Past winners
OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Women in Science Awards
2026 - Sustainable, affordable and reliable energy (SDG7) winners
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Victoire Ghafi Kondi Akara
Resident Researcher in Climate Sciences, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Research and Innovation Centre (AIMS RIC)
Victoire Ghafi Kondi Akara
Resident Researcher in Climate Sciences, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Research and Innovation Centre (AIMS RIC)
Rwanda
Dr. Victoire Ghafi Kondi Akara is a Togolese climate–energy scientist based in Kigali, Rwanda. With over 11 years’ experience, her work focuses on electricity-demand modelling, renewable integration, and energy-sector MRV systems supporting SDG7 in Africa. She is a Resident Researcher at AIMS-RIC, contributes to national and regional energy policies, supports African Union efficiency initiatives, and mentors emerging STEM leaders. Her work bridges science, policy, and community impact to advance reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions.
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Cristina Dominguez
Project Manager and Country Director (Guatemala), NRECA International
Guatemala
Dr. Cristina Dominguez is a civil engineer from Guatemala whose research and leadership advance sustainable energy access and SDG7 across Latin America and beyond. She pioneered geospatial modelling to forecast rural energy demand, led the development of open-source energy access modelling tools, and has delivered capacity building for policymakers, researchers, community members, women and youth. Cristina is a full member and former Executive Committee Secretary of OWSD Guatemala, committed to bridging science, policy, and community action for access to clean, affordable energy.
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Fadia Alhaj Hussien
Lecturer and Researcher, Hama University
Syria
Dr. Fadia Alhaj Hussien is an organic chemist from Syria, specializing in green and sustainable chemistry. Her research focuses on recycling steel industry waste into catalysts for clean hydrogen and biofuel production, advancing affordable and sustainable energy solutions. Fadia mentors students in AI-assisted catalyst design, collaborates with industry, and leads environmental awareness initiatives, empowering her community toward a more sustainable future.
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Duleeka Sandamali Gunarathne
Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Moratuwa
Duleeka Sandamali Gunarathne
Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Moratuwa
Sri Lanka
Dr. Duleeka Sandamali Gunarathne is a chemical and process engineer from Sri Lanka, specializing in bioenergy systems. Her research focuses on biomass thermochemical conversion technologies, and she is committed to sustainable energy education. Duleeka has pioneered practical solutions for clean energy, mentored future professionals, and contributed as a technical expert to national and international energy initiatives.
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Tabitha Awuor Amollo
Lecturer and Researcher, Egerton University
Kenya
Dr. Tabitha Awuor Amollo is a physicist and materials scientist from Kenya, specializing in solar energy conversion and thin film technology. Her research focuses on developing cost-effective, high-performance solar cells and translating these innovations into community solutions, such as solar-powered refrigeration for rural health centers. Tabitha mentors women and students in STEM, leads a photovoltaics research lab, and collaborates internationally to drive affordable, clean energy for Africa.
2025 - Inclusive Health (SDG3) winners
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Manal Badrasawi
Associate Professor, An-Najah National University, Palestine
Palestine
Manal Badrasawi is a clinical nutrition scientist from Palestine whose expertise lies in clinical nutrition, women’s health, geriatric nutrition, and public health. As a prolific researcher, she has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals, covering topics such as dietary behaviors, nutritional epidemiology, chronic disease management, and the psychosocial aspects of health. Her work frequently integrates innovative approaches, such as machine learning, to analyze complex nutritional and health data. Dr. Badrasawi has been instrumental in advancing research on food insecurity, aging, and nutritional health in Palestine. She has led and participated in several funded projects, including the Pal-Age Project, which focuses on aging populations, and the development of the Palestinian Food Atlas, a tool for improving nutrition assessment and education. Her commitment to community-oriented research is further exemplified by her role as the principal investigator in studies addressing food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable populations. In addition to her academic and research contributions, Dr. Badrasawi has developed educational resources, including illustrated food exchange lists, nutritional modules for specific patient populations, and a photographic food atlas. These tools are widely recognized for their cultural relevance and practical application in clinical practice and public health interventions.
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Reem Obaydo
Head of Analytical and Food Chemistry Department, Ebla Private University, Syria
Reem Obaydo
Head of Analytical and Food Chemistry Department, Ebla Private University, Syria
Syria
Reem Obaydo is a Syrian pharmaceutical analytical chemist and educator who, despite the hardships of war, economic constraints, and a lack of research infrastructure, remains committed to advancing scientific knowledge and mentoring young researchers, particularly women. Her research focuses on green analytical chemistry, where she develops sustainable, eco-friendly methods for pharmaceutical analysis. By reducing the use of hazardous chemicals in drug testing, her work ensures the safety and efficacy of medicines while minimizing environmental and health risks. She also integrates sustainability assessment tools to evaluate the environmental and health impact of her analytical methods, ensuring they adhere to green chemistry principles. Dr. Obaydo’s research plays a vital role in improving public health by reducing exposure to harmful substances in pharmaceuticals. By developing greener quality control techniques, she enhances drug safety and prevents the introduction of toxic residues into the environment. Her work also fosters safer laboratory environments by reducing researchers’ exposure to hazardous chemicals. Beyond pharmaceutical sustainability, Dr. Obaydo has supported Syrian women in conflict-affected areas by providing digital guidance on mental health management, ensuring accessible care for those in need. She has fostered international collaborations with researchers from Egypt, Turkey, India, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the United Kingdom. Due to travel restrictions imposed on Syrian scholars, she has participated in international conferences online to promote green analytical chemistry, advocating for sustainable scientific research and safer practices in pharmaceutical laboratories worldwide.
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Alejandra Paniagua-Avila
Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University (USA); President and Co-founder, Asociación para la Salud Mental Saqirsán, Guatemala
Alejandra Paniagua-Avila
Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University (USA); President and Co-founder, Asociación para la Salud Mental Saqirsán, Guatemala
Guatemala
Alejandra Paniagua-Avila is a Guatemalan medical doctor and early career scientist dedicated to advancing access to recovery-oriented mental health services for all. She has a particular interest in addressing the health and social needs of people living with serious mental conditions associated with psychosis, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Her research is done in partnership with Maya Indigenous populations and other populations that experience health disparities due to historical discrimination and social exclusion. Her work draws from participatory qualitative approaches, epidemiology, and implementation research to design, implement and evaluate mental health interventions in rural Guatemala and other under-resourced settings. Dr. Paniagua-Avila has published more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and presented research findings at multiple scientific conferences. Her work has been published in high-impact journals, including The Lancet – Regional Health Americas. She is a steering committee member of RedeAmericas, a network of mental health researchers and practitioners across Latin America. She is also a co-founder of Asociación para la Salud Mental, a recently established nonprofit that promotes the recovery of people living with serious mental illnesses in Guatemala through research, capacity strengthening, and program development. She is committed to strengthening research capacity for mental health in Guatemala and has mentored more than 10 students and trainees, many of whom have pursued public health and research careers.
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Sarmila Tandukar
Research Fellow, Policy Research Institute, Nepal
Nepal
Sarmila Tandukar is an environmental engineer from Nepal whose research bridges the gap between environmental microbiology and public health and helps to improve infectious disease preparedness, build public health infrastructure, and advance global health security. Her research mostly focuses on environmental monitoring, wastewater surveillance, and public health microbiology, with a particular focus on detecting and identifying pathogens in water systems. She tracks disease-causing microorganisms and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes to identify emerging health threats in wastewater, sewage, river water, and drinking water sources, using molecular techniques like genomics, metagenomics, and qPCR-based detection methods. Her work is highly interdisciplinary, bridging microbiology, environmental science, epidemiology, and public health to provide critical insights into disease transmission dynamics and waterborne health risks. Her work ensures early detection of emerging infectious diseases and mitigation techniques to reduce disease burden by producing high-resolution epidemiological data, which enables evidence-based decision-making for public health actions. Furthermore, her research provides scientific evidence for policymakers, contributing to the development of water safety regulations, wastewater treatment guidelines, and disease control strategies at both national and global levels.
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Halima Sumayya Twabi
Associate Professor, University of Malawi, Malawi
Malawi
Halima Twabi is a biostatistician from Malawi who employs advanced statistical methodologies and data-driven approaches to understand health issues. Through these approaches, her work identifies factors contributing to health disparities among vulnerable populations such as women and children and assesses intervention effectiveness, especially those affected by HIV infection, in socio-economically disadvantaged communities. Her previous work has examined the effects of maternal HIV on adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as low birth weight and perinatal mortality. Her research has also utilized innovative statistical methods to investigate the influence of unhealthy food consumption on childhood overweight, a growing challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2023, she was named a Young Affiliate of The World Academy of Sciences and received the 2020 L’Oréal-UNESCO Young Talent Award for Sub-Saharan Africa. She is a fellow of the DELTAS Sub-Saharan Africa Consortium on the Advancement of Biostatistics (SSACAB) program and a founding member of the Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (Gi-STEAM) network. She currently serves as the Treasurer for both the International Biometric Society’s Sub-Saharan Africa Network (IBS-SUSAN) and its Malawi region. She is currently collaborating on a project ‘Strengthening Women’s Research Network and Capacity to Address Women’s Health in Sub-Saharan Africa’ project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Grand Challenges as a country lead for Malawi.
2024 - Water, sanitation and hygiene (SDG6) winners
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Augustina Clara Alexander
Senior Lecturer, College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar Es Salaam
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Tasrina Rabia Choudhury
Principal Scientific Officer and Quality Manager, Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, Atomic Energy Centre of the Bangladesh
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Shirani Manel Kumari Widana Gamage
Professor, Department of Botany, University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka
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Lidia Antonella Rivera Peñalva
Principal Investigator, Coral Reef Alliance
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Zubeda Ukundimana
Lecturer, Kampala University, Uganda
2023 - Food Security, agricultural productivity and sustainable food production (SDG2) winners
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Renuka Attanayake
Professor, Department of Plant and Molecular Biology, University of Kelaniya
Renuka Attanayake
Professor, Department of Plant and Molecular Biology, University of Kelaniya
Sri Lanka
Renuka Attanayake is a plant pathologist working on crop disease identification and management in Sri Lanka. Her projects include the optimization of a rapid detection method of coconut phytoplasma in Sri Lanka, and the identification of genetic diversity of white mold pathogen on cabbage and black mold on onions. With her work, she is contributing to the development of resistant inducer treatments and farmers’ education to reduce the negative effects of some of the most common crop diseases in her country.
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Carla Fabiana Crespo Melgar
Researcher, Universidad Mayor de San Andres
Bolivia
Carla Fabiana Crespo Melgar is a biochemist focused on increasing agricultural productivity as a crucial step to alleviate hunger. With her research, she is investigating the potential of using beneficial microorganisms and application protocols as biocontrollers, biofertilizers, bioinoculants and growth promoters for crop production in Bolivia and the region, with the aim of exploring ways that they can be produced locally by communities or small companies, once the technology and application protocols are validated.
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Haneen Dwaib
Assistant Professor, Palestine Ahliya University
Palestine
Haneen Dwaib has a background in Nutrition and Public Health, and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences. She is investigating dietary interventions to tackle obesity as a case of disguised hunger, since the lack of a decent, well-balanced diet causes deficits in the majority of micronutrients and occasionally macronutrients. Her research focuses on studying the gut microbiota and to find non-invasive early detection biomarkers of premature cardiovascular dysfunction and adipose tissue inflammation in pre-diabetic laboratory rats.
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Eugenie Kayitesi
Associate Professor, University of Pretoria
Rwanda
South Africa
Eugenie Kayitesi is a food scientist, who is trying to improve nutrition, diet diversity and food security in Africa developing unique products from underutilized food sources, as well as improving their nutritional composition and health promoting constituents. The core of her research relates to indigenous, underutilized African plant-based foods, such as legumes, cereals, green leafy vegetables and fruits. Her work has highlighted the importance of using readily available and affordable food crops to create food products with improved nutritional, functional and sensory quality.
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Gabriela Montenegro-Bethancourt
National Secretary, Guatemala National Secretariat of Science and Technology SENACYT
Gabriela Montenegro-Bethancourt
National Secretary, Guatemala National Secretariat of Science and Technology SENACYT
Guatemala
Gabriela Montenegro-Bethancourt is a nutritionist and food scientist whose work contributes to strengthen primary health care in rural Guatemala. She works in the most impoverished communities in Guatemala’s to provide health care in Mayan languages and contribute to reducing maternal mortality and child malnutrition, overcoming barriers to the treatment of complex medical conditions, providing optimal care to children and adults with chronic conditions, and promoting access to clean water. Her research is designed to take into consideration nutrition’s broad strategic possibilities, such as empowering women, increasing the availability of nutrient-rich foods, improving access to health services, and design effective policies.
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Munkhjargal Tserendorj
Veterinary Doctor, Mongolian University of Life Sciences
Mongolia
Munkhjargal Tserendorj is a Veterinary Doctor with a PhD in Animal and Food Hygiene, who is helping Mongolia to control economically important tick-borne diseases. She has conducted national and international projects for strengthening capacities in the diagnosis and treatment of animal diseases, especially vector-borne diseases, leading to the development of effective strategies to decrease severe economic losses in the small ruminants’ population in Mongolia. Data from these studies is now used as base information for initiating prevention and control programs.
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Yeyinou Laura Estelle Loko
Associate Professor in Zoology and Genetics, Université Nationale des Sciences, Technologies, Ingénierie et Mathématiques
Yeyinou Laura Estelle Loko
Associate Professor in Zoology and Genetics, Université Nationale des Sciences, Technologies, Ingénierie et Mathématiques
Benin
Dr Yeyinou Laura Estelle Loko is an entomologist with a PhD in plant genetic resources and crop protection committed to the reduction of losses caused by insect pests. She develops control methods that respect human health and the environment, favoring the use of naturally resistant varieties, medicinal plants with insecticidal properties, entomopathogenic microorganisms, and predators. She is also working on the development of a digital toolbox and an intelligent monitoring system adapted to smallholder farmers for effective pest management in Benin.
2022 - Climate action and the environment (SDG13,SDG14, SDG15) winners
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Abeer Ahmed Qaed Ahmed
Head of Department and Lecturer, Department of Pharmacy, Al-Saeed University
Abeer Ahmed Qaed Ahmed
Head of Department and Lecturer, Department of Pharmacy, Al-Saeed University
Yemen
Dr Abeer Ahmed Qaed Ahmed is a biologist investigating several different microbiology- and nanotechnology-based solutions to problems such as carbon emissions, drug-resistant pathogens, and fossil fuel dependence. She has studied the use of microbial inoculants in agricultural land to increase the carbon sequestration effect and improve soil quality for agriculture, as well as the use of microbes to convert lignocellulosic biomass into pharmaceuticals and other chemical products, as a more sustainable alternative to fossil-based products. Dr. Ahmed also works on understanding the effects of differing environmental and nutritional conditions on microbial biological processes. This can lead to novel methods to treat, attenuate, and diagnose multi-drug resistant microorganisms.
Dr. Ahmed has held research fellowships at North-West University, South Africa (2015) and the University of South Africa (2016-2017). She was selected for the BioVision.Nxt fellowship programme in Lyon France in 2013, and for TWAS/BioVisionAlexandria.NXT in Alexandria, Egypt in 2014. She is an active member of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA), and an executive member of the Yemen Women Association for Science & Technology (YWAST). In addition, she is a full member of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD).
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Ashani Savinda Ranathunga
Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Ashani Savinda Ranathunga
Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Dr Ashani Savinda Ranathunga is focused on turning industrial and agricultural waste into anthropogenic (man-made) soil for geotechnical engineering-related applications. She is a proponent of the “waste to wealth” concept, which is to produce green and value-added products from waste for sustainable and greener applications. Her research findings enable the effective utilization of locally available waste as secondary raw materials for economical and ecofriendly construction and development projects.
Specifically, she is using industrial waste products like fly ash and calcium carbide residues, and agricultural waste products like paddy husk ash and corn cob ash, to stabilize soft soil that is otherwise too weak for construction, contributing to greater longevity of infrastructure. She is also using the same waste products to rehabilitate degraded land and soil in abandoned mines, reducing environmental pollution and adverse social impacts. In addition, she looks at the effective utilization of shallow geothermal resources for energy production in rural areas of Sri Lanka.
Dr Ranathunga completed her undergraduate degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Ruhuna in 2013, graduating at the top of her class. She received her PhD from Monash University, Australia, in 2017, where she won the best PhD thesis award and the postgraduate publication award for her work on enhancing extraction of coal bed methane from deep underground coal seams by injecting CO2. Her findings demonstrated the opportunities of using low-rank coal for CO2-Enhanced Coal Bed Methane (CO2-ECBM).After completing her PhD, she joined the University of Moratuwa as a Lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering.
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Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury
Professor, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka
Bangladesh
Dr Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury is committed to conserving the aquatic ecosystems and threatened species of Bangladesh. In particular, she focuses on assessing the extent of and the risks from plastic pollution, which is closely linked to climate change. Microplastics and other plastics enter the waterways in Bangladesh from fishing nets, among other sources, and are harmful to threatened species and habitats. Dr Chowdhury is leading an effort to educate women in poor and marginalized fishing communities about how discarded Nylon-6 fishing nets can be turned into value-added products such as carpets and clothing, creating an alternative income source for the communities while protecting the wetland habitats.
Dr Chowdhury received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Zoology from the University of Dhaka and joined Noakhali Science and Technology University in 2006. She was awarded the prestigious Commonwealth Academic Staff Scholarship to study for her PhD in Zoology at the University of Cambridge, completing it in 2012. Since 2013 she has worked at the University of Dhaka, teaching animal diversity, wetland ecology and other topics in zoology.
She has received many awards and grants, including a Wildlife Conservation Society Fellowship. She is a board member of the conservation organization WildTeam and member of the Zoological Society of Bangladesh, and has been appointed regional co-chair of the South Asian Invertebrate Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). She is also a member of the Commission on Education and Communication and the IUCN Species Survival Commission. She is an alumna of the Aquatic Ecology Group, University of Cambridge.
Dr Chowdhury was the country lead for the National Geographic “Sea to Source: Ganges” expedition in 2019–2020. She was responsible for assembling a research team and organizing stakeholder meetings and for all national operations and logistics. Following the expedition, she led a World Bank-funded pilot project to turn the research findings from the expedition into a community-based solution involving several international technical partners.Dr Chowdhury aspires to get more women engaged in science education and conservation efforts in Bangladesh, and to make scientific findings understandable to the public:
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Heyddy Calderon
Director, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, Managua
Heyddy Calderon
Director, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, Managua
Nicaragua
Dr Heyddy Calderon is working to provide secure and sustainable water sources for vulnerable populations in a region of Central America known as the Dry Corridor, spanning Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. About 3.5 million people out of 10.5 million in the region need humanitarian assistance, and 1.6 million suffer food insecurity. Precipitation can be scarce for long periods, exacerbated by climate change. To better understand climate threats and vulnerability in the region, Dr Calderon and colleagues formed a network of Central American water, social, and economic scientists who are committed to improving the population’s capacity to cope with climate variability and climate change, and to providing information that can help decision-makers and local stakeholders plan and prepare for the future.
Dr Calderon’s first became interested in sustainable water management as an undergraduate in chemical engineering. After graduating in 2001, she received a grant from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to pursue a master’s degree in hydrogeology at the University of Calgary, where she focused on groundwater flow modeling. After graduating in 2004, she worked for 5 years as adjunct professor at the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, Managua (UNAN-Managua), where she realized the need for an integrative and collaborative approach to tackle the impact of climate change in water resources. This led her to the UNESCO Institute for Water Education, now the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands, where she completed a PhD in Hydrology and Water Resources in 2014.In 2018, she was appointed the first female and youngest director of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at UNAN-Managua, where she has worked since 2016.Dr. Calderon has received an International Science Foundation grant (2012) and the prestigious Faculty for the Future Grant from the Schlumberger Foundation (2012–2014). She has been invited as guest lecturer in water resources and climate change at various Central American universities and the University of Denver. She has supervised several PhD, master’s and undergrad theses and has collaborated with the National Water Authority of Nicaragua.
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Flor de Mayo Gonzáles Miranda
Lecturer and researcher, Faculty of Engineering, San Carlos University, Guatemala
Flor de Mayo Gonzáles Miranda
Lecturer and researcher, Faculty of Engineering, San Carlos University, Guatemala
Guatemala
Dr Flor de Mayo González Miranda is trying to engineer better landslide prevention for vulnerable areas in Guatemala. Climate change is causing increasingly strong periods of rain in the country, where much of the terrain is rugged. Due to poverty and the lack of governmental and private programs for decent housing, many people live in settlements on the slopes of ravines, where rain and other events make landslides more frequent. Landslides obstruct roads and sometimes bury entire communities.
Dr González Miranda is investigating how a specific grass in the vetiver family, Chrysopogon Zizaniodes, can help to prevent landslides. Through soil tests, X-ray diffraction and other techniques, she has shown how the plants’ roots alter the chemical, physical and mechanical behavior of the soil, reducing the speed of soil infiltration as well as soil plasticity. In addition to this work, Dr. González Miranda has also studied the flow of fresh water into Guatemala’s ports, and the thermal behavior of sand sericite as a precursor to mullite material.
Dr González Miranda earned a certification as a production control technician from Rafael Landivar University in 1986, and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from San Carlos University in 2002. She holds two master’s degrees in environmental science: from San Carlos University (2008) and Cadiz University in Spain (2009). She has worked as an engineer in various capacities, including as an environmental adviser for the company Superingenieria. In 2019, she earned her PhD in industrial and environmental engineering from the University of Almería, Spain. She is currently a researcher and Lecturer in the School of Industrial Mechanics at San Carlos University.
Dr González Miranda is very active in public outreach, training and awareness raising. She has collaborated with the National Council of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education of Guatemala on the TIC-STEAM project to provide training in programming, robotics and environmental care to girls in rural areas. She has conducted free trainings for women, youth and community leaders on manufacturing simple products, safety and industrial hygiene, and best practices for manufacturing, among other topics. She has also been interviewed in the newspaper Prensa Libre to provide expert analysis on Guatemala’s multi-million dollar Chimaltenango Bypass, which gave rise to a corruption case related to the project.
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Myriam Mujawamariya
Lecturer, Department of Biology, University of Rwanda
Rwanda
Dr Myriam Mujawamariya is helping Rwanda prepare for climate change by studying how various types of indigenous trees respond to different climate scenarios. Erosion is a major environmental concern in Rwanda, and many efforts are being put into landscape restoration and ecosystem-based adaptation. However, greater knowledge is needed about how trees will respond to higher temperatures and other climatic changes, as well as which trees can best support ecosystem services such as soil stabilization, climate regulation, biodiversity and bioenergy.
To simulate different climate change scenarios, Dr Mujawamariya tested the physiological responses of 20 native species grown at three sites along an elevation gradient. Her research is part of the unique Rwanda Tropical Elevation Experiment, Rwanda TREE project. The project will contribute to understanding how climate change will influence tropical forest cover, carbon sequestration and biodiversity not only in Rwanda but in all of Africa’s Western Rift Valley region and beyond.
Dr Mujawamariya received her bachelor’s degree in biology at the former National University of Rwanda in 2007 and a master’s degree in plant sciences, specializing in natural resources management, from Wageningen University in the Netherlands in 2012. She received her PhD in natural sciences, specializing in environmental science, from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2021. She began working at the University of Rwanda in 2007 as as a Tutorial Assistant and then Assistant Lecturer since 2013. Last year, she was promoted to Lecturer.
Dr Mujawamariya is a member of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation and is a Research Associate at the Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resources Management (CoEB). She has won numerous grants for her work, including the Belgian ARES grant, and grants from the Rwanda National Council of Science and Technology and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). She has participated in many community outreach activities through the University of Rwanda and CoEB to raise awareness for biodiversity conservation, including educating school children about environmental protection.
