An Indian-origin biochemist has been named alongside the likes of actress-turned-royal Meghan Markle, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and bestselling author J K Rowling as the 25 most influential and aspirational women in the UK by 'Vogue' magazine.
Priyanka Joshi has been chosen for her cutting-edge research in the inaugural 'The Vogue 25' list which includes artists, activists and executives across different fields.
“Priyanka Joshi had barely completed her PhD when ‘Forbes’ named her one of the most important young faces in science. A research fellow at Downing College, Cambridge, the 29-year-old sits at the cutting edge of Alzheimer’s research, and has been praised for her ground-breaking work building a ‘library’ of drug-like molecules to target irregular proteins that cause degenerative brain diseases,” notes the citation on the young biochemist.
"With dementia now the leading cause of death for women in England and Wales, her early breakthroughs and research could not be more vital,” it adds in reference to Joshi, who completed her MSc in Biotechnology from University of Pune before moving to the UK.
Meghan Markle, the new Duchess of Sussex after her marriage to Prince Harry earlier this month, is described as "an extraordinary cast of leaders defining and redefining the way we live now".
"Almost overnight, the 36-year-old has become one of the most recognisable women in the world. But her influence stretches far beyond the ceaseless coverage of her style – as a bi-racial campaigning feminist from America, she is helping to forge a new 21st-century identity for the monarchy,” it notes.
The youngest on the list is singer Dua Lipa, 22, who won two Brit Awards for her music this year and is branded by ‘Vogue’ as a “culture definer”. The fashion magazine says her hit song ‘New Rules’ is an “anthem of female empowerment”.
The only politician on the list – which is not ranked in any order – is Ruth Davidson, who made "spectacular gains" for the Conservative party in the last Scottish elections. Davidson, who became leader of the Scottish Conservatives in 2011, is described as a "beacon, thanks to her relatable personality and progressive ideas" among a "sea of old-guard Tories".
For Harry Potter author Rowling, the fashion publication notes her enduring influence as a result of the hit Broadway stage production of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'.
“No surprise that 52-year-old Rowling is now the world's highest-paid author. A generation belongs to her,” it says.
The list, which also includes fashion designer Stella McCartney and three ‘Guardian' journalists, is categorised as “an extraordinary cast of leaders defining – and redefining – the way we live now”.
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