Shiseido Holds Award Ceremony for 17th Shiseido Female Researcher Science Grant Recipients

Shiseido Company, Limited (hereinafter, Shiseido) has selected 10 recipients out of a total of 107 applicants for the 17th Shiseido Female Researcher Science Grant (hereinafter, this Grant) and held an award ceremony at the Shiseido Global Innovation Center on Friday, July 19, 2024.
Since its establishment in 2007, this Grant has provided research grants for research themes covering a wide range of fields in the natural sciences (all fields in science and engineering, as well as life sciences) to up to 10 female researchers each year on the principle that supporting female researchers taking on leadership roles in the next generation will lead to the development of science and technology. One of its features is that the granted fund of one million yen can be flexibly used to create a comfortable working environment with an adequate balance of research activities and personal life events. For example, the fund can be used for babysitters or daycare fees when attending academic conferences, hiring research assistants, and so on. Network building among the grant recipients also helps reinforce the recipients’ research activities and career development.
Amid the growing awareness of the challenges in closing the gender gap in the STEM*1 fields in Japan, Shiseido, as a company that actively promotes women's empowerment, will contribute to realizing a sustainable society through the development of science and technology made possible by supporting female researchers.
*1 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

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Group photo of the 17th grant recipients

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Greetings from Naoko Yoshida representing the recipients

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[Message from Naoko Yoshida, an associate professor at Kanazawa University as the representative of the grant recipients]
I am deeply honored to receive this award. I started my career as an assistant professor at Kanazawa University 15 years ago, and I am currently an associate professor at the same university, conducting research on counterfeit medicines. The support for my research, which I believed was necessary, has also boosted my confidence. I have been able to balance child-rearing with my teaching and research activities as a researcher, due to the understanding and cooperation of those around me. Going forward, I would like to maximize my gratitude and experience to further develop research in this field and contribute to the nurturing of the next generation as an understanding person. I will continue to improve myself so that I can become a role model for young female researchers who will be playing important roles in the future.

[Message from Yoshiaki Okabe, Corporate Executive Officer, Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing ＆ Innovation Officer, Chief Brand Officer - brand SHISEIDO, Shiseido Co., Ltd.]
Shiseido operates this Grant to support female researchers who wish to work at the forefront of creating new science fields despite the harsh environment. At the award ceremony, last year's and this year's grant recipients get together, allowing them to meet and interact with scientists from different fields whom they have not yet met. With the increase in interdisciplinary research, more communication between fields is required. Therefore, we hope that this grant community will develop into a kind of platform for female researchers in the future.
Our company has more female researchers and managers than in other industries. This diversity helps promote value creation. We hope that the leadership and splendid research results of the grant recipients will promote diversity in the scientific community. We will be glad if this Grant can serve as the first step in that direction. All Shiseido employees sincerely wish the grant recipients success as scientists.

[Message from Ayako Hirofuji, Corporate Executive Officer, Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief DE ＆ I Officer, Shiseido Co., Ltd.]
According to the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index released in June this year, Japan ranked 118th out of 146 countries, showing that the gender gap has not changed much in this country. As attention is being paid to women's participation in the workplace and DE＆I activities, we believe that continuous efforts by society and companies are important.
Shiseido has set a goal of ”achieving a 50:50 ratio of men to women at all levels of employment in the Japan region by 2030” as we consider gender equality to be one of our DE＆I strategic actions. Shiseido DE＆I is the accumulation of various activities over many years. To coexist with various individuals in a continuously changing environment, we need to keep changing. We understand that balancing research activities with life events in a strict environment and culture with set gender-based roles is difficult. However, we are hoping that the grant recipients will become role models and frontiers for the next generation.

Outline of grant award ceremony

◆Event Name：17th Shiseido Female Researcher Science Grant Award Ceremony
◆Time and Date：Friday, July 19, 2024, 11:10-18:30
◆Venue：Shiseido Global Innovation Center 3F (1-2-11 Takashima, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan)
◆The 17th Award Ceremony：
　-Greetings：
　 By Ayako Hirofuji (Corporate Executive Officer, Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief DE＆I Officer, Shiseido Co.,
　 Ltd.)
　-Presentation of award plaque：
　 By Yoshiaki Okabe (Corporate Executive Officer, Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing ＆ Innovation
　 Officer, Chief Brand Officer - brand SHISEIDO, Shiseido Co., Ltd.)
　-Greetings from the representative of the grant recipients：
　 By Naoko Yoshida (Associate Professor at Kanazawa University)
　-Judges’ comments：
　 By Yosuke Tojo (Head of Judging Committee, Executive Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Shiseido Co., Ltd.)
　-Panel Discussion “Activities of the Female Researchers and their Network Building”
　・Facilitated by Yuya Nishimura, Representative Director, Specified NPO MIRATUKU
　・Panelists:
　　Sachiko Matsushita: Associate Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology / CEO, elleThermo, Ltd.
　　Mihoko Maruyama: Professor, Osaka University
　　Tomoko Ikeda: Executive Officer, Chief Brand ＆ Product Innovation Officer, Shiseido Co., Ltd.
◆The 16th Research Report Meeting:
　-Presentation and Discussion:
　 By eleven grant recipients (some from the 16th year and some from former years)
　-Social gathering

Current situation of female researchers

The percentage of females among all researchers in Japan is 18.3%.*2 Although this indicates a slight upward trend, it is still low. In a questionnaire survey on the current status of female researchers conducted by Shiseido in the past,*3 many recipients cited the difficulty of balancing work and family as a concern. They also cited disadvantages such as it being difficult for people to understand their situation due to the lack of female researchers and that the there is no one they can consult or exchange information with. These results revealed that some female researchers need more support from their surroundings, such as their families, superiors, and affiliated institutions.
In light of this situation, Shiseido established this Grant in 2007 to support female researchers who show promise in leadership roles in their fields of expertise and will contribute to science development in the future. The company would like to contribute to the development of science and technology in Japan by improving the harsh environment of female researchers and promoting their activities.
*2 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 2023 Science and Technology Research Survey Results
(https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kagaku/1550.html)
*3 Survey period: November 16-30, 2022. Number of respondents among Shiseido Female Researcher Science Grant recipients: 74 (Numbers asked: 119)

Prospects

It has been 17 years since this grant to foster female researchers who will be playing a leading role in the next generation was founded, and a total of 169 scientists have been awarded to date. Many of the past recipients have advanced in their careers, becoming professors and research leaders who run their own laboratories. Shiseido will support exceptional female researchers facing difficulties in their work environment by offering opportunities for communication and knowledge exchange that transcend the boundaries of research fields and specialization. The company will also contribute to the future development of science in Japan by promoting communication between the grant recipients and young students.



[17th Shiseido Female Researcher Science Grant: List of grant recipients]
Grant period: June 2024-May 2025

Yasuko Inaba, Ph.D.
Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Division of Biological Science
Assistant Professor
[Cell biology/Developmental biology]
What shape is critical for retaining mucus to form barriers

Akiko Eguchi, Ph.D.
Mie University Hospital, Biobank Center
Associate Professor
[Cellular biology/Pathological elucidation]
Development of non-invasive biomarkers for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence

Nahoko Kuroki, Ph.D.
Faculty of Core Research, Ochanomizu University
Assistant Professor
[Theoretical Chemistry/Solution Chemistry]
Ab Initio Molecular Simulation toward Supercritical Fluid Extraction

Chika Takai-Yamashita, Ph.D.
Gifu University, Faculty of Engineering/
Tohoku University, Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials (IMRAM)
Associate Professor
[Powder Technology]
From unused agricultural resources to functional fibers: toward improved pulp efficiency

Yuka Nozaki, Ph.D
Department of Medicinal and Life Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science
Assistant Professor
[Metabolism/Mitochondria]
Development of mitochondrial vaccines to alleviate acute inflammation

Naoko Fujito, Ph.D., J.D
Laboratory for Evolutionary Brain Pathology, Department of System Pathology for Neurological Disorder, Basic Neuroscience Branch, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University
Associate Professor
[Evolutionary Biology/Genome Biology/Population Genetics]
Understanding APOBEC3 and Cancer from an Evolutionary Perspective

Motoko Maekawa, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Organ Anatomy, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University
Associate Professor
[Neuroscience/Psychiatry]
Understanding the Effect of Maternal Malnutrition during Pregnancy on Offspring's Risk of Psychiatric Disorders

Yuki Moriya, Ph.D
Department of Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP)/
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Addictive Substance Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science
Research Fellow/Researcher
[Neuropsychopharmacology/Behavioral Neuropharmacology]
Maternal and Neonatal Effects of New Psychotropic Drugs Targeting Opioid Receptors

Naoko Yoshida, Ph.D.
AI Hospital/Macro Signal Dynamics Research and Development Center, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University
Associate Professor
[Regulatory science/Clinical pharmacy/Social pharmacy/Pharmaceutics]
Research on the improvement of qualitative and quantitative accuracy in direct analysis of solid pharmaceutical preparation

Chiho Watanabe, Ph.D.
School of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University
Associate Professor
[Soft Matter/Biophysics]
Approach towards understanding tauopathy through in vitro lipid membrane systems