Özlem Türeci

The Financial Times has selected Turkish-German scientists Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci, who are at the helm of developing the world's first effective coronavirus vaccine, as 2020 People of the Year.

They are the symbol of a remarkable scientific and business success story, said the Financial Times.

Scientists in Turkey have attested to the reliability and effectiveness of novel coronavirus vaccines being brought to the country, some of which have started to be administered in other nations as well.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Dec. 7 praised Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci - both children of Turkish immigrants in Germany - for developing a vaccine against the novel coronavirus.

Speaking to German radio Metropol FM, Merkel said Şahin and Türeci, who are married, made a foundational contribution to science with their company BioNTech, alongside U.S. pharmaceutical firm Pfizer.