About this Award
Launched in 2013, the OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists reward and encourage women working and living in developing countries who are in the early stages of their scientific careers, having often overcome great challenges to achieve research excellence. Awardees must have made a demonstrable impact on the research environment, both at a regional and international level, and must have received their PhD in the last ten years.The awards programme grew out of a one-time award given in 2011 by OWSD, the Elsevier Foundation and TWAS, the World Academy of Sciences, which was given to 11 early career women from developing countries working in STEM subjects. In 2013, the current awards programme was launched, with the number of awards reduced to 5 per year (one from each OWSD region plus one additional outstanding candidate) on a three-year rotation of award categories, in order to provide more focus and visibility. The eligible scientific disciplines for each year were organized into general fields:
Each winner receives a cash prize of USD 5,000 and is sponsored to attend the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), held every year in February*. The winners are presented their awards at a special networking ceremony, and have the possibility to attend workshops and sessions at the AAAS meeting, visit local laboratories and institutions, and attend a celebratory dinner organized by the Elsevier Foundation. The meeting is an important opportunity to establish contacts and collaboration networks with colleagues from different parts of the world.
*The 2021 AAAS annual meeting will be held entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An alternative venue or possible online event will be proposed at a later date.
The OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards have an important impact on local research cultures. Previous winners say the awards have had a powerful effect, enhancing the visibility of their past work and creating new opportunities for the future. The awardees are also powerful role models for young women in science.
Find a list of all previous awardees here.
The call opens each year in June and closes end of August.
Contact
OWSD Secretariat
owsd@owsd.net
Phone: +39 040 2240530
The call for applications for the OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early Career Women Scientists in the Developing World is now open. Deadline for submitted applications is 30 September, 2020.
All applications must be submitted online. In order to help you prepare, you can see our application guidelines here for your reference.
The official language for the application is English.
If you are submitting any supporting documents (such as residency certificate, degree certificate, etc.) in a language which is not English, you must attach an (informal) translation into English. Documents in other languages with no accompanying English translation will not be considered.
Eligibility
The applicant must be a woman who has received her PhD in a scientific discipline within the previous ten years and is currently undertaking scientific research in one of the eligible fields below.
The 2021 Awards for Physical Sciences are offered in the fields of Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics. Any combination of these fields (i.e. interdisciplinary) is acceptable. You can see a list of eligible disciplines here.
In addition, the applicant must have lived and worked in one of the following science and technology lagging countries for at least 5 of the last 15 years*:
Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Dem. Rep. Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Arab Region: Djibouti, Palestine (West Bank & Gaza Strip), Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen.
Asia and the Pacific: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao People's Dem. Rep., Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
Latin America and the Caribbean: Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay.
*Please note:
Preference will be given to those candidates not currently (or within the last three years) in receipt of TWAS or OWSD awards, fellowships or grants. If in doubt about your situation, please contact owsd@owsd.net.
Prize
The 5 awards will be distributed as follows: one for each of the four regions of the developing world, plus an additional ¨floating” award for an outstanding candidate from any of these regions.
Applications
Applications for the 2021 awards are invited from women scientists working in the Physical Sciences (chemistry, mathematics and physics), who have lived and worked for at least 5 years in an eligible STLC.
Applications must be made online, in English, and must include:
The following documents can be submitted as proof of residence as long as the name of the applicant (as written in the online form) appears clearly: statement from the local police office or municipality, population registry office, rental agreement, utilities bills, employment contract. This list is not exhaustive and alternative documents can be considered. Please write to owsd@owsd.net if you are not sure about the eligibility of your documents.
The deadline for submission of applications for the 2021 awards is 30 September 2020.
Application guidelines and a sample application form can be found here.
Selection
The competition will be judged by a distinguished panel of specialists in the appropriate fields and who are aware of the challenges facing women scientists in developing countries.
Traditionally, the selection committee has met in person at the OWSD Secretariat based in Trieste, Italy and we have been able to draw on a broad range of expertise from this 'City of Science', including the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the University of Trieste, Elettra Sincratrone, The International School for Advanced Sciences (SISSA) and the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). Now that we face special conditions this year (owing to the COVID 19 pandemic) in person meetings are limited and we are drawing on a broader pool of experts based also in the developing world. The Selection Panel is chaired by the OWSD Coordinator with full administrative support from the OWSD Secretariat.
Assessment is based on the applicant’s achievements in her scientific field, with additional attention paid to evidence of leadership skills, initiative and innovation, as well as to the candidate’s involvement in capacity building, outreach and civic contribution.
Successful candidates will be informed of their selection by 31 December 2020.
See the Complete Details Here https://owsd.net/career-development/awards
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