Kyoto Prize at Oxford 2019

On 14 and 15 May 2019 we welcomed the three 2018 Kyoto Prize Laureates – mathematician Dr Masaki Kashiwara, neuroscientist Dr Karl Deisseroth, and artist Ms Joan Jonas – who gave public talks, lead academic workshops and took part in a number of activities across the University of Oxford.

Kyoto Prize at Oxford 2019 highlights: Neuroscience, mathematics and art come together

Laureates

Karl Deisseroth
Karl Deisseroth
Neuroscientist
Masaki Kashiwara
Masaki Kashiwara
Mathematician
Joan Jonas
Joan Jonas
Artist
Karl Deisseroth

Karl Deisseroth

Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, Stanford University
Neuroscientist

Dr Deisseroth focused on microbial light-activated proteins such as channelrhodoposin of green algae and was a pioneer in ‘optogenetics’ — a new methodological discipline in which neurons can be activated or inhibited on the millisecond scale using light. This achievement has revolutionised the field of systems neuroscience, enabling causal study of neuronal assembly activity and resulting function. He is the youngest laureate ever in the history of the Kyoto Prize.

Kyoto Prize award category: Advanced Technology — Biotechnology and Medical Technology

Masaki Kashiwara

Masaki Kashiwara

Project Professor, Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Kyoto University
Mathematician

Dr Kashiwara established the theory of D-modules, thereby playing a decisive role in the creation and development of algebraic analysis. His numerous achievements — including the establishment of the Riemann-Hilbert correspondence, its application to representation theory, and construction of crystal basis theory — have exerted great influence on various fields of mathematics and contributed strongly to their development.

Kyoto Prize award category: Basic Sciences — Mathematical Sciences

Joan Jonas

Joan Jonas

Professor Emerita, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Artist

Ms Jonas created a new artistic form by integrating performance art and video art, and has continuously evolved her original medium remaining at the forefront of contemporary art. Creating labyrinth-like works that lead audiences to diverse interpretations, she hands down the legacy of 1960s avant-garde art by developing it into a postmodern framework, and profoundly affecting artists of later generations.

Kyoto Prize award category: Arts and Philosophy — Arts (Painting, Sculpture, Craft, Architecture, Photography, Design, etc.)

Media

Kyoto Prize at Oxford 2019 highlights: Neuroscience, mathematics and art come together
Kyoto Prize at Oxford 2019 highlights: Neuroscience, mathematics and art come together

Highlights from the Kyoto Prize at Oxford, hosted for the third year at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford on 14 and 15 May.

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Joan Jonas: 1968 to the present
Lecture: Joan Jonas: 1968 to the present (English)

Watch Joan Jonas speaking to an audience at the Blavatnik School of Government as part of the Kyoto Prize at Oxford events.

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Lecture: Illuminating the brain - Karl Deisseroth (English)
Lecture: Illuminating the brain - Karl Deisseroth (English)

Watch Dr Karl Deisseroth speaking to an audience at the Blavatnik School of Government as part of the Kyoto Prize at Oxford events.

Video page

Past events