Announcement of the 2025 Kyoto Prize laureates
The Kyoto Prize 2025 goes to a mathematical engineer, a development biologist, and a psychologist.
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Kyoto/London – The Inamori Foundation, established in 1984 by Kyocera founder Dr Kazuo Inamori, is pleased to announce the laureates of the 2025 Kyoto Prize, an international award presented to individuals who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural, and spiritual betterment of humankind.
Each laureate will receive a diploma, the Kyoto Prize medal (20K gold), and prize money of 100 million yen (currently approx. €596,500). This year’s Prize goes to the following three individuals: Shun-ichi Amari, specially appointed Professor and Mathematical Engineer at Teikyo University, Japan and Honorary Science Advisor at RIKEN, Azim Surani, Director of Research and Development Biologist at Gurdon Institute and the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, as well as Carol Gilligan, Professor and Psychologist at the New York University, USA.
Kyoto Prize Laureates 2025
Advanced technology: Shun-ichi Amari
Shun-ichi Amari has conducted pioneering research in artificial neural networks and established the field of information geometry, which studies statistical models using the techniques of differential geometry, thereby proposing many important theories. His contributions to both theory and application, influencing various fields, are of major significance.
Basic sciences: Azim Surani
Azim Surani demonstrated that both paternal and maternal genomes are indispensable for normal mammalian development and subsequently discovered genomic imprinting that confers specific modifications and complementary functions to each genome. Furthermore, he has played a pioneering role in elucidating its underlying mechanisms, thereby making contributions to foundational scientific insights across a broad spectrum of life science fields.
Arts and philosophy: Carol Gilligan
Carol Gilligan has critiqued conventional psychological theories for narrowing the model of personality development and relegating the “care” perspective – which emphasizes human relationships – to a subordinate, gendered status as a feminine moral perspective. By envisioning an enmeshment of the “ethic of justice” and “ethic of care,” Gilligan has established a new academic foundation to address global issues related to care.
Source: Inamori Foundation
Editorial Material
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Contact for further information:
Takeshi Nakajima (Mr) / Megumi Smith (Ms)
press@inamori-f.or.jp
Public Relations Division
Inamori Foundation