Pakistani
Image Source/Mashable Pakistan

Asifa Akhtar, a Pakistani-born scientist, has achieved the position of vice president at Germany’s prestigious research institute, Max Planck Society. She is the first international female who will be leading the biology and medicine section at the institute.

She has made significant discoveries in the field of chromosome regulation. 

Asifa’s education over the years

Asifa is the first biologist to have achieved the honor of being a vice president. She was born in Karachi, Pakistan, in the year 1971.

She studied BSc in biology at University College London (UCL). Later, she received her doctorate from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in 1997.

In 1998, she moved to Germany for her post-doctoral fellowship. Over three years (1998-2001), Asifa completed her fellowship at the Adolf- Butenandt-Institute in Munich and European Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg.

Asifa
Image Source/ elisabetta citterio

Under the vice president’s role, Asifa will be the contact person for the Max Planck Schools and will also look after the institutes’ sections.

Akhtar, on the society’s website, says, “My heart beats for the young scientists.”

During an interview, she told the society that “Academic science is a beautiful example of integration because you have people from all over the world exchanging knowledge beyond boundaries, cultures or prejudice.”

Gender issues persist even in the 21st century, “Gender equality needs to be worked on continuously. There are outstanding women in science, and we should make all the efforts and use our resources to win them for the Max Planck Society,” she said.

“If we want women to progress in science, we need to enable practical solutions such as childcare and time-sharing or home office options,” she added.

Twitter wishes Asifa Akhtar for her latest Achievement.

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