→ Due to the pandemic of COVID-19, the ISFRCB2020 will be held ONLINE on Saturday, December 5th.

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Purpose

Chromatin biology has attracted many scientists over the years so it is natural that there are many active female leaders in the international community in this field. In Japan, while the percentage of female researchers in this field is relatively high, their international recognition has been stagnant. Multiple factors have led to this state, including the generally low representation of women in Japanese society, the heavy burden of housework and childcare in Japan, and the lack of participation in international conferences and communities due to geographical disadvantages. It is necessary to cope with these structural problems of Japanese society and increase the number of female principal investigators (PIs) in Japan and enhance their international presence.

 

In 2019, we organized the first International Symposium for Female Researchers in Chromatin Biology in Japan, the ISFRCB 2019, which provided a rare opportunity to support and inspire female scientists in Japan. It was possible by bringing together prominent female scientists who are professors and institute directors from various European countries to not only present their research but also to share their experiences during difficult times in their careers as female scientists. A lecturer from the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) also provided a course on laboratory management. These ground-breaking efforts were highlighted on the institutional websites of the participating female researchers from Europe. Naturally, there were positive voices and requests in and out of Japan to hold the second ISFRCB in 2020.

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For these reasons, we will hold the second ISFRCB on December 5, 2020 to inspire female researchers in Japan. Unfortunately, the ISFRCB 2020 will be held online this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we will actively discuss what is needed to increase the number of female PIs from various perspectives, with speakers from in and out of Japan. We would like to emphasize that the scope of this symposium is not limited to young female researchers. We welcome participants of all ages, both male and female, who are interested in this issue to think together to solve the difficult situation of female researchers in Japan. The meeting has been accredited as an official satellite symposium of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan (MBSJ2020) to be held online from December 2–4, 2020 [President: Tadashi Uemura (Kyoto University)].

 

Outline of the Symposium

The symposium will consist of three sessions. The first session (“How can female researchers survive the job market in Japan?”) will be in Japanese. Various speakers will share their practical tips on how to get through the selection process and will exchange ideas with young female researchers aiming to become PIs in Japan. The second session will be in English. The second session, entitled "Scientific talk by young female researchers in epigenetics", provides young Japanese female researchers with an opportunity to present their work in an international setting. This session will appeal to female international leaders from abroad and other participants from in and out of Japan. It will also provide an opportunity for international networking by sharing the stage for presentations with young researchers from abroad. In the third session, entitled "Exchange of Opinions on the Training and Promotion of Female Researchers," we will have speakers from in and out of Japan present topics from various perspectives on what is expected of female PIs and how to foster their successors (female researchers) and exchange opinions.

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Program

December 5, 2020 (Sat) 14:30–21:00 (Zoom online meeting)

Capacity: 300 people

(registration required from the following URL, first-come, first-served)

 

Registration site: https://wisj2019.wixsite.com/website/registration

 

Registration is required from the above URL. First-come, first-served!

 

Organizer: Women in Science Japan (WiSJ) https://www.wisj.online/

ISFRCB2020 organizers:

Yuki Okada (Professor, Univ of Tokyo), Junko Kanoh (Professor, Univ of Tokyo)

Masako Tada (Professor, Toho Univ), Ichiro Hiratani (Team Leader, RIKEN BDR)

Susan Gasser (Group Leader, Friedrich Miescher Institute)

Co-organizers:

MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas, Chromatin Potential (Leader: Hiroshi Kimura)

Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, (as part of the IPR Seminar)

RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research (RIKEN BDR)

Other sponsors:

The Molecular Biology Society of Japan (MBSJ)

The Genetics Society of Japan

The Naito Foundation

 

Session 1 (14:45–16:00 JST) (mainly for Japanese participants)

Career development seminar #1

“Practical tips on how female researchers can succeed in the job market in Japan”

Objective:

To introduce and exchange practical tips on how to get through the selection process to obtain PI positions in Japan. We will hear from several female PIs on their personal experiences going through the selection process. We will also hear from female and male PIs who served as selection committee members.

Speakers (10 min each):

From the perspective of an applicant:

Junko Kanoh (Professor, University of Tokyo)

Miki Hieda (Professor, Ehime Prefectural Univ. of Health Sciences)

Sakiko Honjoh (Assistant Professor/PI, University of Tsukuba)

Kyoko Shirakabe (Professor, Ritsumeikan University)

Hisako Kubota-Kawai (Assistant Professor/MEXT Leading Initiative for Excellent Young Researchers, Yamagata University)

Midori Shimada (Professor, Yamaguchi University)

Miki Ebisuya (Group Leader, EMBL Barcelona, Spain)

 

From the perspective of the selection committee:

Tadashi Uemura (Professor, Kyoto University and President of the 43rd MBSJ)

Asako Sugimoto (Professor, Tohoku University)

 

Language: Japanese

 

Session 2 (16:45–18:45 JST) (for all participants)

“Scientific talks by young female researchers in epigenetics”

Objective:

To provide young Japanese female researchers with opportunities to present their research in an international setting and to share the stage with young researchers from abroad to promote international networking among female researchers of the same generation.

Speakers: Four speakers from Japan and three foreign speakers will be selected (17 min each including discussion).

　　　　　 Click here for a list of selected speakers!

Following female PIs will participate from overseas:

Susan Gasser (Group Leader, Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Switzerland)

Daniela Rhodes (Professor, MRC, Cambridge, UK)

Geneviève Almouzni (Team Leader, Institut Curie, France)

Irina Solovei (Principal Investigator, LMU Munich, Germany)

Petra Hajkova (Professor, Imperial College London, UK)

 

Language: English

 

Session 3 (19:30–21:00 JST) (for all participants)

Career development seminar #2

“Exchanging opinions on the promotion and career development of female researchers”

Objective:

To exchange opinions from various perspectives on what skills and perspectives are required for female PIs to acquire management positions and to develop next-generation female researchers. We will hear from several females (and male) PIs on various topics, including their own experiences and tips on training female scientists to become PIs.

Speaker list:

Tadashi Uemura (Professor, Kyoto University and President of the 43rd MBSJ)

Kaoru Sugimura (Associate Professor/PI, iCeMS, Kyoto University)

Asako Sugimoto (Professor, Tohoku University)

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(10 min each)

Susan Gasser (Group Leader, Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research) Daniela Rhodes (Professor Emeritus, University of Cambridge)

Geneviève Almouzni (Team Leader, Institut Curie, France)

Irina Solovei (Principal Investigator, LMU Munich, Germany)

Petra Hajkova (Professor, Imperial College London, UK)

(5 min each)

Discussions with participants (20 min)

Possibility of 15-30 minutes extension depending on the discussion

 

Language: English

 

 

 

Note that many confirmed speakers of the ISFRCB2020 will give their scientific talks at the 43rd annual meeting of the MBSJ

(the 43rd MBSJ Online). Their presentations can be found in the following sessions at the 43rd MBSJ Online:

 

December 2 (Wed) PM

1PW-04: Unraveling the "chromatin potential" by single-cell analysis

Organizer: OCHIAI, Hiroshi (Hiroshima University), HIRATANI, Ichiro (RIKEN)

 

December 3 (Thu) PM

2PW-04: Ladies and more ladies; unite like chromatin for forefront of biology

Organizer: KANOH, Junko (The University of Tokyo), OKADA, Yuki (The University of Tokyo)

 

December 3 (Thu) PM

2F-06: Hands-on training by EMBO: “Manuscript Writing & Publishing Course”

Lecturer：Dr. Bernd Pulverer (Chief Editor of THE EMBO Journal)

               Dr. Maria Polychronidou (Senior Scientific Editor of Molecular Systems Biology)　

Organizer: TADA, Masako (Toho University), SAITOH, Noriko (JFCR)

 

Complete speaker lists of the 43rd MBSJ Online are available at the online abstract system from late November.

https://www2.aeplan.co.jp/mbsj2020/english/index.html

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