Call for Applications: L’Oréal-UNESCO Sub-Saharan Africa Young Talents

L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Levant regional young talents program aims to promote the participation of young women in science coming from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and the Syrian Arab Republic.

This program identifies and rewards talented young female researchers in the field of Life Sciences (such as biology, biochemistry, biophysics, genetics, physiology, health sciences – COVID-19, neurosciences, biotechnologies, ecology, and ethology) as well as Physical Sciences (such as physics, chemistry, petroleum engineering, mathematics, engineering sciences, information sciences, Earth and Universe sciences).

Benefits

The Program honors six talented young Arab women researchers for the quality of their research works and encourages them to pursue a brilliant career in science in the above-mentioned countries.

3 endowments amounting to Ten thousand Euros (€10,000) each will be granted to Arab women researchers working in Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the following countries: Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syrian Arab Republic.
3 endowments amounting to Six thousand Euros (€6,000) each will be granted to Arab women pursuing a PhD (doctoral degree) in Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the following countries: Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Syrian Arab Republic. The total amount must be used to cover expenses related to regional or international scientific missions, training, specialized courses, conferences, and congresses. It could be used as well to purchase special software, scientific articles/ books, and fees of publications in international indexed journals.

Eligibility

Postdoctoral Researchers:

Having obtained a PhD in one of the science fields mentioned in the program overview.
Being of Iraqi, Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian, or Syrian nationality.
Working in a Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the countries mentioned.
Candidates must be no more than 45 years old, considering the year of birth (Born in 1979 and beyond).

Ph.D. Students

Having obtained a Bachelor’s (B.Sc.) and a Master’s (M.Sc.) degree, or equivalent, in one of the science fields mentioned.
Should be a full-time student in Ph.D. and having registered during 2023-2024 in the 2nd year of the Ph.D. program, or one year before the thesis defense.
Being of Iraqi, Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian, or Syrian nationality.
Working in a Research Laboratory, Institute, or University in one of the countries mentioned in the program overview.
Candidates must be no more than 35 years old, taking into account the year of birth (born in 1989 and beyond).

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria of the candidate by the jury are the following:

The candidate’s outstanding academic record (including the number, quality, and impact of the scientific publications, conference presentations, and patents…).
The scientific quality and usefulness of the research project.
Abide by international ethical regulations in all research steps.
The innovative approach (rationale, relevance, originality, outputs, applications, etc.) and the expected outcomes of the research
The ability of the candidate to communicate and promote sciences to a younger audience and to encourage young female researchers.
The candidate’s career path.
The application will be considered complete if it contains a detailed description of the research project and its methodology.
Consideration with regards to animal testing:
- Any project using experimental protocols likely to generate animal suffering will be rejected, even if it has been approved by an ad hoc ethics committee.
- If animal experimentation is to be conducted as part of the applicant’s submitted research, it must be described in detail and indicated in what way it cannot be substituted. The necessity of the animal experiments or the lack of alternatives must be justified. Jury members must take a position based on these elements or ask for clarification if necessary.
- A commitment by the candidate not to cause animal suffering during the project for which she is applying for the award will be included in the application forms and must be officially signed.
Endowments are exclusively dedicated to the development of scientific research and can under no circumstance be a substitute to the duties of the laboratory vis-à-vis its researchers. Endowments are non-renewable and can be combined with other research grants.