On Oct. 29, 2026, Nagoya University presented this year’s Leading Women Researchers Award at a ceremony held at the Gender Research Library on the Higashiyama Campus.
Since 2017, this award has been bestowed annually upon especially outstanding women researchers selected based on departmental recommendations to the Gender Equality Promotion Committee. The award is presented to women researchers who possess outstanding research abilities and achievements and who show promise as future candidates for university executive and managerial positions. In addition to fostering top women leaders, the award aims to raise awareness of female excellence at the departmental level through the recommendation process itself.
This year, two individuals received the award: Professor Sayaka Takemoto (Research Institute of Environmental Medicine) and Associate Professor Claudia Martinez (Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research). At the ceremony, President Sugiyama presented the awards to Professor Takemoto and Associate Professor Martinez. Also in attendance were Vice Presidents Masako Nagata and Ichiro Terasaki, Yoshitaka Hayashi (Director of the Research Institute of Environmental Medicine), Kazuo Shiokawa (Director of the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research), Toru Ohira (Dean of the Graduate School of Mathematics), and Mariko Yamasaki (Director of the Center for Gender Diversity).
A reception was held after the ceremony, which served as a chance for participants to exchange candid opinions about their respective experiences and goals. The reception also provided the opportunity for interdepartmental networking.
