The Suffrage Science Awards, conceived to honour pioneering women in science, celebrated achievement in the Life Sciences in March 2026. The awards took place on the evening of Monday 9 March 2026, when 11 recipients received their awards at a dual-venue ceremony in the heart of Oxford’s University Science Area.
The evening started with a welcome reception and the awards were hosted in the Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building. A panel discussion on global challenges and opportunities facing women scientists and a talk followed at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology.
Co-founder of the awards Professor Dame Amanda Fisher hosted the event with Professor Liz Robertson of the Dunn School, and science writer and presenter Kat Arney, freelance communicator at First Create The Media.
Professor Chrystalina Antoniades was nominated for the award by Professor Lynn Rochester, Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre, University of Newcastle who said: 'Professor Antoniades is leading work transforming the way people with neurodegenerative brain conditions (such as Parkinson’s) are diagnosed and monitored. Her contributions are helping to fundamentally change how new therapies are evaluated and inform personalised treatments, ultimately improving the lives of people worldwide. Her scientific discovery and support of early career researchers is balanced against her talent and passion to engage the public and patients with these conditions about her work – building trust in science. She is truly deserving of this award.'
Professor Antoniades said 'I’m incredibly grateful and very honoured for this recognition by Professor Rochester and for the support of colleagues, mentors, and my team who have been part of this journey. Moments like these are a reminder of the value of collaboration, dedication, and the communities we work within.'
About the awards:
Whitley Professor of Biochemistry Dame Amanda Fisher founded the Suffrage Science Scheme in 2011 with Vivienne Parry OBE to honour pioneering women in science and create a self-perpetuating cohort of talent that encourages others to enter science and reach senior leadership roles.
Each awardee receives a piece of Suffrage Science heirloom jewellery, and then nominates who they wish to pass on their award to every two years. This recognition from peers who want to give recognition for their work is extremely meaningful to award recipients. Each heirloom creates its own 'family tree' as the award gets handed from one awardee to the next, creating an international network of inspiring female role models across all the Suffrage Science branches.
There are now almost 200 holders of the Suffrage Science heirlooms creating a network of inspirational women from across the globe.
Read about all the recipients in the full story on the Biochemistry website.