discovery that a stabilized version of a
spike protein found on the surface of
all coronaviruses can be a key target for
vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.
She and her colleagues have been
central to the development of the
Moderna mRNA vaccine and the Eli
Lilly therapeutic mono clonal antibody
that were fi rst to enter clinical trials in
the U.S. and now have authorization for
emergency use. As a result, her work
will have a substantial impact on ending
the worst respiratory-disease pandemic
in more than 100 years.Fauci is the director of the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases at the U.S. National Institutes
of HealthSarahAl Amiri34 • REACHING THE
RED PLANETDreaming of going to Mars is
easy; getting there is brutally
hard. So it was no small thing
when the Hope spacecraft from
the United Arab Emirates’ space
agency went into orbit around
the Red Planet on Feb. 9. It was
no small thing either that the
person whom experts cite as the
most responsible for the UAE
triumph was Sarah Al Amiri, the
project’s lead scientist, heading
a team that is 80% women. In
addition to her work sending a
spacecraft to Mars—a landmark
achievement more than six years
in the making—Amiri is the UAE’s
Minister for Advanced Sciences,
and serves as something of a
global emissary for the UAE and
its rapidly developing science
and tech sector. The space
agency she chairs was the fi fth
to ever reach Mars’ orbit. (China
joined the ultra- exclusive club,
which also includes the U.S.
and India, soon after the UAE
on Feb. 10.) Amiri has said
that the Hope spacecraft’s
success was an indicator of all
the UAE aspires to accomplish
in the next 50 years, as the
country continues to diversify
its economy and build upon its
technological prowess.
ÑJeffrey KlugerAMIRI: ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIS FRANKLIN FOR TIMEPHOTOGRAPH BY TIMOTHY NWACHUKWU