The Suffrage Science Awards, conceived to honour pioneering women in science, celebrated achievement in the Life Sciences in March 2026. The awards took place on the evening of Monday 9 March 2026, when 11 recipients, including the Department's Professor Kate Watkins, received their awards at a dual-venue ceremony in the heart of Oxford’s University Science Area. The evening kicked off with a welcome reception and the awards were hosted in the Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building. A panel discussion on global challenges and opportunities facing women scientists and a talk followed at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology.
Co-founder of the awards Professor Dame Amanda Fisher hosted the event with Professor Liz Robertson of the Dunn School, and science writer and presenter Kat Arney, freelance communicator at First Create The Media.
The scheme originally recognised pioneering leaders solely in life sciences, but this grew to also honour women in the fields of engineering and physical sciences, and in mathematics and computing.
There are now almost 200 holders of the Suffrage Science heirlooms creating a network of inspirational women from across the globe.
All awardees are nominated by previous holders of the award. Professor Watkins was nominated by eminent neuroscientist Faraneh Vargha-Khadem. She said in her nomination: "It is my great pleasure to nominate Professor Kate Watkins as a recipient of the 2026 Suffrage Science Awards. Kate is a leading cognitive neuroscientist whose research has transformed our understanding of the neural basis of speech and language. Starting from her PhD project, Kate has carried out ground-breaking research in developmental speech and language disorders, including verbal and oral-motor dyspraxia associated with a mutation in the FOXP2 gene, and developmental stuttering. She leads the Brain, Speech and Language Research Group at the University of Oxford where she has combined state of the art neuroimaging techniques with non-invasive brain stimulation to deliver mechanistic insights with clear translational implications. She has also provided exceptional academic leadership and service to the field."
Kate is a leading cognitive neuroscientist whose research has transformed our understanding of the neural basis of speech and language.
- Faraney Vargha-Khadem
Head of Department, Professor Matthew Rushworth, said: "This is fantastic but also a very well-deserved award for Professor Kate Watkins. It acknowledges the seminal role that Professor Watkins' work has played in our understanding of the brain mechanisms of language and her continued leadership in the field. Her work on stuttering and developmental language disorder emphasises how important it is to interweave fundamental research with research on individual variation in language."
Other awardees are:
CHRYSTALINA ANTONIADES, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, nominated by Lynn Rochester
Professor Antoniades is leading work transforming the way people with neurodegenerative brain conditions (such as Parkinson’s) are diagnosed and monitored. Her contributions are helping to fundamentally change how new therapies are evaluated and inform personalised treatments, ultimately improving the lives of people worldwide. Her scientific discovery and support of early career researchers is balanced against her talent and passion to engage the public and patients with these conditions about her work – building trust in science. She is truly deserving of this award.
SARAH COOLEY, Earth Science Data Partners, nominated by Samantha Joye
Dr. Sarah Cooley is a preeminent marine scientist who is currently Executive Director of Earth Science Information Partners. She is formerly the Director of the Ocean Acidification Program at NOAA, a role she assumed in 2024 after more than a decade of leadership at the Ocean Conservancy. Dr. Cooley has spent her career at the vital intersection of chemical oceanography, socioeconomic impact, and public policy. She has an extraordinary ability to translate complex carbon-cycle data into actionable policy frameworks. Her work has been instrumental in securing bipartisan congressional support for ocean acidification research and shaping international climate assessments. Beyond her technical expertise, she is a relentless advocate for centering the human dimension in science communication, ensuring that the voices of coastal communities and those most vulnerable to environmental change are heard by decision-makers.
CARA CROFT, the Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, nominated by Selina Wray
I am delighted to nominate Dr Cara Croft of the Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London, for the Suffrage Science Life Sciences Award.
Dr Croft is an emerging leader whose cutting-edge research in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease is shaping the future of neurodegeneration research. She exemplifies the leadership, integrity, and inclusivity our field urgently needs, while proudly championing women in neuroscience. Cara is also a dedicated and generous mentor, providing outstanding support to early-career researchers.
CAMILLE DION, MRC LMS in London, nominated by Frederique Magdinier
Dr Dion’s research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms underlying male infertility, with the goal of advancing our understanding of early human germline development. Her work also aims to define the regulation of LINE elements in the male germline. Camille is an exceptionally efficient and proactive researcher, and a deeply thoughtful and principled individual. At an early stage of her career, she demonstrated remarkable courage by raising her voice, much like the Suffragettes of the past, to demand respect. In doing so, she took personal risks to support her peers. She is also deeply involved in the training of younger scientists, while developing innovative projects with direct applications in human health.
DIMA A. HAMMOUD, National Institutes of Health, nominated by Monica Shokeen
Dr Dima Hammoud’s research centres on addressing critical questions surrounding emerging health threats—namely infectious diseases—to improve understanding of those diseases. Her laboratory leverages molecular imaging to develop, validate, and advance novel diagnostic tracers for fungal infections, with the goal of translating these innovations into clinical applications that improve human health. Dr Hammoud is an exceptional role model for trainees of all nationalities and backgrounds. Her accessibility, mentorship, and inclusive leadership style make her truly deserving of a Suffrage Science Award.
KAROLINE KUCHENBAECKER, University College London, nominated by Martha Shahbazi
Karoline Kuchenbaecker is an exceptional genetic epidemiologist whose research has transformed how we understand the genetic and environmental drivers of complex disease. I am deeply inspired by her commitment to making genomics more inclusive, through pioneering work in diverse and historically under-represented populations to help reduce global health inequalities. Alongside her academic leadership, she plays a key role at Genomics England, helping shape programmes that ensure genomic medicine benefits all communities.
MADELINE LANCASTER, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, nominated by Prisca Liberali
Madeline Lancaster is a pioneering developmental neurobiologist whose breakthrough work established cerebral (brain) organoids as a transformative model for human brain development and disease. Her work exemplifies the rigor needed to address biologically meaningful differences, including incorporating male and female stem-cell lines and frameworks for studying sex-linked variables in organoid systems. Equally important, Madeline is widely recognized as an exceptional leader and role model bringing remarkable energy, clarity of vision, and generosity to the community.
LISET MENÉNDEZ DE LA PRIDA, Cajal Institute (Madrid) and Cajal Neuroscience Center, nominated by Azahara Oliva
After training as a physicist, Liset became an internationally recognised leader in Neuroscience. Her multidisciplinary work, including nearly 100 publications in top journals in the field and a recent book (Cerebro, espacio y tiempo), has significantly contributed to the understanding of the brain’s mechanisms of navigation during health and disease. More importantly, Liset has built this thriving and impactful career from the ground up, with a level of passion and determination for science that, to date, keeps inspiring many beyond her laboratory and across the globe. She is a force of nature. Liset has set up an example that has opened doors and continues to inspire countless women in science, proving that passion and talent can shape the world to be better because she dared to lead.
ARWEN PEARSON, University of Hamburg, nominated by Areej Abuhammad
I am honoured to nominate Professor Arwen Pearson for her pioneering structural biophysics and transformative commitment to empowering women scientists. Through key leadership roles, she has revolutionised time-resolved crystallography, creating molecular movies of biomolecules that advance structural biology and address critical health challenges including COVID-19. She embodies the Suffrage Science spirit through exceptional mentorship. She is not only an outstanding scientist and mentor but also deeply compassionate and generous with her support. She lifts others as she leads and it is my privilege to see this jewel come to rest in her hands.
DANA PE'ER, the Sloan Kettering Institute nominated by Suffrage Science in memory of Zena Werb (1945-2020)
Dana Pe’er is known for her foundational work in computational/systems biology and her high-impact mentorship and advocacy for women in science, especially in quantitative fields. She is Chair and Professor in Computational and Systems Biology Program at the Sloan Kettering Institute, where she helped build one of the most influential computational biology programs in the world, and has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator since 2021. Pe’er’s research focuses on understanding the organization, function and evolution of molecular networks, particularly how genetic variations alter the regulatory network and how these genetic variations can cause cancer. Her early work in single-cell network inference is often cited as foundational for today’s explosion in single-cell genomics.
About the Award
Whitley Professor of Biochemistry Dame Amanda Fisher founded the Suffrage Science Scheme in 2011 with Vivienne Parry OBE to honour pioneering women in science and create a self-perpetuating cohort of talent that encourages others to enter science and reach senior leadership roles.
Each awardee receives a piece of Suffrage Science heirloom jewellery, and then nominates who they wish to pass on their award to every two years. This recognition from peers who want to give recognition for their work is extremely meaningful to award recipients. Each heirloom creates its own 'family tree' as the award gets handed from one awardee to the next, creating an international network of inspiring female role models across all the Suffrage Science branches.