2025 L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards laureates selected

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced on Monday that Chinese scientist Professor Wang Xiaoyun is among the five 2025 L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards laureates.

UNESCO noted that Professor Wang, from Tsinghua University, has been recognized for her significant contributions to cryptography and cryptographic mathematics, which are critical for secure data communication and storage.

"Her breakthrough work showed essential flaws on hash functions, which are widely used in communication protocols and led to the invention of the new hash function standards," UNESCO said in a press release.

"The visibility of her revolutionary work has encouraged many female students to pursue a research career in mathematics and network security," it added.

Along with Wang, Professor Priscilla Baker from South Africa, Professor Claudia Felser from Germany, Professor Maria Teresa Dova from Argentina and Professor Barbara Finlayson-Pitts from the United States have been chosen to receive the award for their contributions in their respective fields and inspiration brought to girls and women.

According to UNESCO, for this year's edition, the laureates were selected from a pool of 466 nominees through a rigorous evaluation process conducted by an independent jury.

The award ceremony is scheduled for June 12 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.