Professor
Shahida Hasnain of Pakistan has won the 2017 edition of the UNESCO Carlos J.
Finlay Prize in recognition of her contributions in the field of Microbiology,
says a press release received here today from Paris.
Cuban Minister Ms. Ena Elsa Velázquez
Cobiella and Mr. Getachew Engida, Deputy Director General UNESCO gave away the
prize to Professor Shahida Hasnain at a award giving ceremony held on the
sidelines of UNESCO General Conference, at the UNESCO Headquarter, in Paris
yesterday.
The award Ceremony was also attended
by the Ambassador of Pakistan to France and Pakistan’s Permanent Delegate to
UNESCO Moin ul Haque.
Professor Shahida Hasnain was awarded
the price in recognition of her research on heavy metal detoxification
mechanisms, salt stress tolerance mechanisms, bacterial morphogenesis and
environmental, agricultural and medical microbiology.
Professor Shahida Hasnain is the
Founder and Chairperson of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular
Genetics at the University of Punjab in Lahore which is recognized as a centre
of excellence both for its equipment and expertise.
UNESCO Carlos J. Finlay Prize for
Microbiology was instituted by the Government of Cuba to reward scientists
whose research has made an outstanding contribution to microbiology and its
application. The other recipient of the award was Dr. Samir Shah from
Bangladesh.
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