The L'Oréal Foundation, the Academy of Sciences, and the French National Commission for UNESCO have presented their 2026 'Young Talents France' awards for the 'For Women in Science' program. Among over 800 candidates, four young researchers from PSL University's laboratories were selected.
The laureates and their research areas are: Chloé Fruy (ENS - PSL Physics Laboratory) on dark matter using quantum detectors; Brune Massoulié (CEREMADE, Paris Dauphine University - PSL) on the collective dynamics of particles; Irène Urso (LIRA, Paris Observatory - PSL) on the deflection of light by black holes; and Fadma Lakhal (Nuclear Dynamics Laboratory) on the Rad51 protein that repairs DNA.
Congratulations also go to Fannie Dupuis (Institut Pasteur) for her research on meningococcus, Lea Feldmann (Institut Pasteur) for observing how immune cells attack cancer, and Maelys Solal (Sorbonne University) for using artificial intelligence to detect brain diseases.
These scientists were chosen for the excellence of their applications, the originality of their projects, and their desire to share their passion. They will each receive a research grant of €15,000 for doctoral students and €20,000 for post-doctoral students, along with a complementary training program to help them break the glass ceiling.
For 20 years, the L'Oréal-UNESCO 'For Women in Science' Young Talents award has aimed to foster a new balance of power in the scientific world.
