L’Oréal and UNESCO For Women in Science fellowships: Romanian winners announced

Sanda Boca, Iuliana Stoica, Alina Sesarman, and Anita Vișan are the Romanian winners of the L’Oréal and UNESCO For Women in Science fellowships.

The four fellowships, amounting to RON 47,000 (EUR 9,790) each, will support their research in life sciences and physical sciences, Stirileprotv.ro reported.

The awarded researchers work on projects that aim to develop a device for the rapid and early detection of circulating tumor markers; an alternative to conventional support materials used in the current flexible electronic devices; the in-vitro-development of a 3D melanoma model that would avoid the use of animals for scientific purposes; and the roll-out of studies concerning the development of medical implants enriched with renewable materials, antimicrobial properties, at low costs.

Two of the researchers work for institutes or departments of the Babeș Bolyai University (UBB) in Cluj-Napoca, and the other two are affiliated with institutes in Iași and Măgurele, close to Bucharest. Sanda Boca, 38, Works at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Experimental Research in Bio-Nano-Science of UBB. Iuliana Stoica, 39, works at the Petru Poni Macromolecular Chemistry Institute in Iași. Alina Sesarman, 39, works in the Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Department of UBB, while Anita Vișan, 36, at the National Institute for Laser, Plasma & Radiation Physics (INFLPR) in Măgurele.

The L’Oréal and UNESCO For Women in Science program was launched in Romania in 1999. It awards women researchers younger than 40, working in physical sciences or life sciences, either Ph.D. students or who have earned their Ph.D. and are enrolled in a post-graduate program in Romania. The winners are selected by top names of the local scientific community.

This year’s edition of the local program received 74 applications from researchers in 16 cities, working for 29 institutes and universities.

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