30 July 2024 – EMBO and FEBS announce Asifa Akhtar as the recipient of the 2025 FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award. She receives the award for her groundbreaking research on the mechanisms of dosage compensation of the male X chromosome in fruit flies and mammals, of chromosome-wide gene regulation by non-coding RNAs in Drosophila, and the protection of mammalian cells from damaged RNA. The award also acknowledges Akhtar’s commitment to gender equality and equal opportunities in science.
“Asifa Akhtar is an international leader and a pioneer in the field of epigenetic regulation. Research conducted in her lab over the last two decades has revealed principles governing how epigenetic mechanisms, especially histone acetylation and long non-coding RNAs, are able to fine-tune transcription to the specific needs of a particular cell,” comments EMBO Member Nikolaus Pfanner, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Freiburg, Germany. “Her dedication to both her scientific pursuits and her advocacy for greater inclusivity are truly inspiring,” he adds.
The FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award recognizes female scientists not only for major and recent achievements in the life sciences made in Europe, but also for being an inspiring role model for women in science. “I congratulate Asifa Akhtar on the award. It highlights her engagement in gender equality as the first female vice president of the Max Planck Society and as chair of the presidential committee on equal opportunity and diversity. Her public engagement in gender equality both in Germany and Pakistan is exceptional and underpinned by her successful mentorship of students and future group leaders,” says Caroline Dean, chair of the FEBS Women in Science working group.
The award will be presented to Akhtar at the 49th FEBS Congress in Istanbul, Türkiye, 5–9 July 2025, where she will give the award lecture.
Asifa Akhtar is Vice President of the Max Planck Society’s Biology and Medicine section, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, Germany, and an Honorary Professor at the Albert Ludwigs University, Freiburg. She was a group leader at EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany, and a postdoctoral research scientist at the Adolf Butenandt Institute, Munich, Germany, and EMBL. She received her PhD from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London, UK, and a Bachelor’s degree from University College London. Her honours include the International Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2023) and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (2021). Asifa Akhtar is an elected member of the Leopoldina German National Academy of Sciences and EMBO.
