Kyoto Prize Symposium

10/22/2026

Dr. David Fenning is a professor of chemical and nano engineering at UCSD's Jacobs School of Engineering and is serving as our host faculty member for this year's Kyoto Prize Advanced Technology Laureate, Dr. Tsutomu Miyasaka.

From Dr. Fenning’s recent presentation at the Kyoto Prize Symposium Kick-off:

"I want to highlight Prof. Miyasaka's critical contributions to discovering perovskite solar cells and their application space in op electronics. Because of perovskite’s unique properties, we can make devices that already rival the best silicon devices ever made. Silicon PV has been around for almost 75 years. What’s more is that if we put perovskites on top of a silicon cell and join them together in tandem, silicon is better at absorbing infrared light than perovskites. So the perovskites can convert visible light and the silicon cell, infrared, and we can achieve efficiencies already today that are above the thermodynamic limit of what any silicon cell can do. This is the future of solar with the potential to increase energy yield – the power you get out by about 50% relative to what’s out there today.

This has launched a huge effort to commercialize these not just for terrestrial PV but for Space… you will probably see this in many different facet of your life moving forward. So the hope is that perovskite with their relatively earth abundant materials, their low cost manufacturing and their defect tolerance, can really usher in a new era of photovoltaics making it not just more efficient but more equitable and ubiquitous around the world. Prof. Miyasaka is still at the forefront of this field and has been leading the way thinking about safer compositions and lead management – how we can create a more circular perovskite manufacturing environment.

I feel very fortunate to have known Tom for some years… I had a few papers when I first met Tom trying to establish myself as a researcher. He was exceptionally giving of his time and his comments, helped to encourage me to participate in this field as an excited member to see where this can all go rather than discouraging me. Now I’m the national co-director of a perovskite PV center. There’s two in the U.S. We’re working with five or six industrial partners – some of the best institutions and scientists around the country. There’s a lot of effort behind this today and I’m honored to be able to share a little bit of Prof. Miyasaka's story and the story of perovskite cells with you today."

We are extremely excited to recognize Dr. Tsutomu Miyasaka as one of our 2026 Kyoto Prize Laureates!

View Dr. Fenning’s full presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emvl0a8LzyM&t=899s

10/21/2026

“My life has been guided by the belief that improving the human condition is our highest calling. Whether through scientific discovery, medical innovation, education or the arts, I have sought opportunities to help people live healthier and more meaningful lives.” ~Dr. Ann Clare Kessler, Chair, Kyoto Symposium Organization

The Kyoto Symposium Organization proudly congratulates its Board Chair Dr. Ann Clare Kessler on receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the !
Our board and staff were honored to join in celebrating this well-deserved recognition of her outstanding contributions and lasting impact.

Thank you, Ann, for your unwavering leadership, your commitment to improving lives, and your inspiring example of a life lived with purpose.

10/14/2026

As a Professor of Computer Music at UC San Diego and one of our Kyoto Prize Laureate Host Faculty, Professor King Britt shared this great introduction for 2026 Kyoto Prize Laureate, Laurie Anderson:

"Laurie Anderson is a sonic explorer, interdisciplinary storyteller, fearless experimentalist, time traveller and pop cultural disruptor. A pioneering avant-garde artist, she is our north star, embodying purpose, individuality and creative freedom. Language, music, film and technology are her tools, revealing the kaleidoscope of her mind.

From academia to New York’s unbound downtown 70s scene, alongside artists like Philip Glass and spaces like The Kitchen, she found a platform to shift consciousness.

Her opus, O Superman, shattered the status quo in 1981, reaching #2 on the UK pop charts. This was only the beginning. From Big Science to Home of the Brave to Let X=X, each its own universe of innovation. Collaborations with Peter Gabriel, Marshall Allen and her husband Lou Reed expanded those universes.

AI and VR are simply more tools for endless dreaming, embraced responsibly rather than feared.

Grammy winner, Harvard Professor of Poetry, NASA Artist in Residence. Titles that keep everyone on their toes and out of a box. She is un-boxable. Some say multimedia artist, but she is multidimensional, uncontainable.

A lover of life and its many pursuits. She is Laurie Anderson! Our extraordinary Kyoto Prize Laureate. We couldn’t be more honored."

We are extremely excited to recognize Laurie Anderson as one of our 2026 Kyoto Prize Laureates!

10/08/2026

In the words of UC San Diego Associate Dean of the School of Biological Sciences and 2026 Kyoto Prize Laureate Host Faculty, Dr. James Nieh:

"Dr. Farooq Azam received the 2026 Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences for work that fundamentally changed how we understand this question: How does the ocean feed itself?

Before his discoveries, our picture of the marine food web was rather simple: microscopic algae fed small animals, which fed fish and larger predators. Dr. Azam and his colleagues showed that we were missing an enormous and largely invisible part of the ocean.

Marine bacteria are not simply decomposers. They are active participants in ocean ecosystems, processing organic matter and helping determine how carbon and nutrients move through the sea. With Jed Fuhrman, Dr. Azam also helped develop methods to measure how fast bacteria are growing and reproducing, allowing scientists to accurately measure this nutrient flow.

He also changed how we think about the ocean itself. At the scale of a bacterium, seawater is not a uniformly mixed soup. Particles and chemical plumes create rich microbial neighborhoods where organisms gather, grow, and transform organic matter. The invisible ocean has its own geography.

These discoveries helped establish modern microbial oceanography and remain central to understanding carbon cycling, climate, and the fate of organic matter in the sea. That is the remarkable body of work recognized by the Kyoto Prize."

Congratulations to 2026 Kyoto Prize Laureate, Dr. Farooq Azam!

10/05/2026

2018 Kyoto Prize Laureate in Advanced Technoloy, Dr. Karl Deisseroth has just won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his pioneering work in optogenetics, a revolutionary technique that uses light and genetics to control the activity of individual nerve cells in living brains. Dr. Deisseroth is the 12th Kyoto Prize laureate to subsequently receiving a Nobel Prize.

Hear his first reaction to receiving the Nobel Prize:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNogbM246cE&t=210s

10/02/2026

We’re incredibly excited to kick off this new year of the Kyoto Prize Symposium’s planning by gathering with our many partners, including Point Loma Nazarene University and UC San Diego / UCSD , and many more, to hear from this year’s host faculty and be introduced to our 2026 Kyoto Prize Laureates!

Thank you all for joining us, and we can’t wait for all that this year holds! Watch the event online via our livestream: https://youtu.be/Emvl0a8LzyM

08/07/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Kyoto Prize Symposium High School Scholarship winners from San Diego and Tijuana!

United States – $10,000 Scholarship Winners
Zahraa Munaim
David He
Catherine Ji

Mexico – MXN 100,000 Scholarship Winners
Maritza Vianey Aguilar Medina
Dharshan Maheswari Senthilnathan
Emily Alexa Jimenez Mata

We are proud to support these outstanding students as they continue their education and pursue their goals!

In addition to our $10,000 scholarships, KSO awards $500 and $1,000 scholarships to our other finalists. This year's finalists include:

Abhiram Chalamalasetty • Andrew Shin • Daniela Ledesma • Ella Short • Madeleine Adams • Mason Raymond • Yosif Shaheen

Learn more about the KSO High School Scholarship Program:
https://kyotoprize-us.org/scholarships

08/06/2026

One of the most rewarding parts of partnering with the Fundación Internacional de la Comunidad, A.C. is seeing past scholarship recipients connect with current winners —sharing experiences, offering encouragement, and building meaningful professional networks. These moments remind us that the impact of a scholarship extends far beyond the classroom.

Together, we've helped open doors to education, opportunity, and lifelong connections. Here's to 22 years of changing lives and inspiring the next generation of leaders through the . Congratulations to the ! 💙🎓✨

07/31/2026

We were proud to join the Scholarship Celebration and recognize this year’s Kyoto Prize Scholarship recipients alongside students from across San Diego County.

It was especially meaningful to spend time with our recipients and members of the KSO community as we celebrated the students’ accomplishments and the exciting journeys ahead of them.

Congratulations and best wishes to the !

07/09/2026

Congratulations to PLNU's 2026 Inamori Scholars! 🎉

Web: https://www.pointloma.edu/Instagram: https://www.instagram.co...