New Brunswick, N.J., June 11, 2021 – Johnson & Johnson announced today its prestigious Women in STEM2D (WiSTEM2D) Scholar Award recipients, marking the fifth year since the Awards’ inception. The program recognizes one scholar in each STEM2D discipline: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Manufacturing and Design, and provides each recipient with $150,000 in research funding and three years of mentorship from Johnson & Johnson. Six diverse, international female recipients were selected out of a competitive global applicant pool that garnered more than 650 applications from 40 countries.
Launched in 2017, the Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D Scholar Awards aims to fuel the development of female STEM2D leaders and feed the STEM2D talent pipeline by sponsoring women at critical points in their careers. This year is especially noteworthy given the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The COVID-19 pandemic not only disrupted our global economy and healthcare system, but also forced many women working in STEM2D fields to leave the workforce or delay their careers. This worldwide health crisis has demonstrated the need for a robust and diverse scientific community to develop groundbreaking, lifechanging solutions to help solve global problems,” said Cat Oyler, Vice President, Integration Leader, Janssen Research & Development, LLC and WiSTEM2D University Sponsor. “As we continue to fight against the pandemic, Johnson & Johnson remains committed to supporting women in STEM2D and their invaluable contributions that will help change the trajectory of human health.”
JOHNSON & JOHNSON’S 2021 WISTEM2D SCHOLARS AWARD WINNERS
The winners’ research projects demonstrate key global innovations across diverse fields of interest. The 2021 WiSTEM2D Scholars Award recipients are:
- Science: Dr. Hee-Sun Han, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Dr. Han’s research focuses on image-based RNA mapping and sequencing for complex biological systems, such as cancer, and single viral species such as wastewater.
- Technology: Dr. Gayathri Naidu, Ph.D.
ARC DECRA Fellow/Senior Lecturer, University of Technology, Sydney
Dr. Naidu is researching off-grid solar membrane water treatment, which has the potential to convert sea water to fresh water and contribute to reducing carbon emissions.
- Engineering: Dr. Shayanti Mukherjee, Ph.D.
Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Australia
Dr. Mukherjee works to advance women’s urogynaecological health using nanotechnology and 3D cellular bioprinting, helping to address unmet medical needs of up to 50 percent of childbearing women worldwide.
- Mathematics: Dr. Ivana Bozic, Ph.D.
University of Washington
Dr. Bozic develops computational models to study the evolutionary dynamics of cancer and uses mathematics to optimize cancer immunotherapy.
- Manufacturing: Dr. Sabbie Miller, Ph.D.
University of California, Davis
Dr. Miller’s research seeks to advance optimize plastics manufacturing, with the goal of mitigating their harm to both human health and the environment.
- Design: Dr. Hannah Stuart, Ph.D.
University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Stuart’s research spans design, robotics and medical prosthetics and focuses on decoding the complexities of human hand function for assistive technologies design.
About Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D
Building a diverse STEM2D community is one approach Johnson & Johnson is taking as part of a broader effort to accelerate the development of women leaders and support women at all stages of their life to improve global health and well-being and drive sustainable economic growth. Johnson & Johnson launched the WiSTEM2D (Women in Science, Technology, Math, Manufacturing and Design) program in 2015 to increase the representation of women in science and technical fields. The program’s multifaceted approach is designed to engage females at three pivotal development stages in their lives:
- Youth (Ages 5 to 18 years): Johnson & Johnson is partnering with organizations to align curriculum in schools, augment program-based learning and engage Johnson & Johnson employees around the world as mentors to students.
- University: Johnson & Johnson is partnering with leading academic institutions to develop high-impact strategies for increasing the number of women enrolling in and graduating with STEM2D programs and degrees. At the graduate level, Johnson & Johnson has implemented to STEM2D Scholars Award to increase the number of women pursuing research in STEM2D fields.
- Professionals: Johnson & Johnson is identifying and implementing best practices for attracting and retaining the world’s best technical female talent.
For additional information, visit: https://www.jnj.com/wistem2d.
About Johnson & Johnson
At Johnson & Johnson, we believe good health is the foundation of vibrant lives, thriving communities and forward progress. That’s why for more than 130 years, we have aimed to keep people well at every age and every stage of life. Today, as the world’s largest and most broadly-based healthcare company, we are committed to using our reach and size for good. We strive to improve access and affordability, create healthier communities, and put a healthy mind, body and environment within reach of everyone, everywhere. We are blending our heart, science and ingenuity to profoundly change the trajectory of health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com. Follow us at @JNJNews.