The ScientistA Program
Celebrating Excellence Among Scientists
With the ScientistA award, Dimension Sciences with its partners celebrates the astounding contributions Brazilian women are making to sciences at US academic institutions and companies in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.
This award celebrates excellence and innovation, encouraging more women to pursue careers in sciences and technology, and highlighting the significant impact of their work.
2024 ScientistA Award Winners
Dr. Janaina Calu Costa, 1st Prize.
- Institution: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, MA
- Research: Maternal and Child Nutrition.
- Impact: Dr. Costa's project focuses on improving health and nutrition for mothers and children worldwide. Informing public health strategies and preventive medicine. Exploring social determinants and cultural norms impacting health.
Dr. Camila de Souza Silva, Outstanding Performance
- Institution: Boston Children's H., Harvard Medical School, MA
- Research: Dr. Silva’s project breaks new ground in understanding Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and cellular biology.
- Impact: This work not only offers fresh insights into immune responses and inflammation but also holds the potential to transform our approach to DVT treatment.
Dr. Stephanie Stransky, Honorable Mention
- Institution: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY
- Research: Developing New Research Tools for Aging Studies
- Impact: Dr. Stransky has been working on advanced mass spectrometry methods to explore proteome changes in aging cells. With her colleagues she created a portable incubator for 3D cells, paving the way for personalized medicine applications.
Dr. Thais Barros Rodrigues, Honorable Mention
- Institution: Nufarm, NC
- Research: Agriculture
- Impact: Dr. Rodrigues current role as the Global Director of Discovery and Pre-development, Biology Portfolio Solutions allows her to have an impact on research and development.
Dr. Sheila Tiemi Nagamatsu, Honorable Mention
- Institution: Yale School of Medicine, CT
- Research: Innovation in Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) research
- Impact: Including underrepresented groups to enrich our understanding and data relevancy. Cross-tissue, multi-omic integration: A groundbreaking approach providing a holistic view of OUD's epigenetic landscape. This work lays the groundwork for transforming OUD research and treatment approaches.
Dr. Ana Beatriz Barletta Ferreira, Honorable Mention
- Institution: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/NIH, MD
- Research: Mosquito immune cells:
- Impact: Identified nine immune cell profiles in Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti using single-cell sequencing. Developed a new method combining in situ hybridization with confocal microscopy. This allows us to see molecular profiles on top of cell shapes. Discovered a new cell type named "megacytes" in Anopheles gambiae, not found in Aedes aegypti. Megacytes are big granulocytes that move to infected areas to fight Plasmodium infections.
ScientistA Program Summary
Program Benefits
Program Benefits
Program Benefits
In addition to exposure and recognition, and networking opportunities, Dimensions Sciences and partners provide cash awards (US$2,000 in 2023) and honorable mentions.
Candidates
Program Benefits
Program Benefits
The program funds women scientists from Brazil performing postdoctoral level research in the US. Projects focus on the life or medical sciences field.
Application
Program Benefits
Application
The application for the 2025 award has not opened yet. Sign up for our newsletter and be amongst the first ones to know when applications for the next award cycle will open.
Thank you to all applicants! This year, we received 43 amazing applications. Thirty-five candidates met the award requirements. All candidates hold postdoctoral, research associate, instructor, or equivalent position in a research institution in academia or industry in the US.
Qualified candidates were thoroughly assessed by a peer-review process. Each candidate was evaluated by a minimum of three judges.
Evaluations were be based on:
- Scientific merit
- The potential impact of the project
- Candidate's career trajectory
A big thank you to our extensive network of judges from social sciences, health sciences, ecology, genetics, biomedical areas, and more.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
The ScientistA awards name came from merging the word "scientist" and "cientista" (female scientist in Portuguese). The play on words highlights the focus on women scientists and interfaces with both English and Portuguese language. The pronunciation also merges both English and Portuguese with the first part of the word pronounced as is in English and the A at the end pronounced as it would sound in Portuguese (Á H). Our name embodies the strength of these women in science building bridges between both countries.
Applications for the current award cycle are now closed, check back soon to see when we will open applications for the next round of awards.
In the meantime, feel free to review past application guidelines here.
The candidates will be evaluated based on scientific merit, innovation, and candidate profile.
In the meantime, feel free to review the past selection process (2024 award) here.
Please reach us by email to Scientific Committee at scientista@dimensionssciences.org if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Learn More About Past ScientistA Awards
2024 Organizing Committee
2024 Partners - In-Kind Support
2024 Partners - Promotional Support
This website uses cookies.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.