On 9 and 10 May 2017 we welcomed the three 2016 Kyoto Prize Laureates – medical scientist Dr Tasuku Honjo, philosopher Dr Martha Nussbaum, and roboticist Dr Takeo Kanade – who gave public talks, lead academic workshops and took part in a number of activities across the University of Oxford.
Laureates
Takeo Kanade
Pioneering Contributions, both Theoretical and Practical, to Computer Vision and Robotics
Dr Kanade has made fundamental contributions to the basic theory of computer vision and introduced a series of innovative applied technologies in robotics including pioneering achievements in the field of automated driving. He has established the foundation of this academic field and been advancing its frontiers consistently for many years.
Kyoto Prize award category: Advanced Technology - Information Science
Tasuku Honjo
Discovery of the Mechanism Responsible for the Functional Diversification of Antibodies, Immunoregulatory Molecules and Clinical Applications of PD-1
Dr Honjo has elucidated the mechanism for the functional diversification of antibodies by clarifying Class Switch Recombination and its responsible enzyme, AID. He also identified several important immunoregulatory molecules, including PD-1, whose function has led to the development of effective cancer immunotherapy. His discoveries and their clinical applications have significantly influenced research in the life sciences and medicine, resulting in eminent contributions to human welfare.
Kyoto Prize award category: Basic Sciences - Life Sciences (Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Neurobiology)
Martha Craven Nussbaum
A Philosopher Who Has Developed a New Theory of Justice Advocating the Capabilities Approach
Dr Nussbaum introduced the notion of incorporating human capabilities (what each person is able to do or be) into the criteria for social justice, beyond the conventional theory of equality based on a social contract among rational individuals. She established a new theory of justice that ensures the inclusion of the weak and marginalized, who are deprived of opportunities to develop their capabilities in society, and has proposed ways to apply this theory in the real world.
Kyoto Prize award category: Arts and Philosophy - Thought and Ethics
Multimedia
Watch Dr Takeo Kanade speaking to an audience at the Blavatnik School of Government as part of the Kyoto Prize at Oxford events.
The launch of the Kyoto Prize at Oxford on 9th May 2017.
As part of the events on 9th May 2017 the Laureates shared their knowledge and research with with graduate students.
Watch Dr Martha Craven Nussbaum speaking to an audience at the Blavatnik School of Government as part of the Kyoto Prize at Oxford events.
Watch Dr Tasuku Honjo speaking to an audience at the Blavatnik School of Government as part of the Kyoto Prize at Oxford events.
Past events
If the greatest enemies of humankind in the 20th century were infectious diseases, cancer has clearly become the major foe in the 21st century. Acquired immunity holds the keys to overcoming both of these difficult medical challenges. Dr Honjo presents the fortuitous developments that he has experienced during his time as a researcher, leading to the discovery that PD-1 inhibition could be…
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Age is the only category of discrimination that includes all humans. However, ageing people are stigmatised in popular culture and discourse, and regarded with a disgust closely linked to fear. Dr Nussbaum argues that stigma against the ageing is a social problem, producing unhappiness and injustice such as discrimination in employment and social interactions, not to mention what she calls a ‘…
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For Dr Kanade, good research derives from solving real-world problems and delivering useful results to society. As a roboticist, he participated in developing a wide range of computer-vision systems and autonomous robots, including human-face recognition, autonomously-driven cars, computer-assisted surgical robots, robot helicopters, biological live cell tracking through a microscope, and…
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