James Wilsdon

Professor (Research Policy), Department of Science, Technology, Engineering & Public Policy (STEaPP), University College London, and Executive Director of the Research on Research Institute (RoRI). In 2014, he was invited to chair an independent UK government review, published as The Metric Tide (2015), which critically examined the introduction of metrics into the UK’s research assessment system REF with a diverse range of university stakeholders. Subsequently in 2022, he co-authored Harnessing the Metric Tide, deepening the debate on required reforms towards REF 2029. He has been instrumental in promoting responsible research assessment (RRA) and especially at RoRI, working on transforming research systems, cultures and decision-making.

Susumu Kitagawa

Executive Vice-President for Research Promotion, Kyoto University.
Dr. Kitagawa, obtained Ph.D. degree at Kyoto University, is now Distinguished Professor at KUIAS and iCeMS and assumed the current position as Executive Vice-President in 2024. Kitagawa pioneered the Chemistry of porous coordination polymers (PCPs) and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), predicting their flexible framework, and developing applications in gas storage, separation, and conversion. He coined the term “soft porous crystals” (SPC), catalyzing a field now integral to materials chemistry. Kitagawa envisions a future where porous materials drive advancements across environmental, energy, resource, and health sectors, labeling the 21st century the “age of gas.” His contributions have garnered numerous accolades, including awards from the Chemical Society of Japan, The Medal with Purple Ribbon from the Japanese Government (2011), the Japan Academy Award (2016), and Chemistry for the Future Solvay Prize (2017). Kitagawa’s impact extends through memberships in the Japan Academy, Foreign Member of Royal Society, and significant recognition as a highly cited researcher (2014 – 2022).

Fuyuki Ishikawa

Director, Kyoto University Research Administration Center (KURA), Program Manager, Program for the Development of Next-generation Leading Scientists with Global Insight (L-INSIGHT), and Vice President for Academic Research Support, Kyoto University. M.D., Ph.D. in Medicine, The University of Tokyo. After serving as Research Associate at Carcinogenesis Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Research Assistant at The University of Tokyo Hospital, Post-doctoral Fellow at Thomas R. Cech Laboratory, University of Colorado at Boulder, Associate Professor and later Professor at Department of Life Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Professor at Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, took the current posts.

Shiho Fujiwara

Director, Research and Development Strategy Division, Science and Technology Policy Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). She joined the Science and Technology Agency (now MEXT) after completing her Master’s degree in Science at Tohoku University in 2000. She was involved in the implementation of science and technology policies such as space development policy, life science policy, nuclear policy and science and technology human resource development. She was also involved in education-related policies, such as the revision of the Courses of Study for science and mathematics in the Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau and the development of facilities for national university corporations in the Education Facilities Planning and Disaster Prevention Department. She also worked in various capacities at national universities, including research support and international cooperation, and as a science and technology attaché at the Embassy of Japan in Canada, before being appointed to her current position in July 2024.

Keisei Sowa

Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Agriculture Sciences. Dr. Sowa graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at Kyoto University in 2012 and obtained a PhD from the Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kyoto University in 2017. After working as a researcher in private companies, he assumed the current position in 2021. Additionally, he has been an L-INSIGHT Fellow at Kyoto University since 2022. His research aims to elucidate the fundamental principles underlying the essential functions of living organisms (respiration, metabolism and photosynthesis) from a bioelectrochemical perspective, and to contribute to society through the development of biomimetic technology. In 2024, the European-based Bioelectrochemical Society (BES) bestowed him with the Young Researcher Prize of BES 2024, which is awarded to one researcher every other year. He has also been the recipient of several other awards, including the outside front cover of ChemCommun in 2022, the supplementary cover art (2 papers) of ACS Catalysis in 2023, and the encouragement award of the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry in 2024.

Asa Nakano

Asa Nakano is the Associate Professor (Program-Specific) at the Center for Enhancing Next-Generation Research, Kyoto University. She is in charge of designing and creating Center’s researcher development programs (MEXT-subsidised Program for the Development of Next-generation Leading Scientists with Global Insight, L-INSIGHT), and conducting surveys through networking with policy makers and government officials particularly in EU countries. Prior to joining Kyoto University, she was selected as an emerging artist by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and worked as a first-class architect in Spain. She designed national architectural projects, and also worked as a coordinator for international projects between Japan and Spain.