Was Researcher Rosalind Lee, Wife Of Nobel Laureate, Snubbed Of Prize?

Rosalind Lee, the first author of a pioneering 'Cell' paper on microRNA, was not recognised for the Nobel Prize in Medicine, though her co-researcher husband Victor Ambros was awarded this year. Many have accused the Nobel Committee of overlooking her significant contributions to the study and noted the challenges faced by women in STEM. Since the Prize was first introduced in 1901, 227 individuals in medicine have been honoured, out of which only 13 have been women.

Why Rosalind Lee Did Not Get A Prize?

Their official X (Twitter) account wrote on October 7, "Congratulations to our 2024 medicine laureate Victor Ambros. This morning he celebrated the news of his prize with his colleague and wife Rosalind Lee, who was also the first author of the 1993 'Cell' paper cited by the Nobel Committee."

Congratulations to our 2024 medicine laureate Victor Ambros ✨

This morning he celebrated the news of his prize with his colleague and wife Rosalind Lee, who was also the first author on the 1993 'Cell' paper cited by the Nobel Committee.#NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/Wtg71oD5xf

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 7, 2024

While Rosalind Lee's exclusion has created a controversy on social media, some experts argued that the first author in a scientific study is not considered the lead researcher. Since Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun are signed as the last authors, they are regarded as the main researchers of the 'Cell' paper.

However, some reports say otherwise, adding to the confusion.

1) Even though authorship rules vary across fields, I think it’s safe to say that the first author is the one who contributed the most (both intellectually and carrying the experiment). You’ll find that across publication guidelines of major scientific publishers: pic.twitter.com/TDB1zCWKhu

— Letícia 👑🐳 | Rainha das baleias (@leticiamagpali) October 9, 2024

Ambros and Ruvkun co-authored the 'Cell' paper in 1993 when Rosalind Lee was a lab assistant. To Lee, the long-awaited Prize is a collective victory. Throughout the couple's careers, the professors have authored many studies together and made groundbreaking advancements in medicine and physiology. 

Lee is currently a senior researcher at the University of Massachusetts. She said in an interview at the institution, “For us, it was mostly that we’ve accomplished something. We’ve added to the scientific knowledge. I think that’s all scientists want to do, to have their work be something that people can build on and discover things, and the things that people have been able to do in the microRNA field is just astounding.”