Thursday 27 / November / 2025
Muscat: Ahood bint Mohammed Al-Ghadhaniyah, a PhD researcher at Sultan Qaboos University, has been awarded the 2025 L'Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Award for the Middle East. She received the honor for her scientific research titled "Designing Innovative Packaging to Reduce Post-Harvest Losses in Oman."
Her research addresses one of the most pressing challenges in the food supply chain: post-harvest losses. It proposes innovative, science-based solutions in the field of packaging design.
Al-Ghadhaniyah employs finite element modeling techniques to simulate how agricultural products and their packaging respond to mechanical forces, such as vibrations during transportation. The goal is to develop more efficient packaging designs that help protect fruits and vegetables from damage throughout the supply chain.
The award aims to promote the participation of young women in science from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Yemen. It recognizes talented young female researchers in life sciences (such as biology, biochemistry, biophysics, genetics, physiology, neuroscience, biotechnology, health sciences including COVID-19, ecology, and behavioral sciences) as well as physical sciences (including physics, chemistry, petroleum engineering, mathematics, engineering sciences, information sciences, earth sciences, and space sciences).
It is worth noting that several Omani women have received this prestigious award in previous years, including:
- Dr. Raihana bint Abdul Muneim Al-Mujaini (2011)
- Dr. Athraa bint Hilal Al-Maawali (2015)
- Dr. Lamya bint Adnan Al-Haj (2018)
- Dr. Fatma bint Ali Al-Maamari (2019)
- Dr. Maha bint Zakaria Al-Riyami (2022)
