The individual prize at the Kovalevskaya Awards 2016 went to Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Kim Phi Phụng (second from left), a lecturer from the University of Natural Sciences under the Việt Nam National University in HCM City. — Photo kinhtedothi.vn

HÀ NỘI – The individual prize at the Kovalevskaya Awards 2016 went to Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Kim Phi Phụng, a lecturer from the University of Natural Sciences under the Việt Nam National University in HCM City. 

During an award ceremony organised yesterday in Hà Nội and broadcast live on VTV, the 60-year-old woman was honoured on stage along with another five female scientists who shared the collective award.

The Kovalevskaya Awards is an annual ceremony honouring the most outstanding female scientists who have gained remarkable achievements in research and the application of science.

Phụng is a leading specialist with numerous research studies in the chemical-pharmaceutical field, including studies into many diseases, including cervical cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimers. 
The lecturer expressed her happiness at receiving the prize, saying that she has had a passion for research since she was a student. 
Five female staff from the Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology won the collective Kovalevskaya Award for their project on nano-technology applied in agricultural production and health care. 
They are Associate Prof. Dr. Trần Kim Anh; Associate Prof. Dr. Phạm Thu Nga; Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Phương Tùng; Associate Prof. Dr. Vũ Thị Bích; and Associate Prof. Dr. Trần Hồng Nhung. 
On behalf of her team, Nga highlighted the significance of the prize to scientists, saying that it encourages young scientists to continue their work. 

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, who attended the ceremony yesterday, congratulated the award winners, hoping that Vietnamese women could achieve a bigger role in society, for example, accounting for 35 per cent of managerial positions in small and medium sized enterprises.
The prestigious Kovalevskaya prize is named after the Russian female mathematician, Sofia Kovalevskaya, and is awarded by the fund of the same name. The fund operates in eight countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. – VNS