CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter
Cluster of ExcellenceCUI: Advanced
Imaging of Matter
Imaging of Matter
Arwen Pearson receives 2026 Suffrage Science Award
8 April 2026
Photo: UHH, Esfandiari
Prof. Arwen Pearson was honored for her pioneering research in structural Biology and transformative commitment to empowering women scientists.
Prof. Arwen Pearson is one of 11 recipients, who received the Suffrage Science award 2026 during a ceremony at Oxford University. The award honors pioneering women in science and creates a self-sustaining talent pool that encourages others to enter science and assume senior leadership roles.
The award follows a unique pattern: Every two years, each recipient nominates one person to whom she passes her award. This recognition by peers is of great significance to the recipients. Each awardee creates her own “family tree” as the prize is passed from one awardee to the next. This creates an international network of inspiring female role models across all fields of suffrage science.
Arwen Pearson is a professor at the Institute of Nanostructure and Solid-State Physics at the University of Hamburg and a researcher in the Cluster of Excellence “CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter.” She was nominated by Jordanian structural biologist Prof. Areej Abuhammad, who says: “I am honoured to nominate Professor Arwen Pearson for her pioneering structural biophysics and transformative commitment to empowering women scientists. Through key leadership roles, she has revolutionised time-resolved crystallography, creating molecular movies of biomolecules that advance structural biology and address critical health challenges including COVID-19. She embodies the Suffrage Science spirit through exceptional mentorship. She is not only an outstanding scientist and mentor but also deeply compassionate and generous with her support. She lifts others as she leads and it is my privilege to see this jewel come to rest in her hands.”
The award was established in 2011 by the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS) to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Originally, it recognized only pioneering leaders in the life sciences, but over time the scope has expanded to honor women in engineering and physics, as well as in mathematics and computer science. Today, nearly 200 award recipients form a network of inspiring women from around the world.
