TRIESTE, Italy — The Council of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), which aims for the advancement of science in developing countries, has awarded Dr. Hayat Sindi, a world leading biotechnologist, the 2020 Medal Lecture in recognition of her outstanding career achievements with international impact as a Saudi Arabian scientist.

This is quite exceptional as it is uncommon that TWAS awards a Medal Lecture to a non-TWAS member.

Professor Mohamed Hassan, TWAS president, stated: “This award is a recognition of putting innovation to the service of the developing world and of the promotion of science education among the new generations of scientists. The TWAS Medal Lecture is a celebration of Dr. Hayat’s achievements in biotechnology as well as her leading and inspirational role as a woman scientist.”

Dr. Hayat is a passionate advocate for the promotion of science-based skills for women, particularly in the developing world. Dr. Hayat maintained A-Level marks in order to meet British entry criteria, and went on to earn a degree in pharmacology with honors from King’s College London in 1996, and became the first woman from the Gulf to obtain a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Cambridge University. Then she served for five years as a visiting scholar at Harvard University.

Dr. Hayat is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Sciences and one of the 25 global experts selected by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon to the UN Scientific Advisory board; and a member of the Ten Members group to support the Technological Facilitation mechanism (TF) for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

She was recently featured in the BBC’s 100 Women series; and she was named by Forbes as the second most powerful woman in Saudi Arabia and listed in Newsweek’s “150 Women Who Shake the World.”

The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting over 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in developing countries.

Its headquarters are in Trieste, Italy. TWAS was founded in 1983 by a group of distinguished scientists who were determined to do something about the dismal state of scientific research in developing countries.

TWAS works in close association with the Abdus Salam International Centre of Theoretical Physics (ICTP), a driving force behind global efforts to advance scientific expertise in the developing world. — SG