Announcement of 10 Grant Recipients for 14th Shiseido Female Researcher Science Grant

Shiseido Company, Limited (“Shiseido”) has selected 10 grant recipients for the 14th Shiseido Female Researcher Science Grant(*1) (119 total applicants). This grant is founded on the principle of supporting female researchers who will play a leading role in the next generation to contribute to the development of science and technology. This research grant provides various unique advantages covering a wide range of research fields not limited to cosmetics, sets no age limit for application, and allows funds to be used in supportive activities for life events (such as childbirth and childcare) in order to continue pursuing their research. Many past grant recipients have continued their research activities while achieving career advancement after receiving the award and establishing their own laboratories.
This year, we will host an online award ceremony together with recipients of the 13th round of grants on Thursday, June 24. At this ceremony, award winners will deliver comments expressing their joy and enthusiasm regarding future research activities.
*1　Each recipient will be awarded a research grant of 1 million yen.

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About Shiseido Female Researcher Science Grant

1. Purpose of establishment
In the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), the wide gender gap is a matter of concern. In Japan, women account for 16.9%(*2) of total researchers. Although on a moderate uptrend in recent years, this percentage remains low compared to other countries against a backdrop of insufficient support and infrastructure for childbirth, childcare, and nursing care, etc. and a deep-rooted perception of gender roles(*3), which are believed to have great impact on women’s research activities. In view of these circumstances, Shiseido has operated the Shiseido Female Researcher Science Grant subsidy program since 2007 with the purpose of supporting the research activities of female researchers and contributing to the development of female leaders in the research field.
As of the 13th grant award ceremony, 129 recipients have been awarded a total of 129 million yen.
*2 Based on the Survey of Research and Development 2020, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
*3 Social and cultural perception of roles between men and women, such as “men should work, women should look after their families”.

2. Features of this grant
This grant has expanded research areas, targeting female researchers in all fields of natural science. Funds are allowed to be used not only for research expenses such as reagents and equipment, but also for supporting expenses such as babysitter fees during business trips, employment costs for research assistants, and conference participation fees, etc.

3. Career development of grant winners
Many past grant winners have been highly evaluated for the content of their research, winning the Saruhashi Prize(*4) and Fumiko Yonezawa Memorial Prize(*5), and advancing their careers including the position of professor in their respective academic fields.
*4 Saruhashi Prize: Awarded by the Association for the Bright Future of Women Scientists founded in 1980, and presented each year to female scientists who have achieved outstanding research achievements in the fields of natural science.
*5 Fumiko Yonezawa Memorial Prize: Established in 2019 by the Physical Society of Japan to encourage and recognize female scientists in the field of physics. The Physical Society of Japan honors the achievements of the late Fumiko Yonezawa, the first woman to serve as president of the Physical Society of Japan and who engaged in supporting female scientists as president of the Association for the Bright Future of Women Scientists.

Shiseido aims to realize a gender-equal society, where women can fully and freely exert their abilities. The Shiseido Female Researcher Science Grant will continue to support the development of female researchers who aim for leadership in order to eliminate gender bias in Japanese research.

Outline of 13th and 14th grant award ceremony

Date and time: Thursday, June 24, 2021, 13:00-14:00　
Purpose: Introduction of grant recipients and award ceremony　
Format: Online award ceremony via Microsoft Teams*　
* Connecting each site from the Shiseido Global Innovation Center (S/PARK) 2F S/PARK PLAZA
(1-2-11 Takashima, Nishi-ku, Yokohama-city, Kanagawa prefecture).

14th Shiseido Female Researcher Science Grant : List of grant recipients

Grant period: June 2021~May 2022

Name
Affiliated Institution(s)
Post
Research Theme(s)

DAO Thi Ngoc Anh, Ph.D.
Materials-Measurement Hybrid Research Center, Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University
Assistant Professor
[Material Science / Polymer material / Cancer therapy]
Immobilization of colloidal nanodrugs in silk protein gel-like matrix for sustainable and controllable drug release

Kaori Sato, Ph.D.
Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University
Assistant Professor
[Geophysics]
Global distribution of cloud liquid - ice water concentration

Kaori Sugihara, Dr. sc.
Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo
Lecturer
[Biophysical engineering/Biomedical Engineering]
Development of novel antibiotics based on antimicrobial peptide cooperativity

Kayo Nozawa, Ph.D.
Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, the University of Tokyo
Research Associate
[Protein structural biology]
The development of cryo-electron microscopic technique for genome folding visualization

Mina Sakuragi, Ph.D.
Faculty of Engineering, Department of Nanoscience, Sojo University
Associate Professor
[Supramolecular assembly/ Small-angle X-ray scattering]
Structural characterization of transfersomes dispersed in deep eutectic solvents and their application to transdermal drug delivery

Nako Maishi, DDSc, Ph.D.
Vascular Biology and Molecular Pathology, Department of Oral Pathobiological Science, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Dental Medicine
Assistant Professor
[Tumor biology/ Cell biology/Basic medicine]
Development of novel cancer diagnostics and therapeutics by inhibition of tumor blood vessels

Saori Tani-Matsuhana, Ph.D.
Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University
Assistant Professor
[Molecular and developmental biology]
The mechanism of pigment cell specification in fish

Saori R. Yoshii, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
Assistant Professor
[Molecular biology/Yeast genetics]
Rejuvenation of mitochondria during asymmetric cell division in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Shiori Amemiya, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Radiology, The University of Tokyo Hospital, University of Tokyo
Assistant Professor
[Radiology/ Neuroscience]
Development and clinical application of fMRI dynamic network analysis

Yukako Nishimura, Ph.D.
Division of Developmental Physiology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University
Assistant Professor
[Cell biology/Mechanobiology]
A role of microtubule network in mechanotransduction signaling

* Listed in alphabetical order by given name without honorifics.