Johnson & Johnson Shares the Mission of Women in Stem Scholar Awardees

Originally published at jnj.com. Johnson & Johnson is a Hall of Fame company.

 

Figuring out how disruptions in circadian rhythm may cause cancer in young people. Using mathematical equations to stop the transmission of malaria. Harnessing nanotechnology to help patients with facial bone defects.

These big ideas have the potential to change the world — just like the women who are pursuing them.

This year, six female researchers received a 2022 Johnson & Johnson Scholars Award, which honors women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, math, manufacturing and design (STEM2D). In 2017 the company launched the program to fuel the development of female STEM2D leaders and feed the talent pipeline by awarding and sponsoring women at critical points in their careers. The goal is to support the research passion of the awarded women and inspire career paths in their fields. The 2022 Scholars will each receive $150,000 in funding and three years of mentorship from Johnson & Johnson.

It’s just one of the many ways the company is helping promote women in STEM2D. For example, for the past four years, the company has partnered with Girls Who Code (GWC), an organization that’s working to increase the number of girls in STEM and close the gender gap in new entry-level tech jobs by 2030. In 2022 50 students across the U.S. — half of whom come from historically underrepresented groups — participated in the Johnson & Johnson and GWC virtual summer immersion program to learn coding, gain exposure to tech jobs and receive mentoring and coaching.

Indeed, uplifting young women in STEM is an area of passion for these Johnson & Johnson Scholars while they forge a path toward making their own research dreams a reality.

We sat down with these six university researchers to learn more about their work, get a sense of where they see themselves in 20 years, ask about their best advice for other women pursuing careers in STEM and more.

Working to eradicate cancers by targeting the circadian clock: Selma Masri, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine

Using nanotechnology to restore quality of life for patients with facial bone defects: Ange-Therese Akono, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Northwestern University

Developing rechargeable batteries for implantable biomedical devices: Feifei Shi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Energy Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)

Using mathematics to understand malaria — and stop its transmission: Miranda Teboh-Ewungkem, Ph.D., Professor of Practice, Department of Mathematics, Lehigh University

Engineering electronic devices used for monitoring, diagnosing and treating patients: Noémie-Manuelle Dorval Courchesne, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Canada

Improving 3D printing to make better bone implants for patients: Atieh Moridi, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University

Read more about their stories here.

Related

Trending Now

Follow us

Most Popular

Join Our Newsletter

Get the top workplace fairness news delivered straight to your inbox