Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  Shakhlo Turdikulova, Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, has been elected as a member of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), becoming the only representative from the CIS and Central Asia in this year’s elections. She is also the seventh scholar from Uzbekistan to join the prestigious global scientific organization in its history.

The President of the World Academy of Sciences, Professor Quarraisha Abdul Karim, personally congratulated Turdikulova and invited her to the diploma award ceremony:

"Dear Professor Turdikulova, it is a great honor for me to inform you that TWAS members have elected you as a member of the World Academy of Sciences, effective January 1, 2025. Allow me to sincerely congratulate you. Your election is a clear recognition of your outstanding contributions to science and its advancement in developing countries. We are proud to have you as one of our members."

This year, 74 scientists were elected (50 men and 24 women), bringing the total number of TWAS members to 1,444. This marks the largest group of new members in the history of the World Academy of Sciences. The formal diploma award ceremony will take place in early 2025 at the academy’s headquarters in Trieste, Italy.

It is worth noting that Turdikulova is a co-author of the Uzbek-Chinese COVID-19 vaccine and holds the highest impact factor of publications in Uzbekistan. She is also the only scholar in the country to have published three times in Nature magazine. In April 2024, she was appointed Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences, becoming the first woman in the 80-year history of the organization to hold this position. Additionally, Turdikulova is the founder and head of the human genetics and biotechnology scientific school at the Center for Advanced Technologies.

Her election to the World Academy of Sciences represents a significant step in the development of Uzbekistan’s scientific potential and demonstrates the country’s growing contribution to global science.