Buse Aktaş receives L’Oréal UNESCO award „For Women in Science“

Under the motto “The world needs science—and science needs women,” the L’Oréal Foundation , and UNESCO have been committed to promoting women in research since 1998. The “For Women in Science” program, which has been firmly established in Germany since 2007, has already supported more than 4,700 female scientists worldwide, including seven who went on to win the Nobel Prize. In Germany, the program is organized in cooperation with the German UNESCO Commission and the German Humboldt Network e.V.; to date, more than 50 awards have been presented in this country.

This year’s awards ceremony on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, will once again—together with guests from politics, society, the media, and research—raise the profile of women in science. TV host Arabella Kiesbauer will host the evening at D’Haus. 
Also appearing on stage will be:

•    Fashion designer Guido Maria Kretschmer
•    Career mentor and author of *Machtgebiete*, Christina Sontheim-Leven 
•    Futurist Prof. Anabel Ternès von Hattburg 

In addition, video messages will be sent by, among others, Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space, and patron of “For Women in Science” in Germany, and Mona Neubaur, Minister of Economic Affairs for North Rhine-Westphalia.
This year, the awards—each worth 25,000 euros—will be presented to:

Dr. Buse Aktaş who conducts research on multi-purpose materials at the intersection of mechanics, robotics, and materials science. She develops materials that can be transformed from a flexible state to a stable state through pressure. This allows a component to serve, for example, as a soft robotic finger or as a rigid, load-bearing support, thereby conserving valuable resources. 

Dr. Dorit Brixius (Dresden University of Technology) bridges cultural history and the natural sciences by reconstructing historical perfumes and cosmetic formulations from the 17th century. In doing so, she makes forgotten bodies of premodern knowledge accessible while simultaneously raising the profile of women as pioneers of early science.

Dr. Mansi Singh (Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt) conducts research in the field of applied mathematics and develops innovative methods to analyze complex ocean and climate dynamics, drastically speeding up weather and climate simulations while maintaining their precision—which saves valuable computing resources and improves the prediction of extreme weather.

Dr. Anna Zieleniewska (Technical University of Munich, TUM Campus Straubing) conducts research at the intersection of physical chemistry and photophysics, investigating how electronic devices and sensors can be powered efficiently—without traditional batteries—using energy from their immediate environment, such as light, heat, or moisture. To this end, she is studying soft, flexible energy materials at the molecular level to make them more stable and efficient.

“We are proud of these outstanding female researchers whose work shapes our daily lives and our future,” emphasizes Jean-Christophe Letellier, CEO of L’Oréal DACH. “Whether in modern climate research, sustainable energy technologies, or circular robotics—this year’s ‘For Women in Science’ award winners impressively demonstrate the indispensable contribution women make to scientific progress. With our award, we are once again providing a platform for these impressive scientists at our home base in Düsseldorf, raising their visibility, and at the same time encouraging young female talent to confidently pursue their own paths.” 

“Gender equality in education, science, culture, and communication has been a top priority for UNESCO for 20 years,” adds Prof. Dr. Maria Böhmer, President of the German Commission for UNESCO. “Despite all the progress made, Germany has not yet succeeded sufficiently in enabling women in research to balance their careers with starting a family. As a result, Germany continues to have a below-average proportion of women in top professorial positions compared to the rest of the EU. With ‘For Women in Science,’ we recognize outstanding scientific achievements and draw attention to the need to provide women with equal access to science.”

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About L’Oréal

For more than 115 years, L’Oréal, the world’s leading beauty company, has been dedicated to a single goal: fulfilling the beauty aspirations of consumers around the world. Our mission—to create beauty that moves the world—defines our approach to beauty as essential, inclusive, ethical, generous, and committed to social and environmental sustainability. With our broad portfolio of 40 international brands and our ambitious sustainability commitments under our “L’Oréal for the Future” program, we offer everyone in the world the best in quality, efficacy, safety, integrity, and responsibility, while celebrating beauty in all its infinite diversity.

With more than 95,000 dedicated employees, a balanced geographic presence, and distribution across all sales channels (e-commerce, mass market, department stores, pharmacies, perfume shops, hair salons, brand retail, and travel retail), the Group generated revenue of 44.05 billion euros in 2025. With 22 research centers in seven regional hubs worldwide and a dedicated research and innovation team of over 4,000 scientists, as well as more than 8,000 talents in the fields of digital, tech, and data, L’Oréal is focused on shaping the future of beauty and becoming a beauty-tech powerhouse.

In 2025, L’Oréal was named Europe’s most innovative company by Fortune magazine in a ranking of 300 companies spanning 21 countries and 16 industries across Europe.

L’Oréal is also the leader in the cosmetics market in Germany. The group has four locations in the country, including a factory in Karlsruhe. L’Oréal employs approximately 3,000 people in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

About the German National Commission for UNESCO 
 
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, with 194 member states and headquarters in Paris. Through international cooperation in these fields, it promotes the intellectual and moral solidarity of humankind and, thereby, peace and security. UNESCO is not only committed to preserving particularly valuable cultural heritage, but is also the world’s leading organization in promoting equitable and high-quality education, freedom of the press, and research into the planet’s resources. For decades, UNESCO has made equity and equality a cross-cutting priority, as structural disadvantages for women begin as early as access to early childhood education. 
 
The German Commission for UNESCO serves as the interface between the German government, civil society, and UNESCO in all of UNESCO’s areas of work. It ensures that UNESCO’s international law and programs have the greatest possible impact in Germany and helps to successfully represent the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany within UNESCO.

About the German Humboldt Network 
 
The German Humboldt Network is a forum for all Humboldt scholars in Germany. What characterizes us is our participation in cutting-edge international research and the diverse cultural experiences we bring back to Germany. This has had a lasting impact on our lives and creates a sense of intellectual kinship that defines the Humboldt family. 

The DHN aims to (i) intensify exchange within the Humboldt family in Germany, (ii) engage in dialogue with other Humboldt associations around the world, (iii) support the AvH in its activities, and engage with society and its ongoing changes. The German Humboldt Network (DHN) is organized into 23 regional groups. This ensures that all interested scholars in Germany—both DHN members and non-members as guests—can participate in the diverse activities with reasonable effort. The DHN maintains a website at www.dhn-ev.de, which features a calendar of events and important downloads. A newsletter is published twice a year, and the more than 430 members have exclusive access to a password-protected forum. Of particular importance are the annual conferences, where socially relevant topics are publicly discussed on a panel with prominent figures from politics and society. Experienced DHN members also offer young alumni of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation free mentoring after their fellowship, during the phase of career orientation both within and outside universities and colleges.