image: JST has selected winners for the second Marie Sklodowska Curie Award for young female researchers. view more
Credit: Japan Science and Technology Agency
The Japan Science and Technology Agency has selected winners for the second Marie Sklodowska Curie Award for young female researchers. JST recognizes the importance of initiatives designed to promote the activities of female researchers in science, technology, and innovation. In particular, it is necessary to support female researchers in their late twenties and early thirties, when they are most expected to be active as a researcher, and at the same time, deal with many life events.
Based on this belief we established the Marie Sklodowska Curie Award in 2021, together with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, to promote the activities of Japanese female researchers across the world. The award’s namesake, Dr. Marie Sklodowska Curie, was recognized for her achievements in her early thirties and later won two Nobel Prizes. The award honors her great contribution and achievements to the development of science and technology, and we hope her example will inspire the ambitions of Japanese female researchers.
For the second Marie Sklodowska Curie Award, we accepted applications from September 30 to December 12, 2022. Through document screenings and interviews with external experts, we have selected one Grand Prize winner and two Inspiration Prize winners. In addition, considering the efforts of other applicants who meet the criteria for the award and deserve appreciation, we also selected one Recognition Prize winner.
JEOL Ltd., a support company, will award: 1M yen for the Grand Prize, 500K yen for each Inspiration Prize, and 300K yen for the Recognition Prize.
The Winners of the Second Marie Sklodowska Curie Award
Grand Prize Winner
Saki Ichikawa
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
Dr. Ichikawa's research uses chemical methods to elucidate various biological phenomena caused by protein modifications at the atomic level, and lays the foundation for creating new therapeutic strategies to fight cancer, neurodegenerative and other diseases. She has already contributed high-profile results to the field, and through her own bold initiative is conducting cutting-edge research both in Japan and the US while pursuing new areas of research. Now branching out from organic chemistry to chemical biology, Dr. Ichikawa is a researcher with clear vision and drive for the future.
Inspiration Prize
Mariko Kadowaki
Researcher, Research Center for Structural Materials, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
Dr. Kadowaki's pioneering research focuses on the microscopic components of steel, with the goal of elucidating corrosion phenomena and creating corrosion-resistant materials for a safer society. Her impactful results include: a real-time observation system for corrosion; clarification of the corrosion protection mechanism of iron by carbon at the atomic level; improvement of iron corrosion resistance beyond that of carbon by the use of nitrogen atoms. Through these and other achievements, her work has brought us closer to an efficient resource-recycling society. Though based in Japan, Dr. Kadowaki is rapidly expanding her network through international cooperation and has a bright future on the world stage.
Miyu Moriyama
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine
Dr. Moriyama is tackling the challenge to protect humanity from viruses, contributing to our understanding of viral infections and vaccine development through her bold and original basic research. Her unique perspective on the challenge has helped elucidate the mechanisms of viral infection and the mechanisms by which immune responses are elicited by different pathways. As a rising star in immunology and vaccine research, Dr. Moriyama is actively pursuing opportunities for international joint research and has a very promising global career.
Recognition Prize
Naoko Sasamoto
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Dr. Sasamoto aims to control two gynecological diseases, currently difficult to diagnose at an early stage, by establishing early diagnostic methods using molecular epidemiological methods such as proteomics/metabolomics. She has a strong research record, including several high-quality publications as first author. After working as a clinician and becoming a mother, she pursued a career as a researcher and received her M.D. in 2022. In recognition of Dr. Sasamoto's position as a role model, and as a PI (Principal Investigator) already working overseas in a field with few women, we are presenting her with a specially established award.