2026 OWSD–Elsevier Foundation Awardees Honoured at the 21st SDEWES Conference in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

The five winners of the 2026 OWSD–Elsevier Foundation Award for Early-Career Women Scientists were honoured at the 21st Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES), held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, from 30 August to 3 September 2026. The award was presented on 31 August during the conference opening ceremony, placing this year's laureates at the heart of one of the world's leading forums on sustainable energy.

This year's award recognises five early-career researchers from the Global South whose work advances access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy in line with Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7): Cristina Dominguez (Guatemala), Fadia Alhaj Hussien (Syria), Duleeka Sandamali Gunarathne (Sri Lanka), Tabitha Awuor Amollo (Kenya) and Victoire Ghafi Kondi Akara (Togo).

Presenting the award during the opening ceremony, rather than at a separate side event, reflected the value of embedding these scientists directly within the conference community. Beyond the ceremony itself, the awardees were included in dedicated sessions throughout the programme, engaging as peers with the researchers, policymakers and practitioners working on the same challenges.

Cristina Dominguez, a civil engineer whose work supports evidence-based energy policymaking across Latin America, chaired the session "Green economy and better governance." Its presentations spanned different geographies and offered diverse perspectives on how sustainability ambitions are translated into practical action, from infrastructure and hydrogen systems to institutions, energy communities and urban climate policies.

Victoire Ghafi Kondi Akara, a climate and energy scientist working on electricity-demand modelling and renewable energy integration, joined the panel "The Energy Transition Paradox: Data Centres as Extensive Energy Consumers and the Backbone of Digitalization, Electrification, and Smart Energy Systems," chaired by Prof. Goran Krajačić.

A dedicated OWSD session, "Research Under Constraints: Enabling Global Collaboration for Sustainable Innovations," brought the awardees together to reflect on how their science advances under difficult conditions. The conversation returned repeatedly to collaboration and to the value of South-South cooperation, to the importance of a community that sustains researchers over the long term, and to the ongoing dialogue with policymaking. Several of the awardees work precisely at that intersection, generating the evidence that informs national and regional energy decisions.

A visible reminder of the barriers that remain

The theme of research under constraints was underscored by an absence. Tabitha Awuor Amollo, a physicist and materials scientist from Kenya whose thin-film solar cells power refrigeration systems for rural health centres, was unable to travel to Gran Canaria because her visa did not arrive in time. Her absence stands as a symbol of the inequalities that continue to limit access to science and to the wider scientific ecosystem, from mobility and visa regimes to the uneven distribution of resources and recognition. It is a reminder of why an award created to raise the visibility of women scientists from the Global South, and to support their participation in international collaboration, matters.

Reflecting on the significance of the award, Domiziana Francescon of the Elsevier Foundation said:

"These awards are about more than recognition: they build credibility, open doors to funding and leadership, and connect brilliant researchers to the global science community. This year, the winners are tackling some of the toughest sustainable energy challenges facing their countries, and we're proud to support them with networks and opportunities that will keep growing long after the conference ends."

Since 2013, the OWSD–Elsevier Foundation Award has recognised 84 women scientists from more than 38 countries across the Global South. Each awardee receives a cash prize of USD 5,000 and a travel grant to attend a leading international conference, supporting professional development, international collaboration and greater visibility.