L'Oréal USA Announces Call for Applications for 2018 For Women In Science Program

NEW YORK, Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, L'Oréal USA announced the opening of the application period for the 2018 For Women in Science program, a national fellowship that recognizes and rewards women researchers at critical stages in their careers for their contributions in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields and commitment to mentoring the next generation of women in STEM.

Each year, L'Oréal USA partners with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to identify five exceptional U.S.-based female postdoctoral scientists who are granted $60,000 each to advance their research. Over the last 14 years, the L'Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship program has awarded 70 postdoctoral women scientists more than $3.5 million in grants. The program attracts incredibly talented applicants from a variety of scientific fields, representing some of the nation's leading academic institutions and laboratories.

"The For Women in Science program was created out of the belief that the world needs science and science needs women," said Lauren Paige, Vice President of Public Affairs & Strategic Initiatives at L'Oréal USA.  "As a company that relies on the contributions of a global scientific workforce that is 70% women, we're proud to honor extraordinary female scientists and support their ongoing research to change the world."

The 2017 For Women in Science fellowship recipients were recognized last month at a ceremony at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. for their pioneering research across a broad range of fields including immunobiology, mechanical and biomedical engineering, evolutionary biology, physics and biology.

"I feel proud to have been chosen as a For Women in Science fellow, and honored with the responsibility of encouraging more women to pursue careers in STEM," said Sydney Schreppler, a 2017 L'Oreal USA For Women in Science Fellow and current postdoctoral researcher in Physics at UC Berkeley. "I appreciate that the program not only awards women's achievements in research, but also celebrates their contributions in mentoring. Having strong female mentors has been critical to my career as a research scientist, so I'm thrilled that I can support a new young woman colleague in my group with my fellowship funding."

Application Process:

The 2018 L'Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship application period begins on December 4, 2017 and runs until February 2, 2018. Applicants should have exceptional academic records, clearly articulated research proposals with the potential for scientific achievement, outstanding letters of recommendation from advisors and demonstrated success or interest in supporting women and girls in STEM through community service or outreach initiatives.

AAAS manages 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. Fellowship winners will be announced in October and the awards ceremony will follow in Washington, D.C. Applications and additional information are available at www.lorealusa.com/forwomeninscience.

The U.S. fellowships are part of the global For Women in Science program, a partnership between the L'Oreal Foundation and UNESCO, to provide support for women researchers on all continents and at different points in their careers. Throughout its nearly twenty year history, the program has recognized more than 2,500 women, including two Nobel Prize recipients, in 115 countries.

ABOUT L'ORÉAL USA

L'Oréal USA is the largest subsidiary of the L'Oréal Group, the world's leading beauty company. L'Oréal USA manages a portfolio of more than 30 iconic beauty brands, including Garnier, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Kérastase, Lancôme, La Roche-Posay, L'Oréal Paris and Yves Saint Laurent Beauté.  L'Oréal USA also serves as the international hub for the product development and marketing strategy for L'Oréal's 16 American brands: Baxter of California, Carol's Daughter, Clarisonic, Dermablend, Essie, IT Cosmetics, Kiehl's, Matrix, Maybelline New York, Mizani, NYX Professional Makeup, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Redken, Softsheen-Carson, SkinCeuticals and Urban Decay. Generating more than $6 billion in sales annually, L'Oréal USA is committed to growth through sustainable innovation, driven by the company's Sharing Beauty With All ambition for sustainable development across the Group's value chain. The company is headquartered in New York City, employs more than 11,000 people, and operates administrative, research, manufacturing and distribution facilities across 14 states, including Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Washington. For more information, visit www.lorealusa.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @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 as well as Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling, the digital, open-access journal Science Advances, Science Robotics and Science Immunology. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes some 250 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. The non-profit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org, the premier science-news website, a service of AAAS. See www.aaas.org.

SOURCE L'Oreal USA