Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic wins the L’Oréal-UNESCO International Award for Women in Science

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic has received the 2026 L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science International Award. As one of five recipients, one per continent, Vunjak-Novakovic, University Professor and Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Columbia Engineering, Professor of Medical Sciences (in Medicine) and professor of Dental Medicine at Columbia’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, will be awarded for her seminal work in biomedical sciences and engineering.

Winners are selected from five regions across the globe for their groundbreaking contributions to research and demonstration of their leadership in fields traditionally dominated by men. Each year, the Fondation L’Oréal–UNESCO alternates between honoring pioneers in Life Sciences and in Mathematics and Physical Sciences. In this year’s Life Sciences category, Vunjak-Novakovic was chosen for her scientific research in human tissue engineering as well as for inspiring future generations of women scientists. Vunjak-Novakovic and her fellow winners will be recognized in June at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

“I often describe our work as a body shop for treating injured or diseased organs, helping people to live longer and healthier lives,” she says. “Our vision is to grow biological replacements for human tissues by 'instructing' cells how to form functional, patient-matched tissues. Ultimately, this work will provide effective personalized treatments.”

Vunjak-Novakovic’s research aims to transform regenerative medicine by creating universal, immune-tolerant tissues that can be used to regenerate our vital organs. Her Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering develops affordable and accessible technologies that grow human tissues capable of repairing organs lost to injury or disease. In parallel, the same technologies are used to generate micro-sized "organs-on-chips" that are being used as patient-specific models of diseases and testing of therapeutic modalities, as a “fast-track” translation of tissue engineering into real-life patient care.

According to UNESCO’s data, women make up only about 33% of researchers globally, though a growing number of countries have achieved gender parity.

Whether in the classroom or the lab, Vunjak-Novakovic has been empowering young women to envision futures in STEM. Vunjak-Novakovic has made groundbreaking contributions to regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. She was the first woman engineer from Columbia to be inducted into the National Academy of Engineering and the first Columbia engineer to be inducted into the National Academy of Medicine. She is also a member of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Royal Society of Canada Academy of Science. Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Jensen Tissue Engineering Award, European Inventor Award, Lifetime Achievement Award of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Society, Pritzker Award, and Pierre Galletti Award.

In 2017, she was appointed a University Professor at Columbia University, the first engineer to receive this distinction, the highest academic honor at the institution. In addition to her academic work, she has founded five biotech companies based on her research. At Columbia, she continues to advance healthcare technologies and to inspire the next generation of biomedical scientists and engineers. She is most proud of the accomplishments of her many students, postdocs, research engineers, and clinical fellows that she has mentored over the years.