She was presented this prestigious fellowship along with 14 other young women scientists in Paris at the L’OREAL- UNESCO for Women in Science ceremony.

 This fellowship will help Jyoti Jiban Panda in her research, which focuses on designing new and safe drug delivery methods for the treatment of cancer using nanotechnology. She believes that peptides, the chemical building blocks that make up protein molecules, have enormous potential for nanoscale drug delivery, thanks to their high biocompatibility and the ease with which they can be customized for precise applications. The host institution for her research will be the School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado, Denver in USA.

 An excited Jyoti Jiban Panda on receiving the fellowship at the ceremony in Paris said, “Today, I feel truly privileged to get the coveted UNESCO-L’OREAL For Women in Science fellowship, I now feel part of the global scientific community. It has given me a platform to further enhance my learning, to get new insights and more importantly to extend my network and share experiences within the scientific community.”

Dinesh Dayal, COO – L’Oreal India says, “At L’Oreal we believe that the world needs science and science needs women. The L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme has for 13 years given recognition to over a thousand women scientists providing visibility and encouragement for the excellence of their work, their contribution to scientific advancement and their impact on society.”

He added, “In India the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme has been extended to benefit Class XII students who wish to pursue their graduation in a scientific field. Called the L’Oreal For Young Women in Science Programme, it offers scholarships worth `2.5 lakhs each to 5 young girls from Maharashtra who want to pursue their graduation in a scientific field. This year the programme will be expanded to Delhi and NCR doubling the number of scholarships given to 10. Over 35 young girls have benefited from this initiative so far.”