Awards honor female researchers

Female researchers at Kyushu University were honored on September 29, 2018, at the inaugural Young Female Researcher and Graduate Student Research Excellence Awards ceremony held at Shiiki Hall as part of the university’s Academic Festival 2018.

Newly established this year, the awards commend female researchers and graduate students who have produced outstanding research results at the university. Through such recognition, the awards aim to contribute to the cultivation of exceptional female scientists as leaders of future academic research and to promote diversity by increasing interest in research among women.

Among the 16 nominees in the Young Female Researcher category and the 22 nominees in the Female Graduate Student category, one top excellence and two excellence awardees were chosen in each category following an intensive selection process.

President Chiharu Kubo presented the five recipients attending the ceremony with certificates and commemorative awards before addressing the awardees and attendees. This was followed by a speech from Assistant Professor Ohama, recipient of the award for top excellence in the Young Female Researcher category, and a commemorative photograph of the honorees with President Kubo. The sixth recipient could not attend because she is currently overseas.

These awards are funded through donations from the Project for Promoting Achievements of Female Researchers. More information about the awards can be found here (Japanese only).

【Young Female Researcher category】
●Top Excellence
Mikako Ohama, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Humanities

●Excellence
Rie Wakabayashi, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Enginerring
Miho Shiratori, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

【Female Graduate Student category】
●Top Excellence
Hitomi Mori, 2nd year doctoral course student of Graduate School of Medical Sciences

●Excellence
Masako Inamori, 3rd year doctoral course student of Graduate School of Humanities
Akane Hara, 3rd year doctoral course student of Graduate School of Systems Life Sciences