Our Story

Algerian Women in Science is a group that started in April 2020 to create an efficient network for future collaborations. The purpose is to build a safe scientific community dedicated to training future Algerian women leaders in science and advancing their careers. Indeed, we believe that science's neutrality is essential for women's emancipation, and through this, women have a vital role in society.

From   the   beggining

Where   we   are   now

Algeria has a vast diaspora where many Algerian women are at different locations and positions in the world. This creates a large group of qualified women with different experiences. The idea is to build a bridge between all those women to share information efficiently and promote women's careers in science.

Since the coronavirus pandemic has begun, the scientific community is left responsible for answering the challenges. This opened an urgent need to connect and create a cohort of scientists to build leaders and face the needs of our times.​ We thus succeeded in creating an efficient network with different experts and are working on preparing a program for Algerian women in STEM empowerment.

Meet Our Team

More importantly, we are a group of friends and collaborators that met at graduate school or working life. We decided to live the adventure of Algerian Women in Science to spread our knowledge and experience.

Anissa Belfetmi, Ph.D.

Founder 

I was born and raised in Algeria, where my love for nature and Science let me pursue Biology studies. After completing my Bachelor in Biochemistry, I went to France for a Master's in Cell and Molecular Biology at Pierre and Marie Curie (Sorbonne University). Then, I fulfilled a thesis to study the HIV-1 Nucleocapsid protein using biophysical techniques, under the supervision of Dr. Olivier Mauffret, at ENS Paris-Saclay. I am currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School, remaining in the field of Structural Biology. The idea of ALWIS came after participating in different panels and workshops for women in Science. Through several conversations with Algerian women fellow, it was clear that Algerian women in Science lack mentoring during their career path. We were more than ready to help each other create a connected scientific community.

Sabrina Absalon, Ph.D.

Vice-President & Chair of Mentoring

Born and raised in France, I grew up among a multicultural family with a French mother and a Kabyle Father. My passion for understanding how Nature works led me to pursue a Ph.D. at the University Pierre and Marie in Dr. Philippe Bastin's Lab at Pasteur Institute Paris, where I focused on studying flagellum assembly and function in the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Then I moved to Boston for my first postdoctoral training in Dr. Anna Krichevsky's Lab at the Harvard Institute of Medicine to determine the contribution of microRNAs to Alzheimer's disease progression. In 2011, I went back to parasitology and joined a research group led by Dr. Jeffrey Dvorin at Boston Children's Hospital, where I studied the molecular pathogenesis of malaria infection. In October 2019, I joined the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where I am currently an Assistant professor. While women represent more than half of the human population, we are a minority in the world of science. The Algerian Women In Science can change the gender narrative in science, and I am here to inspire, promote, and mentor them so Algerian women in science can contribute to change our world.

Lydia Ait Belkacem

Writing Mentor

I am a Biophysics and Biochemistry graduate from London. I have experience working in institutional, biophysics, and genetic research at multiple institutions spanning five years. I was born in Algiers and moved to the UAE quite young. I grew up in a very international environment that encouraged me to pursue science, especially as I was inspired by my Biology teacher in high school. I understood the importance of having science friends and connections who were ambitious women, and that’s how I find myself here today, ecstatic to be a part of the ALWIS team.

Sarah Maskri, Ph.D.

Chair of member services

I was born, and I grew up in Algeria. I am currently a Ph.D. fellow at the German Research Foundation, in Germany, with two stays abroad: one at the University of Oxford in the UK and one at the University of Stanford in the USA. I work in the field of computational drug design, medicinal chemistry of GPCRs, and Ion channel proteins. During the past, I worked as a research assistant at the University of New England College of Pharmacy in Portland, ME, USA, in computational drug design of new kinase inhibitors starting from green tea derivatives. I did a double MSc degree between the University of Strasbourg (France), Paris Diderot University (France), and University of Milano (Italy) in the fields of Medicinal chemistry/Artificial Intelligence/ In silico drug design. I obtained my BSc degree in Chemistry in Montpellier (France). I am a person who takes initiatives and has a great capacity for adaptation; as a fact, I am a global volunteer at the United Nations to fight for women's rights in South America. In general, I am professional with a friendly interaction style.

Nour Benbahouche, Ph.D.

                       Mentor

I was born, raised, and had my entire education until my Master’s degree in Algeria. Afterward, I went to France for a Ph.D., where I joined the group of Dr. Edouard Bertrand at the IGMM of Montpellier and worked on many protein complexes required for RNA maturation. After my Ph.D., I moved to the UK and joined the group of Pr. Martin Bushell at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research as a postdoctoral fellow. My research project aimed at targeting the protein LARP1 to overcome treatment resistance in cancer cells, and since that, I am pursuing my scientific career in the cancer research field. Despite their omnipresence in scientific fields, Algerian women in science remain underestimated, and there is no doubt that a more collaborative network needs to be built. Thus, by joining this fantastic group, I am ready to mentor, network, and collaborate but most importantly, to inspire and be inspired.

Sarah Dib,  CRA

Mentor

I was born and grew up in Algeria, where I studied Biology until my master's degree. Passionate about Immunology and Virology, I went to France to continue my studies in Virology at the Institute Pasteur in Paris. After that, I moved to the clinical side, and I am currently a Clinical Research Associate specializing in Hematology. After a gratifying experience in a public hospital, I now work for a pharmaceutical company. ALWIS is a fantastic opportunity to network and mentor Algerian women scientists worldwide to achieve their goals.

Roza Bouchal, Ph.D.

Mentor

I was born in Algeria, where I had my entire education until I obtained my Master's degree. Then I moved to France for my Ph.D. studies at Charles Gerhardt Institute of Montpellier, under the supervision of Dr. Peter Hesemann. My Ph.D. work was on the synthesis and physical chemistry of ionic liquids and silica materials (molecular synthesis, sol-gel chemistry, material synthesis using soft templating approach, ion exchange). During my first postdoctoral position, I have discovered another fascinating scientific field where I was involved in studying aqueous electrolytes for energy storage devices with Dr. Frédéric Favier and Dr. Olivier Fontaine. I am currently a researcher at the Chalmers University of Technology within Patrik Johansson's group, where my focus is on electrolyte design and characterisation for next-generation batteries such as Li-S and Na-ion batteries. My goal as a researcher is to combine material synthesis and electrochemistry to construct safer, performant, and suitable batteries. Through this amazing network, I wish to transfer the knowledge I gained during these years to young students and, at the same time, interact with other talented female scientists.

Sarah Helal

Chair of Communication

I'm from a small town in Algeria, where I lived most of my life. Growing up, my curiosity toward biology-related topics led me to pursue a Master's degree in Molecular and cell Immunology. Then, I joined an Algerian Pharmaceutical company as a research assistant, where I had the opportunity to work on exciting projects on antivirals development. After a short and non-successful Ph.D. experience abroad, I am back to my old position while still striving towards research and academia. As a Scicommer, I actively contribute to the online SciComm community by sharing educative content to inform, educate, raise awareness, and help fight misinformation. I joined ALWIS because I believe that as a community, we can build a safe, reliable, and efficient collaborative network to help Algerian women in science thrive towards a successful path.

Ouerdia Maskri, Ph.D.

Mentor

I was born and grew up in Algeria. Always interested in science, I fulfilled an engineering degree in biotechnology before moving to France. I pursued a Master's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Pierre and Marie Curie (Sorbonne University). There, I developed a real interest in Biochemistry and the Structure of Nucleic acids. In 2013, I started my Ph.D. thesis on the characterization of molecular mechanisms of the first strand transfer in HIV-1, under the supervision of Dr. Philippe Fossé, at ENS Paris-Saclay. After that, I wanted to acquire experience in Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies; then, I pursued two years of Post-doctoral research at Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), with Dr. Konstantin Brodolin. My research project aimed to characterize the transcriptomic profile of the RbpA transcription factor, in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, during the resistance to Rifampicin. The research field always interested me, but my versatility quest pushed me to learn new things in applied sciences. I thus decided to switch from academia to industry, and I started a new chapter of my career. In 2019, I integrated a French startup in Paris, a spin-off from Curie Institute, developing instruments for miniaturization and automation of Molecular Biology protocols. Now I am an application scientist working to develop new tools to make the lab experience easier for scientists. I’m also very committed to encouraging women to pursue a career in science, and for the record, my two little sisters followed my path performing PhDs in Chemistry and Physics.

Fatima Bencheikh, Ph.D.

Mentor

I was born in Sidi Bel Abbes and grown up in Oran, Algeria. I graduated from Univesité des Sciences et de la Technologie d'Oran Mohammed Boudhiaf (USTO-MB) with an electronic engineering degree in 2004. Then, I worked as an engineer and team leader of the after-sale service at Samha, Samsung, for three years. Passionate about scientific research and new technologies, I moved to France to study and specialize in micro and nanoelectronics. I obtained a Master's research in nanoelectronic devices from Aix-Marseille University, France, in 2012 with thesis work on ink-jet printed organic solar cells. In 2015, I received a Ph.D. degree in micro and nanoelectronics from Aix-Marseille University, France. My Ph.D. thesis focused on the optical characterization and modeling of organic solar cells. Eager to discover a new way of life and new work culture, I moved to the land of the rising sun, Japan, in 2016. From 2016 to 2019, I have been working as a postdoctoral fellow under the supervision of the distinguished professor, Pr. Chihaya Adachi who pioneered a new technology known as thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) in the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA) at Kyushu University. My research interest is organic optoelectronic devices with a focus on OLED and organic semiconductor lasers. In March 2019, I co-founded a start-up venture named KOALA Tech. Inc., an innovative high-tech start-up company; whose goal is to pioneer practical applications of organic semiconductor laser diode that has been recently realized at Kyushu University. I am CTO of KOALA Tech and a visiting associate professor at Kyushu University. Given my international background, I collaborate with research groups in Australia, Europe, UK, and China. My motto: Dream big, think out of the box, and be passionate about every action you take that leads to positive changes in your life and surroundings.

Souhila Chetouane

Mentor

I have spent the past fourteen years working with energy professionals around the world. I have a background in Petroleum Engineering and have many years of experience leading complex engineering projects from origination to execution and monitoring in Europe, North America, South East Asia, and Africa. I am on the board of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Aberdeen section as vice-chair Diversity and Inclusion. I started my career as a Production Assurance Engineer working on Production Optimisation and Performance Analysis of a 7 fields development project for BP In-Salah. I acquired experience in Production Optimisation of oil and gas assets from working with frontline operational teams in Asia, Middle East, North Africa, North America, and Europe, and I am now settled in Aberdeen over the past decade. I am currently working as a Flow Assurance Projects Lead for a growing engineering consultancy focussing on strong project and risk management and assisting UK Continental Shelf operators with their ageing assets Flow Assurance challenges on an advisory role. As a STEM Ambassador, I am passionate about promoting engineering and STEM subjects to young people. I am currently collaborating with Scottish schools and academies to persuade the next generation of boys and girls that engineering is for them and be a positive role model to help them on their path. I am also a certified Tutor Assessor for the Young STEM Leader Programme, a Scottish government initiative aiming to stimulate and strengthen the development of peer mentoring and inspiration in STEM for the young generation in Scotland. Like many women in STEM professions, I am involved in work on Equality and Diversity topics. I believe achieving gender balance within STEM, and the energy industry as a whole will have wide-reaching benefits for everyone.

Nawel Khelil

Mentor

My name is Nawel Khelil, an Algerian-Dutch Health Scientist who loves writing, traveling, and discovering science and culture. I grew up in a small city in the south of the Netherlands and pursued my studies after high school in Amsterdam, at the Vrije Universiteit van Amsterdam. After completing a bachelor's in Biomedical Sciences, I choose to develop myself into two sides of the medical field: Public Health and Epidemiology. After finishing my master's, I started working as a research coordinator in the field of Cardiology, more specifically in resuscitation studies: the ARREST-study (Amsterdam Resuscitation Studies). People describe me as highly ambitious, studious, and open-minded. Because of my love for inspiring people, I write blogs on social media. I also work as a social entrepreneur for the organization Zaphira.nl, a Dutch Algerian-inspired community for Women Empowerment. I have a lot of experience in teaching, mentoring, supervising, and empowering women. Still, of course, I do have my skills in the field of Health and Medical Sciences and wish to offer my set of interests to fellow Algerian scientists. I think success comes from the power you get from both yourself and others, and I would love to share my experiences with you! Hope to meet you soon.