I stayed in Syria through war to keep research alive
This article is by Dr. Reem Hasan Obaydo, a researcher in the Analytical and Food Chemistry Department at Ebla Private University and Maaref University of Applied Sciences, Syria. She is the recipient of the 2025 OWSD–Elsevier Foundation Award in Inclusive Health (SDG 3).
As a Syrian woman researcher and mother, I stayed in my country throughout the war from 2011 to December 2024, while many colleagues were forced to leave to continue their research abroad. I remained at the university through power outages, damaged facilities, and limited laboratory resources, determined to keep learning, teaching, and supporting my students.
My research focuses on simple, sustainable analytical methods to detect counterfeit medicines and ensure pharmaceutical quality. Because advanced instruments are often unavailable in fragile contexts, I design methods that work with basic, accessible equipment while minimizing environmental hazards. Even during the hardest moments, I refused to abandon my scientific path or the young researchers who depended on my guidance.
How Research4Life has sustained my work
Research4Life has supported my work since 2019, when APC-waiver schemes linked to the program enabled me to publish open-access papers despite limited funds. In 2024, a LinkedIn post led me to the Research4Life content portal itself, which now gives my students and me free access to full-text articles from leading journals in analytical chemistry and related fields that we would otherwise have to pay to read. Since 2024, we have also joined Research4Life training programs, strengthening our skills and helping us stay aligned with international advances despite the war.
Country-based open access pricing has also been essential. Through these programs, many publishers offer reduced or full waivers for authors in low- and middle-income countries and Research4Life-eligible countries. A single article’s publication fee can equal nearly a full year of my salary. From 2019 to 2025, I published more than 20 open access papers in journals including SSM – Mental Health, Talanta Open, and Green Analytical Chemistry.
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Read the full article on Research4Life: “I stayed in Syria through war to keep research alive“, January 2026.