Dr Leah Smith, a research fellow at the University of Otago, has been awarded the 2024 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship.
Dr Smith is one of five women across Australia and New Zealand awarded the prize for 2024. The award aims to encourage more young women to enter science fields, support their careers and recognise accomplished female researchers.
According to L’Oréal, just 33.3% of scientific researchers globally are women, with less than 25% making up the most senior leadership positions.
Dr Smith has been recognised for her research into phage therapy – an evolving field that looks to address the impact that increasing strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have on global populations.
“Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a serious threat to human health, with the rise of so-called superbugs rapidly outpacing the development of new antibiotics,” says Dr Smith. “To address the problem of antibiotic resistance, we need to shift gears and think about alternative treatment strategies.”
The World Health Organization estimates that by 2050, 10 million deaths a year could be the result of antimicrobial resistance. Phages, a type of virus that only infect bacteria, are ‘experts’ at targeting and killing harmful bacteria before they replicate.
At the centre of Dr Smith’s research is gaining a better understanding of phage therapy, where phages are used to treat infections. Phage therapy could offer a more effective solution for treating bacteria such as MRSA; a prevalent hospital superbug that has become resistant to many forms of antibiotics.
The scientist says being recognised with the award has given her a confidence boost.
“Worldwide, the number of women in senior academic positions is disproportionally low, and a lot of junior researchers lack mentorship from women colleagues,” she says. “If I hadn’t received strong mentorship from a woman researcher early in my career, I probably wouldn’t be a scientist today.”
She says she is now privileged to ‘pay it forward’ by serving as a mentor for other women and girls in science. Outside of her demanding research schedule, Dr Smith also serves as a PhD co-supervisor to three female PhD students at the University of Otago.
Dr Smith will use her $25,000 prize to visit one of her scientific collaborators at her lab in Portugal to learn new skills and techniques necessary to take her research further. Skills and insights from the trip will be shared with other scientists in her Otago lab.
Marnie Carroll, Chief Corporate Affairs & Engagement Officer at L’Oréal Australia & New Zealand, says Dr Smith is a remarkable scientist, whose work embodies the aim of the fellowship.
“Her research highlights why supporting women in science is so vital, as we cannot afford to miss out on the contributions of these great minds and the positive changes they bring to the world, says Carroll.
Dr Smith will be presented the fellowship in Melbourne, Victoria on the 14 November 2024, alongside four trailblazing female Australian scientists.
