This year’s Kyoto Prize at Oxford, which took place on 10 and 11 May, celebrated the discoveries and innovations of the Kyoto Prize Laureates across the fields of science, technology and philosophy.
Following a fully online event last year, this year’s edition took place in a hybrid format. Professor Roeder, students and members of the public were able to attend the event in person at the Blavatnik School of Government, while Professors Latour and Yao joined remotely, together with an audience of experts and enthusiasts from across the world. This mix of virtual and in-person attendance brought a new perspective and new audiences to the event.
The three Laureates shared insights into their outstanding careers in a series of public lectures, each of which was followed by an exclusive Q&A.
All of the sessions were recorded and are available to watch on the Blavatnik School of Government’s YouTube channel.
- Watch Regulation of transcription in animal cells: a 50-year journey revealing an expanding universe of factors and mechanisms – with biochemist and molecular biologist Robert G. Roeder (Laureate for Basic Sciences)
- Watch A journey through computer science – with computer scientist Andrew Chi-Chih Yao (Laureate for Advanced Technology)
- Watch How to react to a change in cosmology – with philosopher Bruno Latour (Laureate for Arts and Philosophy)
The Laureates’ panel discussion, a unique feature of the Kyoto Prize at Oxford, saw all three Laureates engage in a conversation with Professor Ngaire Woods, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government. Some of the themes explored included government and public policy in each of their fields, future challenges and which skill each Laureates wished they had outside of their professional field. The panel discussion was followed by a dinner ‘amongst the dinosaurs’ at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History .
A crucial part of the Kyoto Prize at Oxford is the opportunity for the Laureates to engage with an array of academics, researchers and students from across the University. Dr Yao engaged with DPhil students of the Department of Computer Science; Dr Latour gave a workshop on “writing in the new cosmology”, organised by the faculty of History and Anthropology; and Dr Roeder visited and gave a seminar at both the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.
We look forward to the announcement of the 2022 Kyoto Prize Laureates and to celebrating their achievements during the Kyoto Prize at Oxford on 9-10 May 2023.