Assistant Prof. Miho Nishimura Spoke of Her Aspiration as Female Researcher at TEDx Tokyo 2014

At “TEDx Tokyo 2014,”* an international event where leading experts of diverse technology, entertainment, and design fields present a broad range of creative ideas which was held at Shibuya Hikarie in Tokyo on May 31, Assistant Prof. Miho Nishimura, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology (Science) Bioscience made a presentation.

Speaking of her current research into the mechanism of plant photosynthesis, Assistant Prof. Nishimura explained how plants sustain life under harsh environmental stress through photosynthesis as well as how she collaborates with researchers around the world to elucidate the photosynthetic mechanism.

Assistant Prof. Nishimura recalled why she entered the world of science although she was not interested in science when she was young saying, “I didn’t know what I wanted to do in the future. So I decided to try what I don’t like.” “I am fascinated by science now. So if you don’t like something and you’ve never tried it, please jump into it. There must be a chance and discovery you’ve never seen. Trying to do a challenging thing is a key to the future,” she added.

In 2009, Okayama University established the “Woman Tenure Track (WTT)” Program to secure and develop talented young researchers and to increase the number of female professors, which offers female researchers fixed-term employment as well as an opportunity of permanent employment based on their research achievement during the tenure-track period (i.e. probationary period). Being selected for the “Program to Disseminate and Secure the Tenure Track System” by the the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and received the Grant-in-Aid for Science and Technology Human Resources Development, the university has been making proactive efforts to further develop and improve the program. Meanwhile, Assistant Prof. Nishimura who appeared in TEDx Tokyo 2014 was recruited as a first generation WTT assistant professor in April 2010 and received a permanent position in April 2013 due to her excellent research achievement. Her appearance in TEDx Tokyo 2014 not only reflects high recognition of our efforts to develop female human resources, but also motivates female students who aspire to pursue research career.

* TEDx Tokyo
Started in 1984 in the US, TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a conference where leading experts of various fields appear and make presentation. Under the slogan of “Ideas Worth Spreading,” a wealth of creative ideas are introduced to the world. Marking its 6th year, TEDx Tokyo 2014 featured a theme of “Connecting the Unconnected.”

TEDx Tokyo 2014:http://www.tedxtokyo.com/en/ http://www.tedxtokyo.com/#about（Japanese）

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eep9KeVd5ds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUAWtc8scYg（Japanese）