Honorary Fellow and alumna, Professor Dame Carol Robinson has been named the 2015 European Laureate in the 17th annual L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards
The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award celebrates the outstanding achievements of women in science and is recognised as one of the premier international science awards.
Professor Dame Carol Robinson, a world leader in mass spectrometry, has been honoured for creating a revolutionary method for studying how proteins function, particularly membrane proteins, and establishing a whole new scientific field: gas phase structural biology. The award recognises her pioneering work, which could have a significant impact on medical research.
Commenting on her award, Professor Robinson said:
“I’m delighted to win this award which, of course, is for my research group and all the people who have worked for me.”
The Laureates were selected through nominations by a network of nearly 1000 members of the international scientific community and then by an awards jury made up of 12 prominent scientists who were personally chosen by the President of the Jury and 1999 Nobel Prize winner, Professor Ahmed Zewail.
A spokesperson for the award said:
“This year’s five Laureates are being honoured for their ground-breaking discoveries in the physical sciences. By studying the infinitely large to the infinitely small, they have pushed back the frontiers of knowledge to explain the most fundamental questions of the universe and contribute to solving some of today’s greatest challenges.
Each of these women is a brilliant example of scientific excellence. They prove everyday that women can greatly contribute to scientific progress in a field still largely dominated by men. Passionate in life as much as in their work, they are also committed to giving back to their communities and transmitting their love of science.”
Professor Robinson was a graduate student at Churchill College from 1980–1982 completing her PhD in two years and went on to became the first female Professor of Chemistry at both the University Oxford and the University of Cambridge. She is passionate about encouraging women into the world of science and hopes to use some of the award’s grant money to ‘try to do something imaginative and a bit different’ to encourage women scientists.
Photo: Professor Dame Carol Robinson , Laureate of the 2015 L’Oreal-Unesco For Women in Science Award. Photo copyright Brigitte Lacombe.
Related event
Professor Dame Carol Robinson in Conversation with Churchill Master — Professor Dame Athene Donald
October 12 2015.
