Last month, Professor Sarah Teichmann was honoured in Paris as an International Laureate for the 2026 L’Oréal–UNESCO for Women in Science Awards.
Professor Teichmann, FMedSci FRS, is Chair in Stem Cell Medicine at the University of Cambridge, Group Leader at CSCI, Vice President of Translational Research at GSK, and co-founder of the international Human Cell Atlas. She was recognised for the Women in Science awards for her exceptional research using genome science and computational biology to develop understanding of the human body at single-cell resolution. This work has provided essential resources for biomedical research, drug discovery, and public health.
The timing of this award is especially poignant, as Sarah is celebrating two milestone research anniversaries later this year.
First, the Teichmann Lab 25th Anniversary Meeting will take place on 11 September at the MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, which will celebrate her work over the years with the generations of colleagues and researchers she has collaborated with, guided, and inspired along the way. A select number of tickets are available to the public (deadline to register 31 July). More information on this event can be found on the event page.
Secondly, the Human Cell Atlas is celebrating its 10th anniversary this October – ten years that have made great strides in its mission to create reference maps for all human cells. More updates on research announcements for the HCA will be released in the coming months.
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The L’Oreal-UNESCO for Women in Science awards were created in 1998 to honour eminent women from around the world who are contributing to the progress of life science, physical sciences, mathematics, or computer science.
Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO Director General, said of the awards: "In a world where science has never been more essential, we cannot afford to leave half of humanity's talent on the sidelines... The L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science programme is proof that excellence and equality must advance together. These five Laureates are an inspiration to their peers, and to the millions of girls who will, in turn, follow in their footsteps."
Sarah was nominated by Professor Dame Carol Robinson, a Churchill Fellow and previous recipient of the award, and joined the four other laureates at the ceremony on 11 June at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris to receive her award.
Sarah was invited to Paris for a visit to UNESCO and an awards ceremony. Pictured here: Maxim Polya-Vitry (Deputy Delegate to UNESCO), Anna Nsubuga (UK’s ambassador to UNESCO), Sarah Teichmann, and Ezra Clark (Chief of science, Technology & Innovation Policy at UNESCO).
Selected from over 500 nominations from almost 90 countries, Sarah now joins a global network of outstanding researchers recognised for their pivotal work in science.
Reflecting on the award, Sarah said: “The Fondation L’Oréal’s motto is “The world needs science. And science needs women.” This resonates with science, where female scientists and scientific organisations continue to push for equality in pay, in access to research resources, and in lab space across much of the world. There is still room for improvement — which is what makes this L’Oréal-UNESCO award still relevant in 2026.”
Sarah’s own lab motto: ‘Be Bold. Be Brilliant. Be Kind.’ underpins the work she champions in her lab. Her recognition is a significant moment for UK science and reflects her contribution to the UK’s commitment to UNESCO's global science agenda. She is a strong advocate for inclusion in science, and passionate about supporting the next generation of scientists at the University of Cambridge and beyond.
