26 Fantastic Female Scientists

These 26 female scientists are all movers and shakers in their chosen fields, from mathematics to materials science.

14. Chang Meemann

Photo: Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology

In 2018, Chang was awarded the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Achievement Prize and named a laureate of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science. Both prizes recognize her seminal contributions to our understanding of how aquatic vertebrates made the transition from sea to land. Chang, who became the first woman to become head of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in 1983, has three species named in her honor: the extinct sarcopterygian fish Meemannia; the theropod dinosaur Sinovenator changii; and the extinct bird Archaeornithura meemannae. She was also featured in a children’s book series highlighting outstanding scientists from Asia titled Asian Scientist Junior.


15. Judith Swain

Photo: National University of Singapore

Swain was awarded the 2018 President’s Science and Technology Medal for raising Singapore’s global reputation in clinical and translational research.


16. Charissa Marcaida Ferrera

Photo: University of the Philippines Diliman

For her research on improving water quality in marine environments, Ferrera was awarded the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science National Fellowship.


17. Ho Weang Kee

Photo: University of Nottingham Malaysia

Ho received the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science International Rising Talent award for developing a statistical tool to predict breast cancer risk in women.


18. Wirulda Pootakham

Photo: National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

Pootakham was awarded the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science National Fellowship for her work in identifying heat-tolerant coral species for marine ecosystem restoration.


19. Xue Shifeng

Photo: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology

Xue received the 2018 Young Scientist Award for her research on how genes are controlled during development.


20. Luo Huixia

Photo: Sun Yat-sen University

Luo received the 2018 International Association of Advanced Materials Scientist Medal for her work on functional inorganic materials and condensed matter physics.


21. Nguyen Thi Hiep

Photo: Nguyen Thi Hiep

Nguyen received the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science International Rising Talent award for developing a smart nanoparticle gel that can accelerate tissue regeneration.


22. Yukiko Ogawa

Photo: National Institute of Materials Science

Ogawa received the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science International Rising Talent award for creating a metal alloy with shape-memory.


23. Marissa Paglicawan

Photo: Department of Science and Technology, the Philippines

For her research on turning Manila hemp or abaca into an engineering material, Paglicawan was awarded the 2018 Gregorio Zara Award for Applied Science Research.


24. Hasibun Naher

Photo: BRAC University

Naher received the 2018 OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early-Career Women Scientists in the Developing World for her research on non-linear partial differential equations, which has applications in tsunami simulations.


25. Oh Hee

Photo: Korea Institute for Advanced Study

Oh was awarded the 2018 Ho-Am Prize for Science for her work on Apollonian circle packings, a concept that can be used to interpret fractals found in nature.


26. Urbasi Sinha

Photo: Raman Research Institute

Sinha is the recipient of the 2018 ICO/ICTP Gallieno Denardo Award given out by the International Commission for Optics (ICO) and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). She was recognized for her contributions to the field of quantum photonics as well as her outreach activities to popularize science in India.Sinha runs the Quantum Information and Computing Lab at the Raman Research Institute, India’s first lab dedicated to research on quantum information processing and its applications. The lab has been chosen to represent India in an international collaboration with Canada to explore using entangled photons for quantum satellite communication.


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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Shutterstock.
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Asian Scientist Magazine is an award-winning science and technology magazine that highlights R&D news stories from Asia to a global audience. The magazine is published by Singapore-headquartered Wildtype Media Group.

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