Mokhtar considers her greatest achievement to be the tangible impacts she has helped to drive, including advancements in global nutrition security, capacity-building programs in STEM, and seeing women she mentored through the MSCF Programme leading laboratories.
“When I visit Member States and see students applying these methods or meet women directing projects that once had no place for them — that’s when I know our work matters,” she said, her voice warm with conviction.
Her ability to take risks and be open to new experiences informs her advice to young scientists: “The unknown isn’t a barrier — it’s where the meaningful work begins. Had I stayed within expected boundaries, I’d never have discovered how nuclear science could address the malnutrition challenges I cared about.”
Mokhtar’s vision for the future mirrors her own journey — creating systems that outlast individual involvement. She champions sustainable training programmes that empower countries to adapt nuclear technologies to their evolving needs, and advocates fiercely for initiatives like the Lise Meitner Programme that dismantle barriers for women in STEM. “Real progress, comes when we stop creating single opportunities and start building ecosystems of access,” she concluded.
