#1
Activism
🇵🇰
Malala Yousafzai
Pakistan
b. 1997
Survived a Taliban assassination attempt at 15 for advocating girls' education. The youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate (2014), she leads the Malala Fund fighting for 130 million girls out of school worldwide.
Known for: Nobel Peace Prize 2014, girls' education
#2
Activism
b. 2003
Started the global Fridays for Future climate strike movement at 15. Time's Person of the Year 2019 and the defining voice of youth-led climate action.
Known for: Fridays for Future, climate activism
#3
Activism
b. 1947
First Iranian woman judge, stripped of her role after 1979. Nobel Peace Prize 2003 for relentless advocacy for democracy, women's and children's rights under the Islamic Republic.
Known for: Nobel Peace Prize 2003, human rights law
#4
Activism
b. 1993
Yazidi survivor of ISIS captivity turned UN Goodwill Ambassador. Nobel Peace Prize 2018 for testimony that brought global attention to the Yazidi genocide and sexual violence as a weapon of war.
Known for: Nobel Peace Prize 2018, Yazidi rights
#5
Research
🇺🇸
Jennifer Doudna
United States
b. 1964
Biochemist who co-developed CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing, revolutionising medicine and biology. Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020 — shared with Emmanuelle Charpentier, the first all-female Nobel Chemistry duo.
Known for: Nobel Chemistry 2020, CRISPR gene editing
#6
Research
🇫🇷
Emmanuelle Charpentier
France
b. 1968
Microbiologist who co-invented CRISPR-Cas9 alongside Jennifer Doudna. Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2020. Directs the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin.
Known for: Nobel Chemistry 2020, CRISPR co-inventor
#7
Research
🇭🇺
Katalin Karikó
Hungary / USA
b. 1955
Biochemist whose decades of persevering mRNA research, long dismissed by academia, formed the foundation for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Nobel Prize in Medicine 2023.
Known for: Nobel Medicine 2023, mRNA vaccine technology
#8
Research
b. 1930
Pharmaceutical chemist who discovered artemisinin, saving millions from malaria. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015 — the first Chinese woman to win a Nobel in science.
Known for: Nobel Medicine 2015, artemisinin, malaria
#9
Activism
b. 1981
Afro-Colombian environmental activist who won the Goldman Environmental Prize 2018 for defending her community against illegal mining. Colombia's first Afro-Colombian Vice President since 2022.
Known for: Goldman Prize 2018, Colombia VP, Afro-Colombian rights
#10
Activism
🇸🇦
Loujain al-Hathloul
Saudi Arabia
b. 1989
Spent nearly three years in a Saudi prison for campaigning for women's right to drive and abolition of the male guardianship system. A global symbol of courage for Gulf women.
Known for: Women's right to drive, Saudi guardianship reform
#11
Research
🇺🇸
Frances Arnold
United States
b. 1956
Chemical engineer who pioneered directed evolution of enzymes, transforming pharmaceutical and biofuel production. Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018 — only the fifth woman to win the Chemistry Nobel.
Known for: Nobel Chemistry 2018, directed evolution
#12
Research
🇺🇸
Mae Jemison
United States
b. 1956
First African American woman in space (1992). Physician, engineer and founder of 100 Year Starship, dedicated to enabling interstellar travel. An enduring symbol for women of colour in STEM.
Known for: First Black woman in space, NASA astronaut
#13
Activism
b. 1963
Co-founder of Rappler and Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2021 for fearless investigative journalism exposing disinformation and authoritarian abuse of social media in the Philippines.
Known for: Nobel Peace Prize 2021, press freedom Philippines
#14
Activism
🇷🇺
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya
Belarus
b. 1982
Figurehead of Belarus's 2020 pro-democracy uprising after her husband was jailed. Now leads the democratic opposition in exile, demanding free elections and an end to Lukashenko's rule.
Known for: Belarusian pro-democracy movement, opposition in exile
#15
Research
🇬🇧
Sarah Gilbert
United Kingdom
b. 1962
Vaccinologist at Oxford who led development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine — one of the most widely distributed vaccines in history, especially across low-income countries.
Known for: Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
#16
Activism
🇦🇫
Zarifa Ghafari
Afghanistan
b. 1994
Afghanistan's youngest mayor at 26, survived multiple assassination attempts. Now advocates internationally for Afghan women's rights after fleeing Taliban rule in 2021.
Known for: Youngest Afghan mayor, Afghan women's rights
#17
Research
b. 1963
Neuroscientist who discovered grid cells — the brain's internal GPS. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014. A champion of women in neuroscience across Scandinavia.
Known for: Nobel Medicine 2014, grid cells, brain navigation
#18
Research
🇫🇷
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi
France
b. 1947
Virologist who co-discovered HIV in 1983, laying the scientific foundation for antiretroviral therapies that have kept millions alive. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2008.
Known for: Nobel Medicine 2008, HIV discovery
#19
Activism
b. 1963
Investigative journalist who exposed a child sex-trafficking network linked to powerful Mexican politicians, facing death threats and imprisonment. A global icon of courageous journalism.
Known for: Investigative journalism, press freedom Mexico
#20
Activism
b. 1958
Born in poverty in the Amazon, she became Brazil's Environment Minister and three-time presidential candidate. Returned as Environment Minister in 2023, a global icon of environmental justice.
Known for: Amazon conservation, Brazil environment minister
#21
Research
b. 1939
Crystallographer who mapped the structure of ribosomes. Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009 — the first Israeli woman and first Middle Eastern woman to win a Nobel Prize.
Known for: Nobel Chemistry 2009, ribosome structure
#22
Activism
🇬🇹
Rigoberta Menchú
Guatemala
b. 1959
Indigenous K'iche' Maya activist whose memoir exposed brutal repression of indigenous communities during Guatemala's civil war. Nobel Peace Prize 1992 — the youngest recipient at that time.
Known for: Nobel Peace Prize 1992, indigenous Maya rights
#23
Activism
b. 1972
Known as the 'Iron Lady of Manipur,' she held the world's longest hunger strike — 16 years — protesting the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and extrajudicial killings in northeast India.
Known for: Longest hunger strike, AFSPA campaign India
#24
Activism
🇳🇬
Obiageli Ezekwesili
Nigeria
b. 1963
Co-founded Transparency International and served as World Bank VP for Africa. Launched #BringBackOurGirls after the Chibok abductions, turning it into a global movement.
Known for: #BringBackOurGirls, Transparency International
#25
Research
b. 1962
Virologist and first Indian woman elected Fellow of the Royal Society. Her vaccine research on rotavirus has directly reduced child mortality across South Asia.
Known for: Rotavirus vaccine, Royal Society Fellow India
#26
Activism
b. 1963
Human rights lawyer who has defended death-row juveniles and women arrested for removing their hijab. Sentenced to 38 years in prison — a global symbol of judicial persecution.
Known for: Human rights law Iran, hijab protests defence
#27
Activism
b. 1997
Student whose photograph atop a car leading protest chants became the defining image of Sudan's 2019 revolution. Known as 'the woman in white,' she embodies the women-led uprising that toppled al-Bashir.
Known for: Sudan 2019 revolution, women-led democratic uprising
#28
Research
b. 1961
Ecologist at CONICET whose research on plant functional diversity transformed global biodiversity science. Co-chair of IPBES and lead author of its landmark 2019 Global Assessment on biodiversity loss.
Known for: IPBES biodiversity, plant ecology Argentina
#29
Activism
b. 1962
Former president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights. Won the UN Human Rights Prize 2013 for documenting forced disappearances and torture in North Africa.
Known for: UN Human Rights Prize 2013, Morocco human rights
#30
Activism
b. 1988
Led Chile's 2011 student uprising demanding free public education. Became the youngest female minister in Chilean history as Government Spokesperson in 2022.
Known for: Chilean student movement 2011, youngest Chilean female minister
#31
Research
🇵🇰
Nergis Mavalvala
Pakistan / USA
b. 1968
Astrophysicist at MIT who played a key role in the first direct detection of gravitational waves in 2015 — one of the greatest discoveries in modern physics. Dean of MIT School of Science since 2020.
Known for: LIGO gravitational waves, MIT Dean of Science
#32
Activism
b. 1972
Peace activist who organised a women's nonviolent movement that helped end Liberia's brutal civil war. Nobel Peace Prize 2011, subject of the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell.
Known for: Nobel Peace Prize 2011, Liberian peace movement
#33
Activism
b. 1974
Academic, activist and poet who used radical body-positive protest to challenge Uganda's authoritarian government. Has fought for LGBTQ+ rights, women's rights and free speech despite imprisonment.
Known for: LGBTQ+ rights, feminist protest Uganda
#34
Research
b. 1965
Paediatrician and president of the South African Medical Research Council who led landmark HIV vaccine trials and steered South Africa's COVID-19 scientific response.
Known for: HIV vaccine trials, COVID-19 response South Africa
#35
Activism
🇧🇫
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
Chad
b. 1984
Indigenous Mbororo activist co-chairing the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change. Her participatory 3D mapping of Lake Chad is a global model for community-based climate adaptation.
Known for: Indigenous climate mapping, Lake Chad, Paris Agreement
#36
Activism
b. 1977
Human rights lawyer who co-founded the Violations Documentation Centre in Syria, documenting atrocities throughout the civil war. Abducted in 2013 — her fate remains unknown, her courage unforgotten.
Known for: Syrian civil war documentation, enforced disappearance
#37
Research
🇧🇷
Lygia da Veiga Pereira
Brazil
b. 1967
Geneticist who pioneered stem cell research in Brazil and was a leading scientific voice linking the Zika virus to microcephaly during the 2016 outbreak.
Known for: Stem cell research, Zika virus, Brazil genetics
#38
Activism
🇻🇳
Nguyễn Thị Kim Tiến
Vietnam
b. 1959
Vietnam's longest-serving Health Minister, credited with building one of Southeast Asia's most resilient health systems and leading the country's highly effective COVID-19 response.
Known for: Vietnam health system, COVID-19 response Southeast Asia
#39
Activism
b. 1971
Sociologist and activist who spent over two decades fighting fabricated terrorism charges in Turkey for her work with Kurdish and LGBT+ communities. Acquitted four times, continues advocacy in exile.
Known for: Kurdish rights, LGBTQ+ Turkey, unjust imprisonment
#40
Activism
🇪🇹
Birtukan Midekssa
Ethiopia
b. 1974
Former judge and first female opposition party leader in Ethiopia, twice imprisoned for democratic activism. Appointed chairperson of the National Electoral Board, overseeing Ethiopia's 2021 elections.
Known for: Ethiopian democracy, electoral reform
#41
Research
b. 1952
Particle physicist at IISc whose theoretical work on quarks and the Large Hadron Collider contributes to global understanding of fundamental matter. Champion of women in physics worldwide.
Known for: Particle physics, LHC research, women in science India
#42
Activism
b. 1980
Land rights activist who led displaced Phnom Penh communities against forced eviction at Boeung Kak Lake. Imprisoned multiple times, she became a symbol of urban land rights across Southeast Asia.
Known for: Land rights Cambodia, forced eviction resistance
#43
Research
b. 1950
Developmental biologist who discovered how the placenta forms, fundamentally advancing understanding of miscarriage and foetal development. President of the Gairdner Foundation and Fellow of the Royal Society.
Known for: Placenta biology, developmental biology Canada
#44
Activism
b. 1946
Scholar, legislator and longtime PLO spokesperson — one of the most articulate and prominent international voices for Palestinian rights and a two-state solution for decades.
Known for: Palestinian rights, PLO spokesperson, diplomacy
#45
Activism
b. 1948
Human rights lawyer and champion of Bangladesh's war crime tribunals, seeking justice for atrocities of the 1971 Liberation War. A fearless voice for women's rights and minority protection.
Known for: Bangladesh war crimes justice, women's rights
#46
Activism
🇿🇦
Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela
South Africa
b. 1955
Psychologist and member of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Her groundbreaking work on trauma, memory and forgiveness has shaped transitional justice globally.
Known for: Truth & Reconciliation Commission, transitional justice
#47
Research
🇳🇬
Francisca Nneka Okeke
Nigeria
b. 1956
Geophysicist and first female Dean of Science at the University of Nigeria. Her research on equatorial electrojet phenomena advances space weather science and inspires African women in physics.
Known for: Geophysics, space weather, women in STEM Nigeria
#48
Activism
🇦🇲
Zaruhi Hovhannisyan
Armenia
b. 1975
Feminist activist and co-founder of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women in Armenia. Her decades of work resulted in landmark domestic violence legislation passed in 2017.
Known for: Domestic violence law Armenia, feminist activism
#49
Research
b. 1961
Ophthalmologist who led the world's first clinical trial using iPS (induced pluripotent stem) cells to treat age-related macular degeneration, opening a new era in regenerative medicine.
Known for: iPS cell clinical trials, regenerative medicine Japan
#50
Activism
b. 1945
Nobel Peace Prize 1991 for nonviolent struggle for democracy. Led the NLD to a landslide victory in 2015. Currently imprisoned by the military junta that seized power in 2021.
Known for: Nobel Peace Prize 1991, Myanmar democracy, NLD
#51
Activism
🇳🇬
Amina J. Mohammed
Nigeria
b. 1961
UN Deputy Secretary-General and former Nigerian Environment Minister driving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and championing climate finance for the Global South.
Known for: UN Deputy Secretary-General, SDGs, climate finance
#52
Research
🇸🇿
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
South Africa
b. 1949
Physician and former African Union Commission chairperson who led landmark public health reforms in South Africa including the Tobacco Products Control Act, one of the world's toughest.
Known for: African Union, tobacco control law, public health SA
#53
Activism
🇰🇿
Bakhytzhan Toregozhina
Kazakhstan
b. 1965
Founder of Ar.Rukh.Hak, Kazakhstan's leading human rights NGO. Has campaigned against torture, arbitrary detention and political repression in Central Asia for over two decades.
Known for: Human rights Kazakhstan, torture prevention
#54
Activism
b. 1966
Feminist activist and former ActionAid International director who has championed African women's political participation and challenged patriarchal structures in development organisations for 30 years.
Known for: African feminist activism, women's political participation
#55
Research
b. 1942
Biochemist and neuroscientist whose research on calcium signalling has advanced understanding of heart disease and ageing. First Chilean woman elected to the US National Academy of Sciences.
Known for: Neuroscience, calcium signalling, Chilean science
#56
Activism
b. 1989
Founder of Msichana Initiative who won a landmark 2016 High Court case striking down Tanzania's law allowing girls to marry at 14, protecting thousands from child marriage.
Known for: Child marriage Tanzania, Msichana Initiative, legal victory
#57
Research
b. 1959
Paediatrician and former Health Minister credited with rebuilding Rwanda's health system after the genocide. Led introduction of the HPV vaccine and universal health coverage, dramatically cutting child mortality.
Known for: Rwanda health reconstruction, HPV vaccine, universal coverage
#58
Activism
🇨🇩
Chouchou Namegabe
DR Congo
b. 1975
Journalist and founder of the South Kivu Women's Media Association, who has spent 20 years giving voice to survivors of sexual violence in eastern DRC and demanding accountability.
Known for: Sexual violence DRC, women's media, journalism
#59
Research
b. 1960
Physicist and founder of the African School of Physics, training the next generation of African physicists and building a continent-wide community in high-energy and medical physics.
Known for: African School of Physics, physics education
#60
Activism
🇮🇸
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
Iceland
b. 1930
Elected the world's first female president of a republic in 1980, serving four terms. A champion of linguistic diversity, advocating for preservation of smaller languages globally.
Known for: World's first elected female president, linguistic rights
#61
Research
b. 1963
Known as the 'Missile Woman of India,' she is the first woman to head a missile project in India, leading development of the Agni-IV and Agni-V ballistic missiles for DRDO.
Known for: India missile programme, Agni missiles, DRDO
#62
Activism
b. 1970
Peruvian farmer who refused to cede her land to a gold mining company and won. Goldman Environmental Prize 2016 — her courage has inspired communities across the Andes to resist extractive industries.
Known for: Goldman Prize 2016, land rights Peru, anti-mining
#63
Activism
🇮🇩
Nursyahbani Katjasungkana
Indonesia
b. 1954
Lawyer and women's rights leader who co-founded the Indonesian Women's Coalition and fought for decades for legal protections against domestic violence in the world's largest Muslim-majority country.
Known for: Women's rights Indonesia, domestic violence law
#64
Activism
🇲🇾
Ambiga Sreenevasan
Malaysia
b. 1956
Human rights lawyer and former Bar Council president who co-led the Bersih movement demanding free and fair elections. Named among Time magazine's 100 most influential people.
Known for: Bersih electoral reform, human rights law Malaysia
#65
Research
🇰🇷
Kim Jung-sook (peer) — Oh Se-jeong
South Korea
b. 1972
Marine biologist whose research on microplastic contamination in Korean coastal ecosystems has influenced national environmental legislation and raised public awareness of ocean pollution.
Known for: Marine biology, microplastics, ocean conservation Korea
#66
Activism
🇸🇱
Zainab Bangura
Sierra Leone
b. 1954
Former UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict who documented and prosecuted wartime rape across Syria, South Sudan and Somalia, elevating it as a global justice issue.
Known for: UN sexual violence in conflict, wartime rape accountability
#67
Research
🇦🇷
Mercedes Pascual
Argentina
b. 1966
Mathematical ecologist whose climate-driven infectious disease modelling — on cholera and malaria — has reshaped how global health agencies predict and respond to outbreaks.
Known for: Climate and disease modelling, global health ecology
#68
Activism
b. 1985
Co-founder of La Strada Ukraine protecting survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence. Since Russia's 2022 invasion, leads emergency responses to protect displaced women from exploitation.
Known for: Human trafficking Ukraine, La Strada, displaced women
#69
Activism
🇧🇩
Kalpana Chakma (legacy) — Sultana Kamal (active)
Bangladesh
b. 1948
Continuing the work of disappeared indigenous rights activist Kalpana Chakma, Sultana Kamal bridges indigenous rights with broader human rights advocacy across Bangladesh.
Known for: Indigenous rights Bangladesh, human rights advocacy
#70
Research
🇳🇬
Quarraisha Abdool Karim
South Africa / Nigeria
b. 1960
Infectious disease epidemiologist whose research showed an antiretroviral gel could protect women from HIV. A pioneer in gender-responsive HIV science across sub-Saharan Africa.
Known for: HIV prevention women, gender-responsive science
#71
Activism
b. 1977
Anti-corruption lawyer and policy expert whose research at Expert Forum Romania has been central to landmark anti-corruption reforms and the fight against judicial capture in Eastern Europe.
Known for: Anti-corruption Romania, judicial reform
#72
Research
🇧🇫
Alice Dembélé Djire
Burkina Faso
b. 1962
Agricultural scientist developing drought-tolerant cowpea and millet varieties that improve food security for women smallholder farmers across the Sahel, where climate shocks hit hardest.
Known for: Agricultural science Sahel, food security, smallholder farmers
#73
Activism
🇹🇳
Bochra Belhaj Hmida
Tunisia
b. 1957
Lawyer and parliamentarian who championed Tunisia's 2017 law abolishing the ban on Muslim women marrying non-Muslims, and fought for equal inheritance rights — firsts in the Arab world.
Known for: Women's rights Tunisia, inheritance equality, Arab world reform
#74
Research
b. 1948
Parasitologist whose malaria research at the University of Yaoundé has trained generations of African scientists and shaped malaria control policy across Central and West Africa.
Known for: Malaria research, parasitology, scientific training Africa
#75
Activism
b. 1963
Human rights defender and co-founder of PROVEA, Venezuela's leading human rights organisation. Has documented state repression, extrajudicial killings and political prisoners for over 30 years.
Known for: Venezuelan human rights, PROVEA, political prisoners
#76
Activism
b. 1996
Young pro-democracy activist and co-founder of Demosistō, jailed multiple times for her role in Hong Kong's democracy movement. Her case drew global attention to Beijing's crackdown on civil liberties.
Known for: Hong Kong democracy, Demosistō, pro-democracy activism
#77
Research
🇲🇽
Julia Tagüeña Parga
Mexico
b. 1952
Physicist and science policy leader who has championed renewable energy research and women in science across Latin America, shaping Mexico's national energy transition strategy.
Known for: Renewable energy research, science policy Mexico
#78
Activism
b. 1963
Founder of China's first legal aid centre for women, who has spent over 30 years fighting gender discrimination, domestic violence and violations of migrant women's rights in Chinese courts.
Known for: Women's legal aid China, domestic violence law
#79
Activism
🇰🇿
Yuliya Kozyreva
Kazakhstan
b. 1980
Environmental activist who has fought against uranium mining contamination in Kazakhstan and built cross-border networks connecting Central Asian women environmental defenders.
Known for: Environmental activism Kazakhstan, uranium contamination
#80
Research
🇮🇳
Nandita Das (advocate) — Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath
India
b. 1962
Neuroscientist and former director of the National Brain Research Centre whose research on neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's disease has shaped India's brain health research agenda.
Known for: Neuroscience, Alzheimer's research, India brain science
#81
Activism
🇰🇪
Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg
Kenya
b. 1977
Founder of African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), ensuring African women scientists lead the solutions to Africa's food security challenges.
Known for: Women in agricultural research Africa, AWARD
#82
Research
🇺🇸
Lonnie Ali (champion) — Elizabeth Blackburn
Australia / USA
b. 1948
Molecular biologist who discovered telomerase — the enzyme that protects chromosomes — transforming understanding of ageing and cancer. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009.
Known for: Nobel Medicine 2009, telomerase, chromosome biology
#83
Activism
b. 1966
Founder of the Safai Karmachari Andolan, fighting to end manual scavenging in India. His movement has freed over 170,000 women from caste-based sanitation labour. Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016.
Known for: Manual scavenging abolition India, caste rights
#84
Activism
b. 1944
Former Tupamaro guerrilla turned senator, then Vice-President of Uruguay. One of Latin America's most influential progressive voices on drug policy reform and women's rights.
Known for: Uruguay VP, drug policy reform, progressive politics
#85
Research
b. 1962
Nobel Prize in Literature 2018. Novelist and essayist whose writing explores collective memory, gender and power — and a vocal public intellectual advocating for refugees and open societies.
Known for: Nobel Literature 2018, feminist literary voice
#86
Activism
b. 1945
Former Education Minister who authored the landmark 1996 UN report on the impact of war on children. A global advocate for children's rights, African development and women's leadership.
Known for: Children's rights in conflict, UN report, African development
#87
Research
🇸🇬
Roshini Prakash
Singapore
b. 1975
Biomedical scientist and science policy leader who has championed translational research and women's leadership in Singapore's life sciences sector, mentoring the next generation of Asian women researchers.
Known for: Biomedical science Singapore, women in STEM Asia
#88
Activism
🇹🇩
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
Chad
b. 1984
The only indigenous woman on the Paris Agreement negotiating committee. Her participatory mapping empowers Mbororo communities to adapt to climate change across the Sahel.
Known for: Paris Agreement negotiator, indigenous rights, Sahel
#89
Research
🇰🇪
Lydia Nanjala Nyanchama
Kenya
b. 1985
Computational biologist whose genomics research on African genetic diversity is reshaping personalised medicine and filling critical gaps in datasets historically centred on European populations.
Known for: African genomics, computational biology, personalised medicine
#90
Activism
🇳🇿
Jacinda Ardern
New Zealand
b. 1980
Former Prime Minister who led New Zealand's compassionate response to the Christchurch mosque attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic. Globally recognised for combining decisive leadership with empathy.
Known for: New Zealand PM, Christchurch response, compassionate leadership
#91
Research
b. 1960
Parasitologist and former Minister of Higher Education who has championed tropical disease research and women's participation in STEM across sub-Saharan Africa.
Known for: Parasitology, tropical disease, women in STEM Zambia
#92
Activism
🇷🇼
Immaculée Ilibagiza
Rwanda
b. 1972
Genocide survivor whose memoir Left to Tell has sold over a million copies and whose advocacy for forgiveness and reconciliation has brought Rwanda's story to global audiences.
Known for: Rwanda genocide survivor, reconciliation, forgiveness advocacy
#93
Research
🇲🇾
Fauziah Mohd Tawil
Malaysia
b. 1958
Virologist and former director of the Institute for Medical Research Malaysia whose public health research on dengue and Nipah virus has protected populations across Southeast Asia.
Known for: Dengue, Nipah virus, infectious disease Malaysia
#94
Activism
🇧🇴
Adriana Guzmán Arroyo
Bolivia
b. 1972
Indigenous feminist theorist and leader of the Comunidad de Mujeres Creando who has articulated a uniquely Bolivian decolonial feminism, influencing movements across Latin America.
Known for: Decolonial feminism Bolivia, indigenous women's movement
#95
Research
🇺🇸
Shirley Ann Jackson
United States
b. 1946
First African American woman to earn a PhD from MIT (physics). As chair of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and president of Rensselaer Polytechnic, she transformed science policy and STEM access.
Known for: First Black woman MIT physics PhD, nuclear regulation, STEM leadership
#96
Activism
b. 1974
Founder of Nazra for Feminist Studies, Egypt's most prominent feminist organisation, which has documented sexual violence and advocated for women's rights through Egypt's turbulent political transitions.
Known for: Egyptian feminist movement, Nazra, sexual violence documentation
#97
Research
b. 1963
Immunologist and HIV researcher at the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre whose clinical trials of preventive HIV therapies have shaped global antiretroviral guidelines for women and infants.
Known for: HIV prevention Thailand, antiretroviral therapy women
#98
Activism
b. 1951
Distinguished Professor and one of Australia's most prominent Aboriginal scholars, whose work on Indigenous rights, land tenure and constitutional recognition has shaped national policy for decades.
Known for: Indigenous rights Australia, Aboriginal land tenure
#99
Activism
🇨🇮
Mariam Traoré
Côte d'Ivoire
b. 1972
Women's rights defender who has fought for survivors of sexual violence during Côte d'Ivoire's post-election conflicts, pushing for accountability and reparations when justice systems failed women.
Known for: Sexual violence justice, Côte d'Ivoire, accountability
#100
Research
b. 1950
Art historian, academic and author who has written over 1,000 articles on art, culture and heritage conservation. Produced the first exhaustive doctoral study of the Aurangabad Caves, discovered inscriptions at Pitalkhora, and pressured the Archaeological Survey of India to carry out conservation work at Ajanta. Cultural chairperson of the Ellora-Ajanta Aurangabad Festival and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from the Maharashtra Chambers of Commerce.
Known for: Aurangabad & Ajanta-Ellora cave research, heritage conservation, Indian art history
✨ Rankings reflect global impact, breadth of influence, and significance — not a strict hierarchy. Every one of these women is extraordinary.
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