Dr. Takao Kondo, Dean of the Graduate School of Science, was awarded the 2006 Asahi Prize.
The Asahi Prize was established in 1929 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. It is awarded to individuals and groups making outstanding accomplishments in academia and the arts, and making significant contributions to the development and progress of Japanese culture and society at large. This year, based on nominations from their respective fields, six individuals were selected for the prize following critical review by a selection committee from the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and the Asahi Shimbun Foundation.
Dean Kondo was selected for his research on the molecular mechanism of the biological clock. He used cyanobacteria to unlock the mechanism of the clock, and to successfully reproduce the roughly 24-hour biological clock (the Circadian Clock). This work holds much promise in terms of its impact on the future of bioscience.
An awards ceremony was held on Monday, January 29th at the Imperial Hotel in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
