Inaugral ‘Science She Says’ Award presented to Glasgow Academic

Dr Ornela Dardha, a University of Glasgow academic, has been awarded the inaugural ‘Science, She Says!’ award by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).

Recognising outstanding young female scientists, not of Italian descent, the Award is presented to an individual who has remarkably contributed to the advancement of science and technology and has strong connections with the Italian scientific community. The award is given to candidates from five regions across the world, with Dr Dardha winning the Europe award. Dr Dardha was presented with the accolade during the Italian Scientific Attachés Conference in Padova, Italy on 6 March 2023.

A Senior Lecturer in Computing Science Dr Dardha’s research concerns programming language foundations. Her fundamental work "Session Types Revisited" has been awarded two prizes and underpins theoretical and implementation work by several other researchers. She is Programming Languages Theme Lead at the University and Glasgow Representative for the Scottish Programming Languages Institute. She has been involved in several European research networks that include Italian institutions. She is Science Communication Coordinator for EuroProofNet and Glasgow Site Lead for BehAPI. She currently collaborates with the Universities of Torino and Bologna.

In an interview with ANSA news Dr Dardha said about the award: “It is an honour to have received the “Science, She Says!” Award for Europe. I am very grateful to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for this recognition; not only for recognising my work and scientific contribution, but also for recognising my strong connection with Italy. I am very grateful to Prof Dame Muffy Calder, Prof Margaret Lucas and Prof Simon Gay for nominating me for the award and for their support."

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