TLDR: Dr. Emna Hariga, a distinguished Tunisian bioinformatician and data scientist, has been awarded the 2025 Best Female Scientific Achievement Prize. Her groundbreaking work involves developing an AI-powered platform for discovering treatments against pathogenic agents, a significant advancement in healthcare. The award, accompanied by a 15,000 dinar grant, recognizes her innovative contributions to integrating artificial intelligence into biomedical research.
Dr. Emna Hariga, a prominent Tunisian scientist, has been recognized with the prestigious 2025 Best Female Scientific Achievement Prize for her pioneering work in applying artificial intelligence to health solutions. The award, announced by the Ministry of Family, Women, Children and Seniors on Tunisia’s National Women’s Day (August 13), celebrates her development of an intelligent technology platform dedicated to the research and development of treatments against pathogenic agents. This significant recognition includes a 15,000 dinar grant, funded by the ministry’s budget, highlighting the national importance of her innovation.
Dr. Hariga, a Master Assistant at the Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Experimental Pathology at the Pasteur Institute of Tunis, is a bioinformatician and data scientist with a multidisciplinary background. Her academic journey includes a National Engineering Diploma in ‘Analytical Chemistry and Instrumentation’ and a Master’s in ‘Information Processing and Complexity of the Living’ from ENIT. She completed her PhD in Bioinformatics, specializing in Molecular Modeling, at the Pasteur Institute of Paris in 2016. Since 2018, her research has focused on integrating AI approaches into drug discovery and medical diagnosis.
Her award-winning project centers on an advanced scientific database powered by AI algorithms, which accelerates discoveries and reduces costs in the fight against infectious diseases. Since 2022, Dr. Hariga has led a multidisciplinary team comprising biologists, technicians, chemists, and engineers. Their collaborative efforts target major infectious diseases such as leishmaniasis, malaria, and coronavirus, with the clear ambition of developing new treatments and embedding AI into all stages of biomedical research. Notably, her team has already identified new drug candidates against Leishmania parasites, which are currently in preclinical investigation.
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Dr. Hariga has also demonstrated exceptional skill in securing research funding, becoming the sole Tunisian to obtain a joint grant from the European Union and the African Union for innovative African research projects. This international support underscores the global relevance and potential impact of her work. Furthermore, she has founded the startup AI4HD, which aims to develop accessible and useful AI-based diagnostic tools for healthcare professionals and clinicians, further extending the reach of her innovations.
