Dr. Badal is a bio-chemist and lecturer in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, UWI where she specialises in cancer research. She studied chemistry and bio-chemistry for her first degree which led to post-graduate research studying natural products towards identifying those with likely efficacy in preventing and treating cancers. However, when she realised that the cell-lines on which these natural products were being tested were all Caucasian she led a team in creating the first cancer cell line from the Caribbean in 2022. The intent was to create more cancer cell lines for black people in the fight against prostate and breast cancer.
In 2014 she was bestowed the Elsevier Foundation Award as a leading female chemist among five women from the developing world where she represented the Caribbean and Latin American regions. The UWI has also paid tribute to her as one of 70 outstanding women through its history across the three campuses who have rendered world-class service. In March, 2024, the Springer Nature and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) announced Dr. Simone Badal as one of 25 global Rising Scholars: Breast Cancer programme.
Dr. Badal was selected by 1st place Winners - Immaculate Conception High School (Grade 7) as their STEM Role Model in our FiWi Science Video Competition 2025/26. See WEBSITES for their video production.