ISLAMABAD: Pakistani scientist Dr. Nousheen Zaidi has become the first from the country to receive Germany’s prestigious Georg Forster Research Award, the German embassy in Islamabad said on Friday, marking a major international recognition of Pakistan’s contributions to global scientific research.
The award, given annually by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, honors internationally renowned academics from developing and transition countries for their outstanding research achievements and impact, and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The Georg Forster Research Award, named after 18th-century German ethnologist Georg Forster, includes €60,000 in research funding and is awarded to researchers whose work contributes to sustainable development.
“The work exemplifies a rare integration of cutting-edge science and grassroots impact,” the German Embassy said in a statement, highlighting Zaidi’s contributions to water quality research and public health initiatives.
Zaidi, a professor at the Public Health, Environment & Applied Research Lab (PEARL) at the University of the Punjab, holds a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Tübingen in Germany and has held research positions at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Janssen Pharmaceutica.
Beyond her academic work, she leads national-level initiatives addressing public health challenges. As director of the Action Research Collective, she oversees a nationwide water quality mapping project expanding to multiple cities, and manages Roshan Clinics focused on tackling childhood stunting through community-based interventions.
