DUBAI: Improving medical imaging, developing treatments against emerging viruses and finding new solutions to water scarcity — all reasons six female Arab scientists were recognized at the 13th edition of the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East in Dubai on Thursday.
The awardees, from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman and Qatar, include three PhD students and three postdoctoral researchers. Their work addresses regional and global challenges in healthcare, water security and environmental protection.
Since its regional launch in 2014, the program has supported 69 female Arab researchers with more than €1 million in endowments. According to UNESCO, women account for 41 per cent of researchers in the Arab countries, a percentage above the global average.
“Our responsibility is not only to recognize that talent, but to help create the visibility, networks and opportunities that allow it to thrive,” said Laurent Duffier, managing director of L’Oreal Middle East.
Advances in healthcare
Saudi PhD student Alaa Mansour Al-Mushaikeh is developing hybrid glass scintillators to improve X-ray imaging. These materials could produce more precise images with reduced radiation exposure, particularly benefiting patients who require repeated examinations.
“In healthcare, the biggest opportunity is reducing radiation dose,” she told Arab News en francais.
Her ambition is to translate scientific discoveries into safer, more accessible technologies, including for women at different stages of their lives.
Emirati researcher Jawaher Al-Hammadi is developing cell membrane models to improve disease research and test treatments before they reach patients. Her approach uses extracellular vesicles, tiny particles that carry features of the membranes of the cells from which they originate.
Integrated into her platform, these vesicles can help create models that reproduce aspects of a disease. In the longer term, these models could contribute to personalized medicine by enabling treatments to be tested using a patient’s own cells.
“Because two people with the same diagnosis don’t always respond to the same drug in the same way,” she said. “My goal is a future where treatments are designed not just for a disease, but with each patient in mind.”
Qatari PhD student Hadeel Tarik Zedan is developing an intranasal antiviral treatment based on RNA interference and lipid nanoparticles. Her research aims to target coronaviruses and other emerging respiratory viruses, complementing existing vaccines.
“My research is about making sure the world is ready for the next viral threat,” she told Arab News en francais, emphasizing the importance of making such treatments accessible to populations with limited resources, which are often particularly vulnerable during health crises. Her work explores non-invasive delivery methods that could make treatments more convenient and accessible.
From immunity to water security
Saudi postdoctoral researcher Dr Aljawharah Al-Rubayyi studies how the immune system fights viral infections. Her research aims to identify targets that could guide the development of vaccines and immunotherapies offering broader and longer-lasting protection.
Her interest in infectious diseases is rooted partly in her experience growing up in Saudi Arabia during the emergence of Middle East respiratory syndrome, a coronavirus first identified in the Kingdom.
“I saw the emergence of MERS, a coronavirus first identified in my country, and it showed me how important it is to prepare for the next outbreak before it arrives,” she explained.
In the UAE, Dr Marieh Bassam Al-Handawi draws inspiration from desert plants to explore new ways of harvesting water from the atmosphere. Her research combines desert flora with crystals and hydrogels to investigate technologies that require little energy.
In a region facing water stress, these approaches could complement existing solutions. Al-Handawi also highlights the social consequences of water scarcity, which can restrict women’s and girls’ access to education and employment when they are responsible for collecting water for their households.
“Desert plants have spent thousands of years learning to survive on very little water, and I hope to turn what they teach us into practical solutions for people,” she said.
Omani researcher Dr Sara Al-Araimi is exploring wastewater treatment methods that also enable the recovery and valorization of carbon dioxide.
Her bio electrochemical systems combine bacteria and microalgae. The bacteria help break down organic pollutants, while the microalgae use carbon dioxide, light and nutrients to produce biomass containing potentially valuable compounds.
“For me, impact has to go beyond the lab,” she told Arab News en francais, adding she also planned to train a young female research assistant as part of her research program, helping pass her knowledge on to the next generation of scientists.
“I want the opportunity L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science has given me to open a door for another woman starting her own scientific journey,” she said.
Strengthening women’s scientific leadership
The six researchers were selected by an 11-member jury of scientists and academics from across the Middle East, chaired by Prof. Marie Abboud of Saint Joseph University in Beirut.
“What impressed us as a jury was not only the exceptional caliber of the candidates, but the breadth of their ambitions,” Abboud said.
UAE Minister of Education Sarah Al-Amiri highlighted the importance of offering pathways that allow young talent to progress from education to research and, ultimately, to practical applications. Salah Khaled, director of UNESCO’s Doha Office for the Gulf States and Yemen, also stressed the importance of enabling women and young researchers to contribute to scientific progress.
Launched in 1998 by the Fondation L’Oréal in partnership with UNESCO, the international For Women in Science program has supported more than 5,000 researchers in over 140 countries, including seven Nobel Prize winners.
The six projects illustrate the potential of research led by Arab women to address healthcare and environmental challenges. From pandemic preparedness and personalized medicine to water harvesting and wastewater treatment, their work explores solutions with applications beyond the laboratory.
Thirteen years after its regional launch, the program continues to raise the profile of women scientists and strengthen their role in a research ecosystem essential to innovation and sustainable development.