pasteur Institute and chaired the International network of Pasteur Institutes. He has been sitting on several Boards of Directors (including those of Ecole Polytechnique and Veolia Environment). From 2006 to 2013, he has created and chaired the Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN). In 2012, he created and currently chairs the NGO ‘RESOLIS’.

He is the author of close to 400 publications in international scientific journals and has written several books dealing with science and the public, (for example on the precautionary principle). He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences, and a Professor Honoris causa of several universities, and a ‘Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur’ and ‘Grand officier dans l’ordre national du mérite’.

Pr Daniel Louvard

Honorary Director, Institut Curie

Professor Daniel Louvard (born February 20 1948) was awarded his PhD in Biochemistry in 1973 and Physical Sciences in 1976 from the University of Marseille. From 1978 to 1982 he was head of a team at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany), after which he joined the Institut Pasteur, where from 1988 to 1990 he was the Director of the Molecular Biology Department, and since 1987 has been Professor. He was Director of Research CNRS (1986-2013) and Director of the Research Center of the Institut Curie (1993-2013). He is now Emeritus Director of Research CNRS, Honorary Professor Institut Pasteur , Honorary Director Institut Curie ,Advisor of the President of the Board of Directors of Institut Curie for International affairs. In 2014 and 2015 he was on sabbatical leave as a visiting scientist at Biogen (Cambridge,USA)

Prof. Louvard was also head of the Morphogenesis and Cell Signaling Laboratory Institut Curie / CNRS UMR 144(1995-2013). He served as member of numerous scientific committees of the CNRS and the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), ad hoc committees and scientific organizations such as EMBO and the Scientific Committee of the Human Frontier Science Program, ERC panel member for advanced grants.

Member of the French Academy of Sciences (2003), European Academy of Sciences (1995) ,Academia Europa (1997), the European Academy of Cancer Sciences(2013), Foreign member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences(2014).

Pr Khaled Machaca

Associate Dean, Weill Cornell Medicine, Quatar

"It is unfathomable for us as scientists driven by rational reasoning not to fully support the advancement of women is science, as we would be giving away half of our collective brain power."

Khaled Machaca is Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine and serves as Associate Dean for Research for the Qatar campus since 2008. In that capacity he oversees the academic, financial, operational and compliance aspects of the research department, which currently encompasses 25 active Labs and a staff of over 200 people. Khaled oversaw the establishment of the administrative and regulatory infrastructure; centralized core laboratories; and faculty recruitment. He also serves as the designated institutional official overseeing the animal research program and as the director of the imaging core. He leads and serves on multiple institutional, national and international committees.

The Machaca Lab is interested in intracellular signaling processes under physiological and pathological conditions with a focus on calcium signaling. Our goal is to better define these signaling pathway at the cellular and molecular levels to better define the underlying biology and identify potential therapeutic targets in various disease states. Our interest is focused on cell cycle regulation in the context of cancer, hypertension, and immune cell activation. Work from the Machaca Lab has been published in leading biomedical journals and garnered continuous extramural funding from NIH and the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF).

Khaled serves of several editorial boards, reviews widely for scientific journals and has an extensive track record of training students and postdoctoral fellows.

PR. PIERRE MONSAN

Professor Emeritus

Professor Emeritus, INSA Toulouse

"I am particularly pleased to contribute to l'Oréal's initiative as my closest associate for many years, with whom I shared the leadership of the enzymatic catalysis and molecular engineering team and who succeeded me , was a woman: Professor Magali Remaud-Simeon. I want to pay tribute, through her, to the importance and impressive efficiency and creativity of women in the field of scientific research."

Pierre Monsan (69) is Professor Emeritus at the National Institute for Applied Sciences (INSA) of the University of Toulouse. He was elected member of the French University Institute (IUF) in 2003 and re-elected in 2008.

He is Founding Director of the pre-industrial demonstrator “Toulouse White Biotechnology (TWB)”, which was granted M€ 20 within the frame of the French National Program “Investissement d’avenir” in March 2011 (www.toulouse-white-biotechnology.com).

He has been active for 44 years in the field of enzyme catalysis (enzyme production, purification, immobilization and application, screening, structural characterization and molecular design). He authored more than 240 scientific publications, 3 books and 65 patents. His H-factor is 44.

He was involved in the founding of several start-up companies: BioEurope (1984), BioTrade (1996), Genibio (1998) and in the move of LibraGen from Lyon to Toulouse (2004).

He is member of the Scientific Advisory Board of several companies, founding member of the French Academy of Technology, member of the French National Academy of Agriculture, member of several Scientific Societies and member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). He is Chairman of the French Federation of Biotechnology (FFBiotech), member of the Executive Board of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB).

Pr Pascal Picq

Paleoanthropologist, Collège de France

"Evolution is change in the feminine."

Pascal Picq is a paleoanthropologist at the Collège de France. His research focuses on the biological, social and technical evolution of the human lineage. After having introduced ethology in anthropology, he became involved in questions of society and ethics, for the defense of secularism, on politics and politics and innovation in relation to the entrepreneurial culture. His last essays are interested in the future of humanity between the collapse of diversities and the arrival of intelligent machines by analyzing the emergence of a new Anthropology in the Digital Age.

Pr Johan Rockström

Johan Rockström is an internationally recognized scientist for his work on global sustainability issues. He helped lead the internationally renowned team of scientists that presented the planetary boundaries framework, first published in 2009, with an update in 2015. The nine planetary boundaries presented in the framework are argued to be fundamental in maintaining a “safe operating space for humanity.” This framework has been embraced as an approach to sustainable development, and has been used to help guide governments, international organizations, NGOs, and companies considering sustainable development.

Before focusing on the planetary scale, Rockström’s research aimed to address building resilience in water scarce regions, and is an expert on water resources. After completing a PhD at Stockholm University’s Systems Ecology Department in 1997, he spent nearly two decades working on applied water research in tropical regions. He has also published research on with agriculture systems, land use, and ecosystem services.

Aside from his research helping to guide policy, Rockström acts as an advisor to several governments and business networks. He also acts as an advisor for sustainable development issues at noteworthy international meetings, such as the United Nations General Assemblies, World Economic Forums, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences (UNFCCC, also known as COP).

Pr Augusto Rojas-Martinez

Professor, School of Medicine, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico

Science and scientific achievements are built from the discussion and confrontation of different ideas, sometimes opposed. There are no other human attributes, out of the diversity of opinion, the freedom of thought and the experimental demonstration, that are essential for the scientific development in any part of the world. As in any other human activities, scientific thinking should be cultivated from the early ages in schools and laboratories that should ensure the free access of women and men. Additionally, our society, universities and research centers should warrant equal development opportunities and leadership positions without any other condition than demonstration of excellence in a personal scientific career. Unfortunately, we still cannot overcome gender inequities that have limited the access of excellent girls and women to the academy and scientific activities in all parts of the world, as well as the objective evaluation of their scientific production. As a citizen and scientist of the 21st century and member of the scientific academy of a developing country, I pledge to to strongly promote and maintain the participation of women in science in Mexico and Latin America.

Full-time Professor and Leader of the Research Group in Human Genetics in School of Medicine and Health Science, Tecnológico of Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico. Dr. Rojas-Martínez pioneered the implementation of clinical trials of gene and cell therapy in Mexico and Latin America. In addition, he has contributed to the delineation of some genetic diseases and the implementation of GWAS for cleft lip and palate and colorectal cancer in the Mexican population, as well as pharmacogenomics projects in the same population. He belongs to the Mexican System of Researchers, the Mexican Academy of Sciences, the Mexican Board of Genetics, and the Mexican Association of Human Genetics, in which he served as President. Dr. Rojas-Martínez was also the Coordinator of the Mexican Node of the Human Variome Project (2012 – 2017). He is Past-President of the Latin American Network of Human Genetics (RELAGH). He currently serves as member of the Scientific Committee of the Latin American School of Human Genetics (ELAG, Brazil, since 2008), the External Scientific Advisory Committee of CIBER-ER (Spain, since 2016) and as jury member of the “For Women in Science” Award (L' Oréal -UNESCO, since 2015). Dr. Rojas-Martínez has published 92 scientific articles and has a granted patent.

Pr François Taddei

Director, Center for Research and Interdisciplinary

"Because science and society need to mobilize all intelligences and all eyes."

François Taddei is a researcher in evolutionary systems biology and an expert on the future of research and education. He has created bachelor, master & PhD programs in the Center for Research and Interdisciplinary in Paris in order to empower the new generations of change makers by training them through research at the frontiers of disciplines. He has taken the lead of the Institute for Learning Through Research that has been selected in March 2012 by the International Scientific Committee of the National Innovative Training Program (IDEFI) of the French ministry of research. He participates in various working groups on the future of research and education (« France 2025 », OECD report…). He holds the UNESCO Chair “Learning sciences”. In September 2016 the mission to organise and think the future of R&D for Lifelong learning was entrusted to François Taddei by French Minister of Education, Higher Education & Research.

Cédric Villani

Mathematician - Lyon 1 University, 2010 Fields Medal, Member of French Parliament

"It is not acceptable that only men are in charge of giving birth to the world of tomorrow."

Cédric Villani is a french mathematician and a former student of the Ecole normale supérieure. He received a doctorate in mathematics and he is the winner of the Fields Medal in 2010 and of the Doob price in 2014. He is now professor at the University of Lyon. He has been the director of Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris from 2009 to 2017. He has held various visiting positions at several foreign universities. He is Member of the National Assembly for the Fifth Constituency of the Essonne and he is vice-president of the OPECST (parliamentary office for scientific and technological options assessment ). He is member of the Academy of Sciences and has published several books, including Alive Theorem, which has been translated in 12 languages.

Pr Tom Welton

Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial College London

"The time for men to realise that gender parity benefits everyone is long overdue. L’Oréal Foundation’s campaign will help to bring this about."

Professor Tom Welton, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Imperial College London and the world’s first Professor of Sustainable Chemistry, began his academic career with a B.Sc. at the University of Sussex followed by a D.Phil., in the Chemistry and Spectroscopy of Ionic Liquids.

After research positions at the University of Sussex and the University of Exeter he joined the Chemistry Department at Imperial College London in 1993 as a Lloyd’s of London Tercentenary Fellow. In 2002 he was awarded a Readership in Catalysis and undertook the role of Director of Undergraduate Studies in Chemistry. In 2004 he was promoted to Professor in Sustainable Chemistry. He was Head of the Chemistry Department from August 2007 to December 2014, during which time the Department achieved an Athena Swan Gold Award. He became Dean of the Faculty in January 2015.

Tom uses solvents to improve chemical processes. He has worked with ionic liquids throughout his career, in order to develop sustainable solvent technologies. The central academic aim of his research is to understand the role that the immediate chemical environments in which reacting species find themselves influence the reaction process. He also aims to use this understanding to provide more effective chemical processes by the matching of the reaction with its optimum solvent environment.

Tom is the author of over 100 papers, primarily on the structures and chemistry of ionic liquids and their solutes. He was the 2007 RSC Christopher Ingold Lecturer, the 2012 RSC Thomas Graham Lecturer, and the 2011 DFG Paul Walden Lecturer. He is an Honorary Member of the Chemical Society of Ethiopia. In June 2017 Tom was awarded an OBE for his services to diversity in education.

DR AREEJ ABUHAMMAD

FUNDAMENTAL MEDICINE

School of Pharmacy, University of Jordan

Chronic venous disease (CVD) affects 57% of men and 77% of women¹. It is caused by dysfunction in the superficial or deep venous systems of the legs and can lead to varicose veins, skin changes and venous ulcers. Surgical treatment of superficial varicose veins is effective but also expensive, and can involve complications such as infection. Dr. Areej Abuhammad’s objective is to develop drug therapies against CVD. “The treatment of many diseases is based on targeting and inhibiting specific active proteins called enzymes,” she explains. “We do this by designing small chemical molecules that are structurally compatible with the enzymes. However, we first need to understand the structure of the enzyme we are trying to target.” She is working to design a selective inhibitor of the matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP9), which is implicated in the tissue degradation that leads to varicose veins. The first step is to establish the structure of the MMP9 in complex with small chemical fragments using crystallography, a technique to determine the molecular structure of crystalline materials. She describes her introduction to protein crystallography as a defining moment in her own career. “The novel field of protein crystallography has helped to elucidate the shapes and structures of important proteins. Prior to the advancement of this field, very little was known about the physical structure of such small components of the cell.” Dr. Abuhammad started the first protein crystallography laboratory for drug discovery in Jordan. Her aim is to establish novel therapies for CVD and other non-communicable diseases such as cancer, obesity, as well as infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, avian influenza and Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

^{1. Onida, S., and Davies, A. H. (2016), Phlebology 31, 74-79.}

DR RADHA BOYA

PHYSICS

Condensed Matter Physics Group, University of Manchester

Nanostructures are ever present in nature, assuring the passage of substances to where they are needed and filtering out impurities. “Sub-nanometric channels are crucial for the essential functions of life that rely on transport of small ions across cellular membranes,” highlights Dr. Radha Boya, who trained in physics in India and is currently conducting research in the UK. “It is only over the past two decades that we have started discovering the importance of the nanodimensions and the rich science hidden behind them.” Replicating these natural structures has potential uses in areas as diverse as water filtration, bioanalytics and drug delivery. Dr. Boya has found a way to make channels, or pipes, as she calls them, that are 10, 000 times thinner than a human hair. Using graphene enabled her to overcome limitations caused by the roughness of other molecules. Her pipes are made by the imprint in the graphene, which can either create a cavity useful for confining a substance, or a tunnel for transporting matter. These can be employed to sieve molecules and ions by size. The technique of making pipes by nanolithography developed by Dr. Boya is reproducible and flexible, providing an important tool for further development of artificial nanochannels with specific properties suited to different requirements. “I dream that my work could lead to better understanding of the natural protein water channels found in cellular membranes,” she says. This work provides the building blocks to new ways of desalinating and filtering water, and new techniques for fuel-gas separation from refineries.

DR ANELA CHOY

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, OCEANOGRAPHY

Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego

Through the burning of fossil fuels and consumption of seafood, humans worldwide have impacted ocean ecosystems. Understanding how all of the creatures in the open ocean interact and feed on one another is the focus of Dr. Anela Choy’s research. Additionally, pinpointing how multiple human impacts influence ocean food webs is critical to ensuring their sustained and healthy existence. For example, more than ten million tons of plastic enter the ocean each year¹. When ingested by marine animals, these plastics pose physical and chemical risks that are poorly known. In addition to disentangling food web structure and function, Dr. Anela Choy’s work contributes crucial knowledge about the ecosystem impacts of marine plastic pollution and will aid in developing strategies to manage and conserve ocean ecosystems. She discovered that giant larvaceans, which are primitive marine animals, play a vital role in transporting plastics from the surface to the depths of the ocean. She is investigating the distribution patterns of contaminants like methylmercury and plastics in marine animals from the bottom of the food chain right up to the fish consumed by humans. Dr. Choy works on state-of-the-art undersea vehicles from which she can directly observe and sample animals from deep-sea ecosystems, which represent the largest living spaces on Earth. Having just accepted a position at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, one of the premier oceanographic institutes in the world, Dr. Choy is preparing to set up her laboratory at the University of California, San Diego in Fall 2018. One of her first projects is to examine the chemical extent of plastic pollution in the deep sea: the small fish, squid and crustaceans she will study are the pillars of ocean food webs and primary food sources for commercially important fish. “I hope my work will raise awareness about the intimate links between human societies and the seemingly disconnected deep ocean environment, which we all ultimately depend on.”

DR SELENE LIZBETH FERNANDEZ VALVERDE

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND GENOMICS

Advanced Genomics Unit, National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (UGA-LANGEBIO), Cinvestav

Proteins are considered to be the fundamental building blocks of life and are receiving much scientific attention. Yet they are contained in less than 3% of our DNA. The vast number of RNAs, polymeric molecules essential in various biological roles such as coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes, that do not make proteins (known as “long non-coding RNAs” or lncRNAs) remain the relatively unexplored “dark matter” of the genome. Dr. Fernandez Valverde is intent on understanding the function and evolution of the thousands of lncRNAs that are present in most life forms, some of which are known to control gene expression and have been linked to human diseases such as cancer and diabetes. “This is one of the most exciting times to be involved in biological research,” she enthuses. Technological advances enable scientists to obtain a full sequencing of DNA and RNA of an organism and “this wealth of information is allowing us to use evolutionary theory to identify which molecules are important in different organisms and contexts.” Dr. Fernandez Valverde is developing a framework that will permit studies of individual IncRNAs to identify structural motifs, groups of IncRNAs with shared characteristics, and associate these with functions. She uses computational methods to identify RNA sequences that are under evolutionary election. “For example,” she says, “we can identify RNAs whose expression increases in particular environments such as high altitude or high sun exposure, and identify how these changes are associated with the appearance and response to disease in humans, animals and crops.” She hopes the tools developed in her laboratory will enable scientists to interpret the impacts of the environment on genetic change by rapidly assigning functions to novel, uncharacterized RNA molecules.

DR AGNIESZKA GAJEWICZ

CHEMISTRY

Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk

Nanomaterials are rapidly changing the landscape of industrial and consumer products, from memory storage in our computers to solar cells to generate electricity and drug delivery systems. However, there are still major gaps in our knowledge on how these tiny particles affect the environment and human health. A proactive approach is needed, given lessons learned from the serious health risks posed by chemicals once considered harmless, such as the impact of asbestos (a mineral often used in insulation) on the lungs, or the insecticide DDT on birthweight. As a specialist in chemical informatics and marathon runner, Dr. Agnieszka Gajewicz is intent on anticipating hazards before they are released into our environment and our bodies. With a great number of new nanoparticles introduced into commercial use every day, it is unrealistic to expect that each one will be subject to comprehensive risk assessment. Dr. Gajewicz is therefore developing efficient computational methods to establish the properties and toxicity of nanomaterials and accelerate pre-clinical assessment. For regulators, these methods provide a means of evaluating safety at early stages of new nanomaterial development, taking the whole product life cycle into account. “Compared with traditional laboratory work,” she explains, “computational methods enable the development of products that are safe by design, sifting through thousands of candidate chemicals.” Dr. Gajewicz’s work has caught the attention of regulators in Europe looking for ways to ensure effective hazard assessment of manufactured nanomaterials. Dr. Gajewicz sees many commonalities between her scientific passion for cheminformatics and her passion for running: “Running a marathon takes a lot of planning and organization, determination, perseverance and discipline — much like a career in science.”

DR IBTISSEM GUEFRACHI

MICROBIOLOGY

Biodiversity and Valorization of Bioresources in Arid Zones, Faculty of Sciences of Gabes in collaboration with the Institute of Integrative Biology of the Cell

Multi-drug resistant bacteria risk undoing the tremendous progress antibiotics have brought to the fight against infections. An international search for new antimicrobial agents is underway and some scientists are zeroing in on plants. Antimicrobial peptides, found in certain varieties of legume, appear, in laboratory tests, to have potent antibacterial activity. Nodules on the roots of legume plants are symbiotic organs that house within their cells thousands of nitrogen-fixing rhizobium bacteria, called “bacteroids”. Cohabitation with bacteria has led these plants to evolve adaptations that prevent cells from succumbing to bacteria and bacteria from succumbing to the cell’s immune response. Dr. Ibtissem Guefrachi found that some species of legume, such as alfalfa, Arachis and Aeschynomenes (tropical plants), produce nodule specific cysteine-rich peptides (NCR) that house the bacteroids, and has revealed mechanisms that make bacteria sensitive or resistant to them. She is now investigating the potential activity of chemically synthesized NCR-like peptides against fungal and bacterial pathogens that are common in humans, such as Candida albicans, which causes yeast infections or thrush, and Chlamydia trachomatis, a common sexually transmitted infection. She also sees potential applications in the food processing industry and agriculture. Dr. Guefrachi is motivated by both scientific curiosity about the symbiotic development of plants and bacteria, as well as a desire to help solve current problems. “I hope this research will lead to new solutions in health care and agronomy.” The mechanisms of symbiotic nitrogen fixation seen in legumes may also enable the development of ways to improve nitrogen fixation in non-legume crops, thereby reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizers that contribute to climate change and surface water pollution.

DR WEANG KEE HO

HEALTH SCIENCES, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STATISTICIAN

Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus / Cancer Research Malaysia

In Asia, the incidence of breast cancer is expected to increase by up to 50% between 2012 and 2025. Women are often diagnosed with advanced disease, and the five-year survival in some Asian countries is just 49%, compared to 89% in Western countries¹. A major challenge in the coming years is to increase mammography screening and early detection in underprivileged communities. Dr. Weang Kee Ho is developing a tool that can be used to identify the women at greatest risk and focus screening programmes on this population. There is a pressing need for a risk calculator based on Asian genetic analysis, as existing risk assessments were designed from studies in European people. Dr. Ho is working with combined genetic data sets from a number of major breast cancer studies conducted in Asian countries to identify candidate common genetic markers that are useful for Asian breast cancer risk prediction. She is setting the bar high: “Risk prediction models that include only common genetic mutations, but do not take into account rare mutations and other known breast cancer risk factors, would not be comprehensive,” she emphasizes. However, she believes that with mammoth collaborative efforts with other experts in the team, this ambitious goal is achievable. An epidemiological statistician, Dr. Ho’s first love was mathematics. “It was during my doctoral studies,” she recounts, “that I realized that the mathematical skills I had gained could be a powerful tool to answer many important scientific questions.” She has been working on the epidemiology and genetics of stroke, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and is continuing to participate in international collaborations on her most recent work on breast cancer.

^{1. The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2016}

^{http://www.eiuperspectives.economist.com/healthcare/breast-cancer-asia-infographic}

DR ANNA KUDRYAVTSEVA

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Laboratory of Postgenomic Studies, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences

In Europe, 22% of all cancer diagnoses involve rare cancers, where treatments are less available and five-year survival rates are 47% compared to 65% for common cancers¹. Dr. Anna Kudryavtseva is attracted to scientific problems where knowledge is sparse, and was inspired to shift from surgical aspirations to biology following a lecture on single-cell organisms. “The most interesting part is doing something completely new, working on something that has never been properly researched before,” she says. In rare cancers called “paragangliomas”, especially the cancers of the head and neck on which she is working, she has striven to find a goal to reflect her aspirations. In these rare tumours, driver mutations that would permit targeted therapies are still largely unknown. While most are slow-growing and benign, for between 10% and 15% of patients, tumours become malignant and can metastasize². They are particularly dangerous as they occur very close to vital structures such as the carotid artery, and respond poorly to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. These cancers have another distinction, in that the disruption of cells’ ability to extract and use energy is a primary cause of malignancy, while in most cancers it is a secondary phenomenon. It therefore provides an ideal focus for Dr. Kudryavtseva, whose prior work has examined energy metabolism in the progression of tumours. She is conducting genetic and epigenetic analysis of tumour samples, along with blood and lymph node samples, in order to identify differences between the three most common forms of head and neck paragangliomas. These genetic alterations will help to define prognostic markers for disease that will become malignant, so that treatment can be initiated and new drugs developed. An important component of the research lies in correlating genetic alterations with clinical characteristics to take into account the interaction between genetic characteristics and external and internal factors.

^{1. Gemma Gatta, Jan Maarten van der Zwan, Paolo G. Casali, Sabine Siesling, Angelo Paolo Dei Tos, Ian Kunkler, Renée Otter, Lisa Licitra, Sandra Mallone, Andrea Tavilla, Annalisa Trama, Riccardo Capocaccia, Rare cancers are not so rare: The rare cancer burden in Europe, European Journal of Cancer, 2011; 47(17):2493-2511}

^{2. Zhikrivetskaya S.O., Snezhkina A.V., Zaretsky A.R., Alekseev B.Y., Pokrovsky A.V., Golovyuk A.V., Melnikova N.V., Stepanov O.A., Kalinin D.V., Moskalev A.A., Krasnov G.S., Dmitriev A.A., Kudryavtseva A.V., Molecular markers of paragangliomas and Pheochromocytomas. Oncotarget, 2017;8(15):25756-25782.}

DR AI ING LIM

FUNDAMENTAL MEDICINE

Mucosal Immunology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, United States

Our body has a beautiful design with a very precise system. Our immune system can create specific responses to target different pathogens to protect our body. However, today, there are more people suffering from asthma, dermatitis, food allergy and obesity, all of which link to our immune system. This suggests that we are experiencing a certain level of immune dysfunction. While the causes remain a mystery, laboratory studies have shown that a single infection can cause long-term damage to immune system balance. The babies born with microcephaly after their mothers were exposed to the Zika virus represent an alarming reminder of the long-term impact of maternal infection. Pregnancy involves substantial changes in hormone, metabolism, microbiota and immunity. Moreover, pregnant women are more susceptible to a number of infectious diseases, including the influenza virus, listeria and toxoplasma, for example. All of this suggests that the foetal environment may be related to the immune disorders that we are facing, especially in high-income countries. Dr. Ai Ing Lim believes that maternal-foetal interaction in the uterine environment may hold the key to understanding the complexity of immune disorders. She is exploring how maternal exposure to infections during pregnancy impacts on the baby’s immune system. Her research involves laboratory studies on the impact of infections that commonly occur during pregnancy, such as the influenza virus, on immune system development and the baby’s susceptibility to inflammatory disease. She is building on previous discoveries on a new type of immune cell known as innate lymphoid cells, which play a crucial role in early immune responses to fight against various diseases. “Ultimately,” she says, “I hope that understanding how our immune systems work, especially in the maternal-foetal context, will lead us to resolve many infectious and inflammatory diseases.”

DR HIEP NGUYEN

MEDICAL ENGINEERING

Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Orientation, Biomedical Engineering Department, International University of Vietnam National Universities - Ho Chi Minh City

Better access to health care for people living in remote and rural areas would help to improve quality of life, potentially prevent some degree of migration to cities, and avoid much disruptive travel into cities to treat injuries. “My current work,” Dr. Hiep Nguyen tells us, “focuses on biomaterials such as bio-glue, bio-tape and needleless suturing for wound repair that can be used directly by patients at home.” Her most recent project involves the development of a smart gel that is mainly formed by cross-linking hyaluronic acid (which contributes significantly to cell proliferation and migration) and chitosan (useful in tissue regeneration). It can carry other ingredients such as silver and curcumin nano-particles for different specific applications. Her team is currently testing the gel to maximize safety and performance. The ultimate goal is a product that can be applied promptly on different types of wounds, helps eliminate bacteria and promotes rapid tissue regeneration. When applied, the gel will form a membrane to stop bleeding, absorb liquid from the wound and prevent infection from microorganisms. “My research goal,” she says, “is to study and bring new technologies from developed countries back to Vietnam, while also launching biomaterials and medicines originating in Vietnam on world markets.” She has just launched a start-up company to develop commercially viable biomaterials and is committed to developing research capacities in her country. Within the Biomedical Engineering Department, along with the Chair and colleagues, she strengthened the orientation in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) by designing new courses, teaching, mentoring, building laboratories and helping to organize international conferences. The success of the TERM orientation contributed to the reputation of the Biomedical Engineering programme, which was ranked first in Vietnam and second among all programmes in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) network of leading universities.

DR YUKIKO OGAWA

MATERIAL ENGINEERING

Lightweight Metallic Materials Group, Research Center for Structural Materials, National Institute for Materials Science

Lightweight materials are increasingly in demand to improve fuel efficiency in vehicles, make electronic devices more portable and open up new possibilities for medical devices. Magnesium alloys are an appealing material precisely due to their light weight, however their use has been limited as they are difficult to shape into particular forms. Dr. Yukiko Ogawa succeeded in controlling the microstructure and mechanical properties of magnesium by heat treatment, which had previously been considered impossible. She further experimented with adding another element, scandium, to the alloy to arrive at an optimal combination of strength and ductility (the extent to which it can be deformed without breaking). In the process, she discovered that the material exhibited shape memory — it can be bent and deformed but reverts back to its original shape when exposed to heat or electricity. Her research groupis now investigating other properties that the alloy may have: biodegradable and well accepted in the human body, promising to overcome some of the difficulties currently seen with implantable devices such as stents. As a child, Dr. Ogawa wanted to become a scientist so she could develop novel things to help people. “Material science is the foundation of our modern society,” she says. “Improvements in the properties of materials and the development of new materials enables radical innovation.” Her research team is now working to adjust the composition of the alloy and the process employed to induce shape-memory behaviour, in order to enable affordable and scalable production. Her experiments also open new directions for the study of other lightweight alloys for use in more environmentally friendly transportation systems.

ASSOCIATE PROF. DUYGU SAG

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, IMMUNOLOGY

Izmir Biomedicine and Genome Center, Dokuz Eylul University

While our immune system defends us against many diseases, it is less effective against cancer. Recent breakthroughs have found ways to increase the immune system’s ability to find and eliminate cancer cells; however, one critical immune cell type within the tumour environment, known as “macrophages”, has not yet been targeted successfully for immunotherapy. Macrophages can be either anti-inflammatory and promote tumour cell proliferation, or pro-inflammatory and fight the tumour. The tumour environment is usually dominated by tumour-promoting macrophages. The mechanisms that govern the switch between these two types of macrophage are poorly understood. “We have recently made the exciting discovery,” says Prof. Duygu Sag, “that macrophages that lack the cholesterol transporter ABCG1 become potent tumour-fighting macrophages and inhibit the progression of bladder cancer in pre-clinical studies.” Her team is now working to discover the molecular mechanisms that trigger this switch from tumour-promoting to tumour-fighting macrophages. “This may lead to the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of cancer,” she suggests. Prof. Sag’s commitment to science began in high school: “While other girls had posters of celebrities on their walls,” she says, “I had photos of famous biologists and scientific posters hanging all over my room.” She is hopeful that science can help overcome the unprecedented problems facing the world: “Our arsenal of scientific knowledge to tackle those problems is now also unprecedented.”

PROFESSEUR RAFAELA SALGADO FERREIRA

CHEMISTRY

Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Drug Design, Computational Biology Group Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Diseases that largely affect poorer countries do not receive sufficient investment from pharmaceutical companies, leaving it to public universities to fill this important gap. Dr. Rafaela Salgado Ferreira leads the Laboratory of Molecular Modeling and Drug Design in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, with a mission to develop new drugs for neglected diseases. “We employ a strategy called rational drug design,” she explains. “First, a protein which is essential to the pathogen is chosen as a target, then the structures of this protein are experimentally determined and computational techniques are used to select molecules that are most likely to work against the protein.” Computational selection allows her team to consider millions of potential inhibitors and select only a few dozen to be experimentally evaluated in the laboratory, in order to verify their activity against the pathogen. These procedures constitute the initial steps in the drug development pipeline. Her current focus is on the parasitic disease, Chagas, which is endemic in Brazil, with as many as three million people affected. Existing treatments are not very effective and have serious side effects. Dr. Salgado Ferreira is targeting the cruzain enzyme, the pathogen responsible for the disease, and is testing a number of cruzain inhibitors identified through rational drug design. Her work on the Zika virus, which struck Brazil very hard two years ago, focuses on a protease inhibitor that prevents viral replication. “Developing drugs is highly challenging,” she emphasizes. “The greatest achievement for me, which is a big dream, would be to contribute to bringing a drug to market.”

DR HANIFA TAHER AL BLOOSHI

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University

Spills are a regular occurrence in oil exploration and transport, and pose environmental threats. More than 45 significant spills have been reported since 2010; the four that occurred in 2016 released some 6, 000 tons of oil into the oceans¹. Chemical dispersants are used to accelerate oil dispersion and biodegradation in water, and have been found to clean up to 90% of the spill, however, there are concerns about the toxicity of these agents. Work is underway to find environmentally benign and biodegradable-based dispersants. Ionic liquids, also known as designer agents, made from waste may serve this purpose, while making good use of waste products. Dr. Taher AlBlooshi is developing a new oil dispersant compound from sustainable materials, notably waste, which is available in abundance in the United Arab Emirates. She will formulate, produce and test different products against currently used agents with different types of oil and in different water conditions. The findings of this study could provide a new formulation with the potential to replace traditional dispersants used in oil spill remediation. The positive outputs would benefit both the environmental and marine sectors. Dr. AlBlooshi is pursuing this research alongside her research into automotive grade biodiesel produced from oils extracted from oil-rich compounds. “Both biodiesel production and ecologically sound technologies are hot research topics in chemical engineering generally, and in the United Arab Emirates in particular,” she says. Her research will provide sustainable solutions for cleaning up oil spills and help to protect biodiversity.

^{1. Oil tanker spill statistics 2016. 2017, The International Tankers Owners Pollution Federation Limited London}

DANIELLE TWILLEY

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, MEDICINAL PLANT SCIENCES

Plant Science Complex Cell Culture Laboratory, University of Pretoria

Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in South Africa. Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer with approximately 86% of melanoma cases attributed to sun exposure¹. “Melanoma,” explains Danielle Twilley, “spreads by giving off signals that stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, called “angiogenesis”, feeding the cancer with oxygen, nutrients and a pathway to various parts of the body.” Angiogenesis is becoming an attractive target for cancer therapies, however, according to the NCI there are currently no angiogenesis inhibitors available for the treatment of melanoma². Danielle Twilley is seeking to find out whether a compound isolated from a South African plant, which she found in previous research to have significant cytotoxicity (the quality of being toxic to cells) towards melanoma cells, is able to inhibit both angiogenesis and tumour growth. To minimize damage to healthy cells while delivering powerful doses to the tumour environment, she is developing the anti-angiogenic agent into gold nanoparticles to target the delivery to the tumour and its vascular network. Mrs. Twilley explores indigenous knowledge of plant-based medicines for application in skin cancer, finding one traditionally used plant with high antioxidant content that boosts the SPF of a sunscreen. She is highly engaged in product development, undertaking patenting processes that assure benefits to indigenous communities, planning clinical trials and dealing with manufacturers.

^{1. Parkin DM, Mesher D, and Sasieni P. 2011. Cancers attributed to solar (ultraviolet) radiation exposure in the UK in 2010. British Journal of Cancer 105, S66-S69}

^{2. NCI. 2011. Online. Angiogenesis inhibitors. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/immunotherapy/angiogenesis-inhibitors-fact-sheet (29/07/2017).}