OIST President and CEO Peter Gruss elected as Honorary Member of the Japan Academy

Dr. Peter Gruss, President and CEO of the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), has been elected as an honorary member of the Japan Academy, honoring his contributions to advancing science and academics in Japan. His appointment took place on March 14, 2022 at the 1157th General Meeting.

Dr. Peter Gruss, President and CEO of OIST, has been elected as an honorary member of the Japan Academy.

The Japan Academy is a 140-year-old organization, currently operating under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which honors researchers who have distinguished themselves through outstanding academic and scientific accomplishments. 

The Academy consists of a maximum of 150 regular members, each selected for their academic merit. In addition, up to 30 foreign academics who have played a pivotal role in the progress of science and academia within Japan can be recognized as honorary members.

Dr. Gruss is a German developmental biologist, who has gained international recognition for his research into the embryonic development of mammals and gene regulation. Prior to joining OIST, Dr. Gruss was President of the Max Planck Society in Germany from 2002-2014. He then moved to Okinawa, Japan, to serve as President and CEO for OIST from the beginning of 2017. 

During his time as president, Dr. Gruss has overseen a phase of rapid growth and important milestones for OIST, including the recruiting of leading scientific minds from all over the world, opening of a fourth state-of-the-art research laboratory, and presiding over the inaugural graduation ceremony. Under Dr. Gruss’ leadership, OIST has also flourished academically, with the proportion of OIST’s highest-quality articles published in 2020 comparable to that of globally leading institutions like Caltech, MIT, and Stanford, according to the latest normalized data from Nature Index.

Dr. Gruss reflected, “My work with OIST has been challenging but immensely rewarding, and I am proud of the success that we have achieved.

“I am deeply honored to have been selected as an honorary member of the Japan Academy and look forward to joining my peers in the pursuit of scientific progress in Japan. 
 

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On February 1, 2023, Dr. Peter Gruss visited the Japan Academy office and was awarded a Medal of Honorary Members. The photos of the visit are seen from the link.