L'Oreal USA Announces Call for 2016 For Women in Science Program Applications

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, L'Oreal USA announced the start of the 2016 application period for the For Women in Science fellowship program.  The national program recognizes and rewards the contributions women make in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields and identifies exceptional women researchers committed to serving as role models for younger generations. Five U.S.-based women will receive a fellowship grant of $60,000 each for their postdoctoral research through the program.

"Women across the country are making scientific breakthroughs every day that are critical to the future of STEM. The For Women in Science program brings these contributions to light with the underlying belief that the world needs science and science needs women," said Lauren Paige, Vice President Public Affairs & Strategic Initiatives at L'Oreal USA. "As a company that depends on the contributions women make in STEM, L'Oreal is honored to support the next generation of women scientists at a critical stage of their career."

Since the L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science program began in 1998, more than 2,250 scientists in over 110 countries have been recognized for their work. In the U.S., the For Women in Science fellowship program has awarded 60 post-doctoral women scientists nearly $3 million in grants. The 2015 For Women in Science fellows included an exoplanetary astrophysicist, a marine microbiologist, a synthetic biologist, a cancer bioengineer and a condensed matter physicist, each conducting innovative research with the potential to impact people's lives and our world.

"The L'Oreal For Women in Science fellowship supports female scientists as they reach a crucial moment in their career, when they are especially likely to leak from the scientific pipeline," said Ming Yi, a 2015 For Women in Science fellow. "The fellowship is a meaningful initiative to both support women in science and push for gender equality in STEM, and I am grateful for L'Oreal's support as I advance my research."

The 2016 L'Oreal USA For Women in Science fellowship application period begins on November 30, 2015 and runs until February 5, 2016. Candidates should have exceptional academic records and intellectual merit, clearly articulated research proposals with the potential for scientific advancement and outstanding letters of recommendation from advisors. Applicants are also evaluated on their commitment to supporting women and girls in STEM.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) partners with L'Oreal USA to manage the program's two-round application and peer-review process. In the first round, applications are evaluated by experienced scientists in the candidates' respective fields. In the second round, a distinguished jury of eminent scientists evaluates the top-ranked candidates and selects the five winners.

Each year, the program attracts talented applicants from diverse scientific fields, representing some of the nation's leading academic institutions and laboratories.  Winners will be announced by September and the awards ceremony will take place in October in Washington, D.C. Applications and additional information are available at www.lorealusa.com/forwomeninscience.

ABOUT L'OREAL USA
L'Oreal USA is the largest subsidiary of the L'Oreal Group, the worldwide leader in beauty. L'Oreal USA manages a portfolio of more than 30 iconic beauty brands, including Clarisonic, Essie, Garnier, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Kerastase, Kiehl's, Lancome, L'Oreal Paris, Matrix, Maybelline New York, NYX, Redken, Soft-Sheen Carson, Urban Decay and Yves Saint Laurent Beaute. In addition to its corporate headquarters in New York City, L'Oreal USA has research, manufacturing and distribution facilities across 13 other states including Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Washington with a workforce of more than 10,000 employees. For more information, visit www.LOrealUSA.com or follow on Twitter @LOrealUSA.

ABOUT AAAS
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science (www.sciencemag.org) as well as Science Translational Medicine (www.sciencetranslationalmedicine.org) and Science Signaling (www.sciencesignaling.org). AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The non-profit AAAS (www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education; and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org, the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS.

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SOURCE L'Oreal USA