L'Oréal honors women in science

12-Oct-2015 - Last updated on 13-Oct-2015 at 14:03 GMT

The company’s L'Oréal For Women in Science program, now in its twelfth year, is granting $60,000 to each of five post-doctoral scientists to support ongoing research in a spectrum of disciplines.

L’Oréal runs the program beyond the States and has recognized over 2,250 scientists for their work to date. Today’s announcement of the 2015 US fellows intentionally coincides with Ada Lovelace Day, an international celebration of women in science, technology, engineering and math.

A show of support

“As the global leader in beauty, L’Oréal’s pioneering legacy of innovation is built upon our scientific workforce – which is made up of more than 70 percent women,” says Frédéric Rozé, president and CEO of L’Oréal USA, in the company’s media release about this year’s honorees.

The winning scientists were selected based on intellectual and scientific criteria, the potential of their research, and a commitment to supporting other women in the field. “As shown by this year’s For Women in Science fellows, the contributions of women in STEM are exceptional,” notes Rozé.

“We are proud to recognize the achievements of these fellows through our ongoing support of women in science,” he adds. The American Association for the Advancement of Science manages the application process for L’Oréal.

Beyond the standard accolades, the 2015 fellows will meet with scientists working in the US government for a STEM policy conversation with Congressional leaders. They will also mentor young students and tour one of the beauty company’s labs.

Best and brightest

The five scientists honored this year are:

Sarah Ballard, a Torres Fellow in exoplanetary astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will be funded to lead a team of researchers focused on Earth-like planets beyond our solar system.

Julie Meyer, a postdoctoral scientist in marine microbiology at the University of Florida, will use the award to expand her work regarding coral microbiota associated with Black Band Disease.

Sarah Richardson, serves as a postdoctoral fellow in synthetic biology at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s Joint BioEnergy Institute and at the University of California, Berkeley. She studies bacterially derived tools for genome editing and will use the grant from L’Oréal for independent research.

Claire Robertson, a postdoctoral scientist in cancer bioengineering at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, will use the opportunity to develop research techniques for understanding how biophysical mechanisms in the breasts suppress tumor formation.

Ming Yi, a postdoctoral scientist in condensed matter physics at the University of California, Berkeley, will be funded for to continue her work in high-temperature superconductivity.

View the 2015 L'Oréal Women in Science Fellows video here.