The Elsevier Foundation honors Early Career Women Scientists from Developing Countries for Research into the Medicinal Properties of Natural Compounds

The Elsevier Foundation, TWAS and OWSD Recognize 2014 Winners at the AAAS Annual Meeting

On February 15th, 2014, five women chemists will be honored with the Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World, for their research that looks to nature for ways to address cancer, malaria and other medical problems. The winning researchers, representing five regions of the developing world, are from Indonesia, Jamaica, Nigeria, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

The prizes are awarded by The Elsevier Foundation, the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS), with the aim of building scientific strength and advancing scientific knowledge in developing countries. The winners received $5000 and an all-expenses paid attendance at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting in Chicago. In 2015 the prize will be for physics and mathematics.

Award winners

Dr. Eqbal Mohammed Abdu Dauqan, Yemen

Department of Medical Laboratories Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Al-Saeed University, Taizz, Yemen

Biochemistry: For her research on the antioxidant properties of vegetable oils and specialized research in sensory evaluation and organic chemistry.

Dr. Dauqan is currently Head of the Medical Laboratory Sciences Department at Al-Saeed University in Taizz, Yemen, where her research focuses on the antioxidant properties of vegetable oils. Dr. Dauqan’s interests are in biochemistry and biotechnology and she has conducted specialist research in sensory evaluation and organic chemistry. She received her PhD from the National University of Malaysia (UKM). Dr Dauqan is a dedicated teacher and an active member of the OWSD chapter in Yemen.

Dr. Taiwo Olayemi Elufioye, Nigeria

Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Pharmacology: For her research on the medicinal properties of native Nigerian plants, in particular the effectiveness of different species in treating malaria, wounds, memory loss, leprosy and cancer.

Dr. Elufioye is currently acting head of the Department of Pharmacognosy at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Her research focuses on the medicinal properties of native Nigerian plants. In particular she has looked at the effectiveness of different species in treating malaria, wounds, memory loss, leprosy and cancer.  Dr. Elufioye received both her MsC and PhD from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Nigeria. She is a Senate member of the University of Ibadan, a Coordinator of the consultancy group in her Department, and the Secretary of the Ibadan chapter of the National Association of Pharmacists in Academia.

Dr. Nilufar Mamadalieva, Uzbekistan

Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances, Mirzo Ulugbek, Uzbekistan

Biochemistry: For her work on the phytochemical and biological investigation of active compounds derived from medicinal plants growing in Central Asia, in particular the development of efficient nutraceuticals and the discovery of new lead compounds for the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Mamadalieva is currently Senior Scientific Researcher at the Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Her work focuses on the phytochemical and biological investigation of active compounds derived from medicinal plants growing in Central Asia. The field of natural substances, a tradition at the Tashkent Institute, is gaining more interest in western countries for the development of efficient nutraceuticals and the discovery of new lead compounds for the pharmaceutical industry. Mamadalieva is the recipient of a number of international fellowships which have allowed her to travel extensively and develop a strong network of international collaborators.  She received her MSc from Fergana State University in Uzbekistan and her PhD from the Institute where she is currently researcher in Tashkent.  In 2011 she received the UNESCO-L’Oreal Award for Young Women in Life Sciences.

Dr. Simone Ann Marie Badal McCreath, West Indies

Natural Products Institute, University of the West Indies, Jamaica, West Indies

Biochemistry: For her work in designing a new cell culture lab to investigate the cancer-fighting properties of Jamaican natural compounds.

Dr. Simone Badal McCreath currently manages the Biochemistry lab at the Natural Products Institute at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Jamaica and is overseeing and designing a new cell culture lab at the same Institute. McCreath is an accomplished early career researcher who has been investigating the cancer-fighting properties of Jamaican natural compounds. She will be launching a new Masters degree in Natural Therapeutics at her institute in 2014. She has received numerous awards and has published extensively. McCreath received her BSc, MPhil and PhD from UWI and also undertook an MBA at the University of Wales in Cardiff, UK.

Dr. Ritmaleni, Indonesia

Faculty of Pharmacy, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Medicinal Chemistry: For her work in the field of organic synthesis, focusing on the development of tropical medicines, in particular improved methods for the synthesis of sulfoxides and their application in the preparation of biologically active targets.

Dr. Ritmaleni is currently a researcher and lecturer at the Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Ritmaleni’s research covers the field of organic synthesis, focusing on the development of tropical medicines. She has worked on sulfoxides, including improved methods for their synthesis and application in the preparation of biologically active targets. She has won several awards in Indonesia and has published over 40 papers. Ritmaleni received her PhD from the School of Chemistry at Bristol University, UK after receiving a scholarship from the Indonesian government.