PARIS, NOV 07 (DNA) – Professor Shahida Hasnain of Pakistan has won the 2017 edition of the UNESCO Carlos J. Finlay Prize in recognition of her contributions in the field of Microbiology.

Cuban Minister Ms. Ena Elsa Velázquez Cobiella and Mr. Getachew Engida, Deputy Director General UNESCO gave away the prize to Professor Shahida Hasnain at a award giving ceremony held on the sidelines of UNESCO General Conference, at the UNESCO Headquarter, in Paris yesterday.

The award Ceremony was also attended by the Ambassador of Pakistan to France and Pakistan’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO Moin ul Haque.

Professor Shahida Hasnain was awarded the price in recognition of her research on heavy metal detoxification mechanisms, salt stress tolerance mechanisms, bacterial morphogenesis and environmental, agricultural and medical microbiology.

Professor Shahida Hasnain is the Founder and Chairperson of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Punjab in Lahore which is recognized as a centre of excellence both for its equipment and expertise.

UNESCO Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology was instituted by the Government of Cuba to reward scientists whose research has made an outstanding contribution to microbiology and its application. The other recipient of the award was Dr. Samir Shah from Bangladesh.