Falling Walls Lab Tokyo 2019

Learn, share and communicate about research: the Falling Walls Lab Tokyo will take place on Thursday, June 13, 2019 in Tokyo!

Event Information

June 13, 2019, 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM

Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Organizer(s): German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo), EURAXESS Japan

Based on the idea of “breaking down various walls” around the world, this event provides aspiring researchers, entrepreneurs and professionals of all disciplines and nationalities an opportunity to present their research work, business model, innovative project or idea in front of their peers and a distinguished jury from academia and business – in 3 minutes each.

The winners from the Falling Walls Labs from around the world – including the Falling Walls Lab Tokyo – will gather for the Falling Walls Lab Finale in Berlin on November 8, 2019. The Falling Walls initiative was founded to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Falling Walls Lab Tokyo is co-organized by the German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo) and EURAXESS Japan.

Audience: If you would like to join the event as part of the audience, please, register here.

Venue: Mishima Hall, Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI-1) at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku

Video trailer: What can you do in 3 minutes? Falling Walls Lab Tokyo 2018 Trailer

Programme

18:15 Door open
18:30

 

 

 

 

Welcome Address
Dorothea Mahnke
Director, German Centre for Research and Innovation Tokyo (DWIH Tokyo)Matthieu Py
Representative, EURAXESS JapanIntroduction about the organisersMatthieu Py (Representative, EURAXESS Japan)
Konstanze Lang (Program Coordinator, DWIH Tokyo)
18:50 First batch of FWL Tokyo 2019 contestants (1-7) 
19:30 Second batch of FWL Tokyo 2019 contestants (8-14)
20:15 Catch & Tell
20:45 Results announcement and prize ceremony
21:00 Networking & reception

 

Jury

Prof. Dr. Izumi Ohno

Adjunct Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)

  • 2018 – present: Director, Japan International Cooperation Agency Research Institute (JICA RI); Adjunct Professor GRIPS
  • 2015 – present: Distinguished Senior Research Fellow, Asia Pacific Institute of Research (APIR)
  • 2002 – 2018: Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)
  • 1999 – 2001: Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) – Director, Division for LAC.
  • 1998 – 1999:  Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund of Japan (OECF) – Director, Environment & Social Development Div.
  • 1995 – 1998:  The World Bank – Public Sector Management Specialist (Poverty Reduction & Economic Management Unit, LAC)
  • 1993 – 1995: Research Institute for Development Assistance, Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund of Japan (OECF) – Economist & Deputy Director, Development Assistance Div.
  • 1988 – 1998: The World Bank – Economist (Strategic Planning and Review Dept., SPRSP), Country Officer for Peru (Country Operations Dept. III, LAC) etc.
  • 1981 – 1988: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) – Mining & Industrial Planning Dept., Training Dept., Social Development Cooperation Dept.

Dr. Jörg Schneider

Director of Division „International Affairs“ and Head of Division DFG Office Japan, German Research Foundation (DFG)

  • since 2014 – present : Head of Division, DFG Office Japan
  • since 2006 – present: Head of Division “International Affairs”, German Research Foundation (DFG)
  • 2003: Head of Division “Research Training Groups, Graduate Schools, Research Careers“ at Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
  • 1999: Managing Director, Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (WGL)
  • 1992: Establishment of the German National Contact Point for Human Capital and Mobility (HCM) in Framework Programme FP3. Until 1999 head of national contact point for European mobility, socio-economics and international cooperation programs
  • 1991: Scientific Officer at the Project Management Team, German Research Ministry at the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt (DLR)

Prof. Akemi Yokota

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social Science, Chiba University

  • since 2017: Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Chiba University
  • 2014 – 2017: Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Politics, and Economics, Chiba University
  • 2013 – 2014: Associate Professor, Faculty of Law and Economics, Chiba University
  • 2012 – 2013: Researcher, Institute of Administrative Management (IAM)

 

 

Prof. Dr. Yoshiaki Maeda

Vice Director and Professor, Tohoku Forum for Creativity, Tohoku University

  • since 2014 – present: Vice Director, Tohoku Forum for Creativity, Tohoku University
  • since 2014 – present: Professor, Tohoku University
  • 2008 – present: Honorary Professor, University of Warwick
  • 1994 – 2014: Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University
  • 1986 – 1994: Associate Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University

 

 

Prof. Dr. Mary Voytek

Special Advisor to the President of Tokyo Institute of Technology/Executive Director of Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI)

  • 2018 – present Executive Director Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology
  • 2018 – present Cross appointment with Columbia University, Astrobiology
  • 2015 – present Interagency Committee on Microbiomes
  • 2008 – present Senior Scientist for Astrobiology, Planetary Sciences Division, SMD, NASA
  • 1998 – 2010 Project Chief Environmental Microbiology, Water Resources Division, National Research Program, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

 

Sabine Schenk

Coordinator, Heidelberg University Office, Kyoto (HUOK)

  • 2017 Award of the Takehisa Yumeji Society
  • Since 2015: Coordinator of the HUOK, Heidelberg University’s liaison office for Japan and East Asia
  • 2013 – 2018: Visiting lectureships at LMU Munich, Heidelberg University and Ritsumeikan University
  • 2012 – 2014: Assistant Liaison Office and Project Coordinator at the Cluster of Excellence “Asia and Europe”, Heidelberg University
  • 2010 – 2011: PhD research at the German Institute for Japanese Studies, Tokyo
  • 2009 – 2010: Assistant Curator, Clark Center of Japanese Art and Culture (DIJ), California
  • 2008 Master in Japanese Studies, Art History and German Literature at LMU Munich with an exchange year at Kyoto University

Dr. Kazuhiro Sakurada

Deputy Program Director, Medical Science Innovation Hub Program, RIKEN

  • 2008 – 2018: Senior Researcher, Sony Computer Science Laboratories Inc.
  • since 2008: Chief Scientific Officer, iZumi Bio Inc.
  • 2006 – 2007: Head of Global Drug Discovery Regenerative Medicine, Bayer Schering Pharma AG
  • 2004 – 2006: Head of Research Center Japan (Member of Corporate Research Management Team), Schering AG
  • 2000 – 2004: Principle investigator of Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. Ltd
  • 1988 – 2000: Researcher, Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co. Ltd

Luca Escoffier

Project Manager, EU-Japan Technology Transfer Helpdesk, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation

  • Feb 2019 – present: Co-founder and CEO, LCUBE Consulting
  • Dec 2015 – present: Chair of the Chapter on Open Innovation and Entrepreneurship, ISSNAF – Italian Scientists and Scholars of North America
  • Jul 2015 – present: Project Manager, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation
  • Jul 2010 – present: Co-founder and CEO, Usque Ad Sidera LLC

Speakers

 

1.   Ward Peeters

Kanda University of International Studies l Breaking the Wall of collaborative learning on social media

 

 

 

2.   Riku Yamada

Grubin l Breaking the Wall of food loss

 

 

 

 

3.   Meiling Sun

Tokyo Institute of Technology l Breaking the Wall of Terahertz-based industrial inspection

 

    

             

        

 

4.   Ryogo Utaki

Tokyo Institute of Technology l Breaking the Wall of noninvasive health care monitoring

 

                                     

 

5.   Collin Stecker

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology l Breaking the Wall of affordable, flexible, renewable energy

 

 

 

6.   Momoko Obuki

Osaka Prefecture University l Breaking the Wall of cancer membranes for drug delivery

 

 

                                  

7.   Koki Sakita 

Okayama University l Breaking the Wall of disaster prevention

 

 

 

                                    

8.   Alannah Paulina Prondzinsky

Tokyo Institute of Technology l Breaking the Wall of understanding life’s limits

 

 

 

 

9.   Yu Tokumoto

Tokyo Institute of Technology l Breaking the Wall of wearable biological monitoring

 

 

                                    

 

10.   Likhith Manjunatha

Kyushu University l Breaking the Wall of experimental search time

 

 

 

 

11.   Kou Li

Tokyo Institute of Technology l Breaking the Wall of ubiquitous inspection robot

 

                            

 

 

12.   John Martin

NanoCarrier l Breaking the Wall of cancer drug ineffectiveness

 

 

 

                                    

13.   Go Takahashi

Waseda University l Breaking the Wall of green governance in Myanmar community

 

 

 

14.   Xiu Zhao

Waseda University l Breaking the Wall of humans and robots working together

Information for Speakers

Your Presentation

  • Present your research project, business plan, entrepreneurial or social initiative that is relevant to the world of today – in 3 minutes!
  • Convince a top-class jury with members from academia, research institutions and business
  • Exchange insights on an interdisciplinary level with fellow researchers and professionals
  • Get involved in exciting discussions and network with excellent scientists and professionals

Who can Apply

  • We are looking for outstanding talents and innovative thinkers from all disciplines
  • Bachelor and Master students, PhD candidates, postdocs, junior professors, young professionals and entrepreneurs are invited to apply
  • Transportation costs will be covered (if more than 3h away from Tokyo – one-way trip – by train)

Application & Deadline

Apply online at falling-walls.com/lab/apply
Application deadline: Monday, May 13, 2019; 16:00 Tokyo time

The Falling Walls Lab Tokyo

The Falling Walls Lab takes place on Thursday, June 13, 2019 at Mishima Hall, Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI-1) at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Participants will be informed about the exact time.

Win a Scholarship and a Trip to Berlin

The prize

  • A trip to Berlin, Germany (travel & accommodation covered).
  • Participation in the Falling Walls Lab Finale in Berlin on 8 November 2019. The Finale winner gets to speak once more on the grand stage of the Falling Walls Conference on 9 November 2019, receives a cash prize, & the opportunity to win a six month Virtual Residency with Nature Careers of the global publisher Springer Nature.
  • A ticket for the prestigious Falling Walls Conference, where leaders from science, industry, and policy-making meet and discuss which walls will fall next in science and society.
  • Participation in a Springer Nature event on science publishing and a science excursion.