iCeMS Prof Motomu Tanaka Wins Prestigious Franz Von Siebold Prize
May 16, 2014
田中 求 教授
In recognition of his contributions to strengthening bilateral ties between Japan and Germany, Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) Professor Motomu Tanaka was selected as the 2014 recipient of Germany's prestigious 
Philipp Franz von Siebold prize.
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany has presented the award since 1979, making this the 36th time the prize will be awarded. Historically, the Siebold prize has been bestowed upon a Japanese scholar for enhancing intercultural understanding and academic exchanges between both countries.
Tanaka --who specializes in biological physics, interface science, and non-equilibrium soft matter -- has spent 15 of his academic years in Germany, where he originally started off as a postdoctoral fellow in Technical University Munich and later became a professor at the University of Heidelberg in 2005 after brief stints at Stanford University and Kyoto University. Currently, Tanaka has faculty positions at both the University of Heidelberg and Kyoto University's iCeMS.
Over the years, Tanaka has been an active organizer of international symposia and leveraged his ability to bridge both countries in order to promote opportunities for German and Japanese researchers to meet and interact face to face. He is also involved in the HeKKSaGON alliance --a consortium between universities in Heidelberg, Kyoto, Karlsruhe, Sendai, Gottingen, and Osaka.
"While Germany has tended to collaborate with China and India in the past, we've observed a recent shift in the landscape to Japan, who is seen as a both a rival and valuable partner. This is trend is also evident across Europe," said Tanaka. "It is my hope to conduct dynamic research with young scientists, through cultural exchanges, in order to transcend the existing boundaries that exist in research fields. I am highly honored to receive this award."
The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place at the annual Humboldt Foundation meeting on June 3rd in Belluvue Palace, which is situated in Berlin and is the residence of the German President. Tanaka will be the sixth Kyoto University researcher to receive the Siebold prize.