EMBO Laboratory Leadership Course and International Symposium for Female Researchers in Chromatin Biology 2022
The following two events will be held on December 3 (Sat) and 5 (Mon), 2022, which are official satellite events of the 45th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan (Nov 30 to Dec 2, 2022, in Chiba).
（１）EMBO Laboratory Leadership Course
(December 3, 10:00–20:00, Tokyo International Forum)
（２）International Symposium for Female Researchers in Chromatin Biology 2022（ISFRCB2022）
(December 5, 17:00–20:00, Zoom Online)
History
Chromatin biology has attracted many scientists and there are many active female leaders in the international community in this field. In Japan, however, while the percentage of female researchers in this field is relatively high, their international recognition has been stagnant. Multiple factors have led to this, 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 important to cope with these problems and increase the number of female principal investigators (PIs) in Japan and enhance their international presence.
As a first step, we organized ISFRCB2019, the first International Symposium for Female Researchers in Chromatin Biology in Japan, on June 23, 2019. It provided a rare opportunity to inspire female researchers in Japan by bringing together prominent female researchers who are professors and institute directors from Europe to present their research in the same session. On the afternoon of the same day, a short version of the EMBO Laboratory Leadership Course (training course on laboratory management) was held by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBO) with the continued participation of prominent researchers. The course was well received by the participants, who engaged in lively discussions about what a leader should be. Then, the second ISFRCB2020 was held online on December 5, 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, to extensively discuss what is needed to increase the number of female PIs among domestic and overseas speakers.
These activities have been referred to in a 2021 EMBO Reports commentary by Noriko Saitoh and Susan Gasser (EMBO Rep, 22, e52528, 2021; https://www.embopress.org/doi/full/10.15252/embr.202152528; Japanese translation is available at https://www.wisj.online/services-1)
The events in this year
（１）EMBO Laboratory Leadership Course (Dec 3, 10:00–20:00, Tokyo International Forum)
The course will include lectures and small group discussions on leadership, research supervision, fostering young researchers, and other topics necessary to run a lab. Such a training course is becoming common in Europe (https://lab-management.embo.org/dates#group-leaders) and the U.S. but is still not well known in Japan. Participating in the course will provide a good opportunity to learn comprehensively about lab management. The course will be moderated by an EMBO lecturer, with the participation of an EMBO Reports editor, in an international setting. To facilitate lively discussion, the course will also be supported by Japanese PIs fluent in English to help out Japanese participants if necessary. The course is limited to 30 participants (1:1 male:female ratio). The main targets are young researchers who aspire to become PIs and those who have just started as PIs.
（２）The third ISFRCB2022 international symposium (Dec 5, 17:00–20:00, Online)
As in the first ISFRCB2019, young researchers in and out of Japan working in the field of chromatin biology will be selected from the abstracts and given the opportunity to present their research in the same session with female leaders in the international community in this field. This will be an opportunity to not only discuss new aspects of chromatin research but also have the young researchers experience the importance of role models and their career development.
Outline of the events (tentative)
（１）EMBO Laboratory Leadership Course
Date December 3, 2022, 10:00–18:00 (18:00–20:00: Social Gathering)
Venue Tokyo International Forum, Glass Tower (4th floor), Conference Room G407
(Social Gathering will be held in Room G409)
https://www.t-i-forum.co.jp/en/access/
https://www.t-i-forum.co.jp/visitors/facilities/conference/
Language English (Japanese can be used in part during the round-table discussion)
Participation fee 5,000 yen (Registration is necessary)
Banquet fee 3,000 yen (Registration is necessary)
Registration deadline Once capacity is reached. The first 30 participants will be selected (1:1 male:female ratio).
Program (tentative)
10:00–10:05 Welcome and introduction (Dr. Susan Gasser, ISREC Foundation, Switzerland)
10:05–10:30 Opening lecture from a senior female scientist about her experience of being a leader in Japan (under negotiation)
10:30–11:30 Opening lecture (Dr. Sam Krahl, Head of Training, EMBO Solutions)
11:30–12:15 Publication lecture (Dr. Bernd Pulveler, Chief Editor, EMBO Reports)
12:15–13:15 Lunch & individual consultation with Dr. Bernd Pulveler
13:15–13:30 Introduction to the round-table discussion (Dr. Sam Krahl, EMBO Solutions)
13:30–15:00 Round-table discussion #1 (7 tables/topics with discussion leaders)
15:00–16:30 Round-table discussion #2 (7 tables/topics with discussion leaders)
(Topic candidates: Running effective meetings; Communication skills; Recruitment, Mentoring students & postdocs;
Effective problem solving; Leadership skills; Coaching; Delegation; Giving feedback; Team development; Combining
family and career; Others)
16:30–17:40 Wrap-up with reporting from each table
17:40–17:50 Group photograph
17:50–17:55 Closing remarks (Dr. Sam Krahl, EMBO Solutions)
18;00–20:00 Social gathering（Room G409）
Hosted by: EMBO Solutions https://embosolutions.org/
Women in Science Japan (WiSJ) https://wisj2019.wixsite.com/website/home
Organizers Yuki Okada (Univ. of Tokyo, Japan)
Noriko Saitoh (The Cancer Institute of JFCR, Japan)
Ichiro Hiratani (RIKEN BDR, Japan)
Hiroshi Kimura (Tokyo Tech, Japan)
Supported by: MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas, “Chromatin Potential” (Leader: Hiroshi Kimura)
MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas, “Genome Modality” (Leader: Tomoko Nishiyama)
The 45th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan (co-sponsored by the Biophysical Society of
Japan)
Contact Women in Science Japan (WiSJ）
E-mail: wisj.2019@gmail.com
https://www.wisj.online/about-us
（２）International Symposium for Female Researchers in Chromatin Biology 2022（ISFRCB2022）
Date December 5, 2022, 17:00–20:00
Venue Zoom online
Language English
Participation fee Free (Registration is necessary from the following URL)
Registration deadline Once capacity is reached. The first 150 participants will be selected.
Registration website https://forms.gle/yktkUNnKzf6hd7m59
Presenter slots 4-5 slots (If you wish to make a presentation, please select ‘oral presentation’ and submit a title and abstract
at the time of registration by October 30.)
Program (tentative)
17:00–17:05 Welcome and Introduction (Dr. Yuki Okada, Univ of Tokyo, Japan)
17:05–19:55 ~20 minutes presentation x 8–9
(4 invited speakers from Europe + 4–5 speakers whose abstracts were selected for oral presentations)
10:30–11:30 Closing remarks (Dr. Noriko Saitoh, The Cancer Institute of JFCR, Japan)
Invited speakers Wendy Bickmore (University of Edinburgh)
Marnie Blewitt (WEHI, Australia)
Agnese Loda (EMBL) confirmed
Maria Elena Torres-Padilla (Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen) to be confirmed
Others
Hosted by: EMBO Solutions https://embosolutions.org/
Women in Science Japan (WiSJ) https://wisj2019.wixsite.com/website/home
Organizers Yuki Okada (Univ. of Tokyo, Japan)
Noriko Saitoh (The Cancer Institute of JFCR, Japan)
Ichiro Hiratani (RIKEN BDR, Japan)
Hiroshi Kimura (Tokyo Tech, Japan)
Supported by: MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas, “Chromatin Potential”
(Leader: Hiroshi Kimura)
MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas, “Genome Modality”
(Leader: Tomoko Nishiyama)
The 45th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan
(co-sponsored by the Biophysical Society of Japan)
Contact Women in Science Japan (WiSJ)
E-mail: wisj.2019@gmail.com
https://wisj2019.wixsite.com/website/about-us