February 4, 2020
On February 4, 2020, the Japan Prize Foundation (President Hiroshi Komiyama) announced the 2020 (36th) Japan Prize Laureates. This year, the prize fields were "Electronics, Information, Communication" and "Life Science". Prof. Robert G. Gallager (United States) was chosen for the field of "Electronics, Information, Communication", and Dr. Svante Pääbo (Sweden) was chosen for the field of "Life Science".
Prof. Robert G. Gallager who was chosen for the field of "Electronics, Information, Communication" is being honored for his "pioneering contribution to information and coding theory". On the other hand, Dr. Svante Pääbo who was chosen for the field of "Life Science" is being honored for his "pioneering contributions to paleoanthropology through decoding ancient human genome sequences".
In April, the laureates will be invited to Japan for the "Japan Prize Week" where various events are scheduled.
The Presentation Ceremony is scheduled for April 15 at the National Theatre of Japan, and the Commemorative Lectures are scheduled for April 16 at the Ito International Research Center, the University of Tokyo.
At the Presentation ceremony, each laureate will receive a certificate of merit and a prize medal.
A cash prize of 50 million yen will also be presented to each prize category.
Nationality：United States of America
Date of Birth：May 29, 1931(88)
Affiliation：Professor Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Nationality：Sweden
Date of Birth：April 20, 1955(64)
Affiliation：Director, Department of Evolutionary Genetics
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
The creation of the Japan Prize was motivated by the Japanese government's desire to "express gratitude to international society by establishing a prestigious international award in the fields of science and technology".
Supported by numerous donations, the Japan Prize was established in 1983 with a cabinet endorsement.
The Japan Prize honors those who have made significant achievements that contribute to the peace and prosperity of mankind, based not only on contributions to the advancement of science and technology but also on social contributions to our lives.
The award covers all fields of science and technology and takes into consideration the developments in science and technology. Every year, the foundation designates two fields for the award presentation.
One award is given for each field as a general rule. Each laureate receives a certificate of merit and a prize medal. A cash prize of 50 million yen is also presented to each prize category.
