Since 1998, the Fondation L'Oreal and UNESCO have annually honored five exceptional female scientists from different regions. The program promotes their work globally and empowers them as role models. Laureates are recognized for their scientific achievements and contributions to global research.

One laureate is selected from each of the five major regions: Africa and the Arab states, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America. The program has recognized 132 winners from more than 110 countries and regions, including seven Nobel Prize recipients and eight scientists from China.

2024 Laureate

Yan Nieng

Chinese Academy of Sciences academician, university professor at the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University, founding president of Shenzhen Medical

Academy of Research and Translation, and director of the Shenzhen Bay Laboratory She was awarded for discovering the atomic structure of multiple membrane proteins that mediate the traffic of ions and sugars across the cell membrane, revealing principles that govern cross-membrane transport.

2022 Laureate

Hu Hailan

Professor and executive director of the Neuroscience Center of Zhejiang University School of Medicine

She was awarded for major discoveries in social and emotional neuroscience. Her groundbreaking work has revolutionized the scientific understanding of mental health and deciphered the mechanism of depression to inform innovative treatment strategies and new medicines.

2018 Laureate

Zhang Miman

Professor, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

She was awarded for her pioneering work on fossil records leading to insights on how aquatic vertebrates adapted to life on land.

2016 Laureate

Chen Hualan

Member of the World Organisation for Animal Health Sciences, researcher and doctoral supervisor at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

She was awarded for her outstanding research into the biology of the bird flu virus, leading to the development and use of an effective vaccine.

2015 Laureate

Xie Yi

Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry headquartered in the United Kingdom, professor and doctoral supervisor at the University of Science and Technology of China

She was awarded for her significant contributions to inorganic solid state solvothermal chemistry at the nanoscale, particularly unconventional semiconductor materials and graphene-like structures a few atoms thick.

2011 Laureate

Vivian Yam

Chair of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, the University of Hong Kong, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

She was awarded for her work on light-emitting materials and innovative ways of capturing solar energy; pioneering contributions in the molecular design of photo-active materials that are particularly relevant to solar energy conversion.

2004 Laureate

Nancy Ip

President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

She received the award for her discoveries on the molecular control of growth, differentiation and synapse formation in the nervous system. Her recent research on deregulated signaling pathways in cell surface receptors has provided critical insights into Alzheimer's disease mechanisms, revealing new molecular targets and potential therapeutic strategies.

2003 Laureate

Li Fanghua (1932-2020)

Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the World Academy of Sciences

A specialist in electron microscopy, Li's strenuous work has pushed the limits of observation of crystalline structures through the elimination of interference. Her research promotes the development of related disciplines and provides crystal structure information of new materials, which helps to draw the laws of the relationship between material properties, structure and technology.