Japan SciCom Forum 2023

Kelly Blumenthal holds both a PhD in astrophysics from the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and an EdM in education policy and management from Harvard's Graduate School of Education. In the past, Kelly has worked on projects focused on developing inclusive and equitable programs to engage a large sample of the population, and now, as the Acting Director of the International Astronomical Union Office for Astronomy Outreach (IAU OAO) at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Kelly has the opportunity to continue this work on the international stage.

Andrew MacIntosh studies and teaches behavioral ecology, conservation and wildlife health and welfare at Kyoto University. With humble beginnings on the prairies of North America, he was always drawn to exotic places teaming with charismatic species. His work has taken him to far-off places in Central America, West Africa, East and Southeast Asia, and even Antarctica. He has studied primates, seabirds (especially penguins!) and a few other animals over the years, most recently the iconic raccoon dogs (tanuki) of Japan. His lab at Kyoto University's Wildlife Research Center combines field and laboratory work to enrich discovery, and tries to address both theoretical and practical issues in wildlife science. The PrimateCast is his effort to bring that knowledge and those experiences to a wide audience and provide a novel educational resource by interviewing friends and colleagues in the primatology and wildlife science space. The PrimateCast is sponsored by the Center for the International Collaboration and Advanced Studies in Primatology at Kyoto University's Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior.

Amanda is a passionate advocate of combining the arts and sciences for impactful engagement with broad audiences. Her speciality is the design of STEM escape rooms but her interests also lie in other science games, theatre, comedy, storytelling and festivals. She has managed several EU projects focused on combining the arts with STEM, including STEAM Summer School, an intensive course that trains researchers and scicomm professionals to communicate STEM through the Arts. She continues to run STEAM Summer school annually in Malta and also leads the Generation Glas programme, an SFI Discover funded project to develop underprivileged youth into sustainable champions. Amanda has worked as a public engagement professional for 7 years across various institutions in Europe, including University of Malta, Imperial College London and the University of Manchester. She is currently the Public Engagement Manager of BiOrbic Research Centre at University College Dublin.

Euan McKay is Designated Associate Professor at Nagoya University where he is vice head of international strategy and vice head of international communications. He also runs the JSF Socials meetings with other JSF members. Before Nagoya, he worked on international and research communications at Kobe University and the University of Tokyo. His current research focus is on the challenges faced by sexual minority students at Japanese universities and women’s participation in STEM fields.

Dania Alkhatib is a dentist who completed her master's degree in dentistry at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). She is presently pursuing her Ph.D. in dentistry with a specialisation in oral pathology at Kyushu University in Japan. Her professional journey includes serving as a dentist at different clinics and a lecturer at the Institute of Dentistry, Al-Quds University in Palestine. She also has a background in teaching the Arabic language to non-native speakers from different backgrounds. Additionally, she previously held the role of media spokesperson at the Al- Hayat Association for Cancer Control in Palestine. Currently, she serves as the vice president of the Fukuoka Overseas Student Association (FOSA) in Japan.

Aileen Cooney (she/her) is a PhD researcher primarily based in the UK, currently undertaking a 1-year JSPS Fellowship at the Earth-Life Science Institute in Tokyo. Her research focuses on engineering artificial cells with novel functionalities. She is currently working on designing artificial cells with tunable mechanochemical properties. She believes creativity is important in research, and that science communication can play a key role in discussing science with non-scientists and generating new ideas from atypical sources. Her PIs are Tomoaki Matsuura (ELSI, Tokyo), Yuval Elani (Imperial College London) and Lorenzo di Michele (Cambridge University).

Jonas Fischer received a PhD in Experimental Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Augsburg in Germany in 2018. As a postdoc at the University of Tokyo, he focused on magnetoelectric multiferroics – materials which might power the next generation of energy-efficient IT devices. With this topic he participated at the Falling Walls Lab, a 3-minute research pitch competition, and was selected as Top 10 Winner at the 2020 international Grand Finals in Berlin. From 2020 he worked as a Specially Appointed Assistant Professor at Tohoku University's International Visitor Research Center (TFC). Since 2022 he is responsible for establishing and managing OIST's Visiting Programs. In this role, he has introduced outreach activities such as general-audience lectures and school visits as integral components of the program.

Charlotte Valk (she/her) is a Master’s student in Neuroscience and Cognition at Utrecht University in Utrecht, the Netherlands. She was the first intern at Japan SciCom Forum, aiming to gain more real-life experience in science communication alongside her research-focused Master’s program. During her internship, she wrote articles for the JSF website, and performed an analysis to compare whether the topics that JSF has discussed over the years align with what their community would like to see and made recommendations for future events. Charlotte’s research interests include stem cell-based therapies, the development of more sustainable and animal-friendly research methods related to the brain, and science journalism.

Heather Young is purpose-driven communications leaders with almost 20 years of experience in the field. Her expertise spans public relations, media relations, marketing, public affairs, corporate social responsibility, and events.

At OIST, the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, she serves as a vice president where she and her teams work to advance the visibility of the institute’s research and education.

Prior to OIST, Heather held leadership positions at an innovation-focused NGO, a health and safety agency, and the Special Olympics.

Chibuamam is a pharmacist and has a Masters Degree in Pharmacognosy, from the University of Ibadan. Armed with over a decade of work experience in the clinical, community practice and research fields of pharmacy, she more recently ventured into health technology and coaching. She founded Hypertension Africa in the last three years, a leading health coaching company that leverages lifestyle based medicine and technology methods, to help hypertensive patients achieve and maintain normalised blood pressures.Her work has impacted several hundreds of lives across Nigeria and Africa.

Hypertension Africa impact studies was presented at the Hypertension Canada World Congress 2021 and has since continued to increase reach and impact. Chibuamam is an author, speaker, YouTuber and has over 8,000 followers across various social media platforms. She continues to find practical ways of communicating scientific research findings to the "common man", thereby preventing "him" from becoming part of the statistics of the world's number one killer disease, hypertension, which claims at least 10 million lives every year.

Charmaine brings a wealth of experience in science and development communication to the forefront. With a sharp focus on the Asia-Pacific region, Charmaine has honed her skills in crafting communication strategies and tools that empower multi-stakeholder initiatives, nurturing capacity building and institutional strengthening, all while emphasizing the importance of science and development.

She is currently the communications manager for the Stockholm Environment Institute Asia Centre, where she leads efforts in science-to-policy communication in the region and beyond. Previously, Charmaine has also led global communications at the World Vegetable Centre and has consulted for various humanitarian and development organizations, including the Asian Development Bank, UNDP, and International Organization for Migration. In these pivotal roles, she tackled pressing issues such as regional environmental concerns, governance, capacity development, and the cultivation of impactful development partnerships.

Naoki Namba has been an active science communicator and public relations specialist for nearly 20 years. After acquiring his Master’s degree in life sciences, he started his career at a medical publisher in Tokyo, worked with the national research institution RIKEN as a science coordinator, and currently leads the Public Relations & Communications Division at Hokkaido University. He is interested in sharing scientific insights, conducting strategic PR, and steering crisis communication.

Rina first joined Osaka City University in 2014 as a Public Relations (PR) staff member, where the concept of international research PR did not yet exist. Fortunately, at Japan Association of Communication for Science and Technology (JACST) meetings in 2015, she met some PR professionals who were motivated and helped her to establish an international PR team.

Due to the university merger, her workplace changed its name to Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU) in 2022. Prior to her current position, she worked in the PR department of one of Japan's leading consumer electronics companies. She has also worked in primary/secondary education and translation/localization in the United States for about 10 years.

Grace is a communications professional with experience in international organizations and the private sector. Her current position at Osaka Metropolitan University has introduced her to the exciting new world of science communication. Previously, she worked in the fast-paced world of advertising in Nairobi and later at the UNDP in New York as part of an internal communications team. With a Master's degree in Peace Studies and Human Rights and a Bachelor's degree in journalism, Grace combines practical expertise with research and data analysis skills, making her a valuable asset for cross-cultural communication and project management.

Nikitaa has a background in engineering and the arts. She has a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from NIT Trichy, India and an MFA in Design from University of California Davis, USA. She is also the recipient of prestigious awards and scholarships such as DAAD (Germany), OPJEMS (India), Blum Grant (USA), Big Ideas Grant (USA), Innovator in Residence Fellowship, and SELCO Foundation (India).

Nikita has over 6 years of experience working with children across ages 3-18 years and has created STEM workshop content, learning aids, curriculum content, interactive STEM exhibits, STEM based toys, games and storybooks. Her goal is to make learning engaging and fun for children and adults alike. She has a penchant for science and aims at making it accessible to everyone through visual narratives and storytelling.