The 2024 Vera Šnajder Award Recipients: Hana Babić and Lejla Hrustemović
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Futures Foundation is proud to introduce the 2024 recipients of the prestigious Vera Šnajder Award: Hana Babić and Lejla Hrustemović. Their remarkable achievements and dedication to advancing research reflect the core values of this award, which continues to honor the legacy of Prof. Vera Šnajder.
ABOUT THE AWARD:
The “Vera Šnajder” Award celebrates the trailblazing legacy of Prof. Vera Šnajder, the first female dean in the region and Bosnia's own "Marie Curie." It is awarded annually as a travel grant (up to 6,000 BAM) to female students in Bosnia and Herzegovina excelling in natural or technical sciences. The grant aims to enable these exceptional individuals to showcase their work at global conferences and participate in cutting-edge research initiatives.
This award is part of the Foundation's broader mission to nurture the next generation of leaders by supporting Bosnian and Herzegovinian students in gaining international exposure and bringing their expertise back home to contribute to the scientific and technological advancement of the country.
VERA ŠNAJDER 2024 RECIPIENTS:
Hana Babić was selected for her participation in the Course Computing Skills for Reproducible Research: Software Carpentry, scheduled from January 26th to January 31st, 2025, in Heidelberg, Germany. Her dedication to enhancing computational skills for research is a testament to her forward-thinking approach to science.
Lejla Hrustemović earned recognition for her active participation and paper presentation on "Cardiac arrhythmias detection using a dual-channel CNN-LSTM model" at the AIME 2025 Conference, to be held from June 23rd to June 26th in Pavia, Italy. Her work highlights groundbreaking contributions to the field of medical technology.
The Selection Committee, composed of distinguished academics and professionals, carefully reviewed and ranked applications based on excellence and potential impact. Both Hana and Lejla received the highest scores and glowing commendations from the jury.
The award ceremony was held on December 13, 2024 at our annual Futures Leaders Summit.
On behalf of dmBiH company, the award was presented by Emina Mušinović, a member of the dmBiH Management Board and the Head of the IT and Human Resources departments, who once again emphasized the importance of empowering young female scientists for the benefit of our community.
HONORARY COMMENDATIONS:
The committee also awarded honorary commendations to two exceptional candidates: Emina Očuz and Jelena Radović, whose applications demonstrated extraordinary merit and dedication to research.
CONTINUING A LEGACY:
Announced during the Futures Leaders Summit 2024, this year’s award reflects the Foundation's unwavering commitment to empowering women in research and technology. The Vera Šnajder Award remains a platform for fostering talent, enabling recipients to present their innovative ideas on global stages and contribute to the advancement of their respective fields.
We wish Hana and Lejla the best of luck in their upcoming endeavors and look forward to hearing about their experiences. To learn more about the Vera Šnajder Award and past recipients, click here.
This initiative is made possible with the support of dmBiH, as part of the company’s continuous efforts to promote gender equality and female entrepreneurship. By supporting the Vera Šnajder Award, dm aims to empower women in the local community and labor market, emphasizing the importance of education and youth empowerment to build a better society.