OIST professors honored with JSPS Prizes as creative and outstanding researchers

OIST professors Keshav Dani and Yabing Qi, recipients of the 20th JSPS Prize, were awarded last month. Profs. Dani and Qi both came to Okinawa in 2011, the year that OIST was founded, and have conducted high-quality research in their respective fields.

Read more details about the award and their profiles from the article here.

The award ceremony for 20th JSPS Prize and the Japan Academy Medal took place at the Meiji Kinenkan in Tokyo on March 7, 2024, in the presence of Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino.

The photo was provided by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) with special permission from the Imperial Household Agency.

Prof. Yabing Qi (top) and Prof. Keshav Dani (bottom) at the 20th JSPS Prize Award Ceremony on March 7.

The photo was provided by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) with special permission from the Imperial Household Agency.

The JSPS Prize was established in 2004 with the aim of making Japanese academic research standards world-class by supporting and honoring creative and outstanding young researchers to encourage their work.

Of the 348 JSPS Prize recipients to date, including the 25 winners this year, only four are not Japanese nationals, with Profs. Dani and Qi of OIST being two of them.

“The fact that Prof. Dani and Prof. Qi have received the JSPS Prize is proof that OIST, in its short history, has firmly taken root in Japan and is contributing to a strong Japanese academia,” said Dr. Karin Markides, President and CEO of OIST. “OIST will continue to promote curiosity-driven research and strive to attract outstanding researchers from Japan and abroad, making OIST a bridge of knowledge, connecting Okinawa, Japan, and the world.