Distinguished role model for women in science receives global award

A world-leading Norfolk plant scientist is today named as a 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science laureate.

Professor Dame Caroline Dean OBE, from the John Innes Centre, receives the prestigious award for her, “ground-breaking research on how plants adapt to their surroundings and climate change, leading to new ways for crop improvement.”

The L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO announce the names of five outstanding scientists – one from each continent – who will receive the 2018 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards in life sciences.

The independent jury selected the five outstanding scientists, all of whom are global leaders in their field. The award will be resented at a ceremony on the 22 March 2018 in Paris, on the 20th anniversary of the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme.

Professor Dean says, “It’s a great honour to be recognised by the L’Oréal Foundation with this award. I look forward to an exciting year ahead and hope that I can continue to inspire girls and female scientists to follow their curiosity.”

Director of the John Innes Centre, Professor Dale Sanders says “Caroline is an excellent role model and ambassador for women in science. Her passion and drive for her science is inspiring and she works with outstanding enthusiasm to encourage more women to aspire to be scientists and to reach their full potential. She is a shining example to us all.”

The L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Awards celebrate the many eminent women in science all over the world, and in particular they expose the under-representation of women in prestigious awards.

This year they highlight that all nine of the Nobel Prizes for science in 2017 were awarded to men, and since the creation of the Nobel Prizes in science, fewer than 3% have been awarded to women. Yet, eminent women in science are numerous as this award demonstrates.

For almost 20 years, the L’Oréal Foundation, in partnership with UNESCO, has celebrated 5 exceptional female researchers every year.

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