Six leading female scientists in the Middle East have been recognised for their notable contributions to the scientific community in the region, at the sixth edition of the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Middle East Fellowship, which took place on Sunday evening.

The L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science initiative is based on the belief that, “the world needs science, and science needs women, because women in science have the power to change the world.”

Professor Mouïn Hamzé, President of L’Oréal, Courtesy of L’Oréal-UNESCO

This year, the programme recieved the endorsement of H.E. Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State of Advanced Sciences, held in partnership with the Khalifa University of Science and Technology. An awards ceremony to honour the recipients and their extraordinary discoveries in their respective scientific fields in 2019 was held at the W Hotel in Dubai on Sunday night.

H.E. Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Courtesy of L’Oréal-UNESCO

The Middle East has witnessed something of an explosive growth in the number of Arab women taking up roles in STEM fields as of late. According to UNESCO, around 34 to 57 percent of STEM graduates in Arab countries are currently women, a statistic that is significantly much higher than in universities in the USA or across Europe.

Dr. Fatma Al Ma’Mari, Courtesy of L’Oréal-UNESCO

The six women honoured at the event were as follows:

Dr. Maryam AlYammahi (UAE)

Dr. Fatma Al Ma’Mari (Oman)

Dr. Wafa Audah Altalhi (Saudi Arabia)

Dr. Nour Alsabeeh (Kuwait)

Wafaa Ramadan (UAE)

Asma Al-Amoodi (Saudi Arabia)