Winners Announced for 2024 Inspiring Women in Science Awards Hosted by The Estée Lauder Companies

The Nature Awards, part of Springer Nature, and The Estée Lauder Companies has named Claire Chewapreecha, a computational biologist in the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Thailand, and WITIN Girls STEM Clubs & Outreaches in Nigeria, the winners of this year’s Inspiring Women in Science Awards.

They were honored at a ceremony at The Estée Lauder Companies UK and Ireland headquarters in London on Oct. 31.

“We are delighted to celebrate the seventh year of the Nature Awards for Inspiring Women in Science,” said Lisa Napolione, senior vice president, global R&D, The Estée Lauder Companies. “Each year, the caliber of applications from around the world gives me great hope, knowing the impact of these women who are at the center of producing such exceptional research outcomes and those who are working to expand STEM outreach so more girls and young women around the world have the opportunity to do so in the future. At ELC, we believe that recognizing the breakthrough research being led by women and honouring their contributions toward developing the next generation of women scientists accelerates gender equality in STEM fields and beyond. We are closely aligned with Nature on this goal.”

Claire Chewapreecha leads a team to collect, sequence and analyze genetic data from a neglected tropical disease, which affects 165,000 people each year and is often fatal. Melioidosis is a bacterial infection that is spread through contact with contaminated soil or water and her research has reduced risk through the development of a DNA-based rapid diagnostic test, enabling fast detection.

Igniting Interest in STEM

WITIN Girls STEM Clubs & Outreaches provide hands-on STEM programs, mentorship and resources for socio-economically disadvantaged girls in Nigeria. It aims to ignite girls’ interest in STEM, support them in pursuing careers and nurture leadership potentials; ultimately contributing to long-term poverty reduction and closing the gender gap in STEM fields.

The awards are held by Nature Awards in partnership with The Estée Lauder Companies, championing those who are working to encourage girls and women to engage with STEM subjects and who work to support women to stay in STEM careers around the world.

The Scientific Achievement Award recognizes early-career women researchers who have made an exceptional, demonstrable contribution to scientific discovery and may have faced significant personal or professional challenges.

The Science Outreach Award celebrates initiatives that either: encouraged girls or young women to engage with and study natural sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEM); or, increased retention of women in STEM careers, with a focus on providing tools to support women through their career progression in a STEM discipline.

Around the world, ELC says it’s dedicated to cutting-edge science with multidisciplinary expertise ranging from basic science and advanced technologies to the intersections of physics, chemistry, biology and engineering. ELC R&D has 75 years of formulation authority and is deeply integrated into the scientific community, regularly presenting at leading events and publishing in peer-reviewed journals. ELC also has a commitment to advancing women in STEM; within its own operations, all of the company’s R&D and innovation laboratories worldwide are led by women, and more than half of its scientists, engineers and technical professionals are reportedly women.