Project News

Tribute to Professor Masaaki Morikawa
Honorary Doctorate Degree of Bioscience Kasetsart University
Year 2022

Professor Masaaki Morikawa graduated degrees of Bacholor, Master, and Doctor of Philosophy on Bioengineering, Osaka University, Japan. He started his carrier as a research scientist at The Nisshin Oil Mills Ltd., Tokyo and later as a visiting researcher at National Chemical Laboratory for Industry, Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Tsukuba. He became an assistant professor at Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka University followed by an associate professor at Department of Material and Life Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University. He was a group leader at Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution (BRAIN) before working as a visiting researcher at laboratory of Professor Roberto Kolter, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. He is now a full professor at Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Japan and a vice president of Japan Society for Environmental Biotechnology.

Presently, Prof. Morikawa (H-index = 35) has published more than 138 international publications with more than 4,235 citation in Web of Science database. During his carrier, he got Journal Awards of Journal of Fermenation and. Bioengineering from Japanese Society for Bioscience and Biotechnology, Takeda Techno-Entrepreneurship Award from The Takeda Foundation, Research Award for Fermentation and Metabolism from Japan Bioindustry Association, Enzyme Application Symposium Award from Amano Enzyme Inc., Research Planning Award from Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry, JST-ALCA Award from Japan Science and Technology Agency, Knowing to Growing Duckweed Application Award from ILA Int. Lemna Association, JST/JICA-SATREPS from Japan Science and Technology Agency/Japan International Cooperation Agency.

At present, Prof. Morikawa is a project leader with Kasetsart University under the title of "Development of the Duckweed Holobiont Resource Values towards Thailand BCG Economy (Be-HoBiD)" awarded by Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (JICA/JST SATREPS). Be-HoBiD is a multi-deciplinary international collaborative research project on duckweed holobiont starting from biodiversity, genomics, molecular function, plant-microbe interaction towards applications in animal feed, functional food, wastewater treatment, methane and bioplastic production. Prof. Morikawa brings together experts from Hokkaido University, Kyoto University, Osaka University, Tohoku University, University of Yamanashi, and National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NAIST) to collaboratively work with Thai research teams from Kasetsart, Mahidol, KhonKaen, and Chulalongkorn Universities together with BIOTEC and NANOTEC, NSTDA. Prof. Morikawa is helping to establish Duckweed Holobiont Resource & Research Center (DHbRC) at Kasetsart University to facilitate the collaborative research work and to collect biodiversity of duckweed holobiont. He and Kasetsart University has successfully organized the first Joint-Symposium on Development of the Duckweed Holobiont Resource Values towards Thailand BCG Economy (Be-HoBiD) in Bangkok where Japan and Thai research teams gathering for fruitful presentation and discussion. Currently, Prof. Morikawa is a KU Host Professor under Reinventing University Program, Kasetsart University. He was invited to give a speech for KU International Academic Forum: In Celebration of the 79th Anniversary of Kasetsart University under Reinventing Kasetsart University Innovative Research and Advanced Studies in Agriculture and Food.

Prof. Morikawa is an outstanding scientist in biological science. Kasetsart University is ultimately privileged and pround to award the honorary PhD degree in Bioscience to Prof. Masaaki Morikawa.

Conglaturations,

Prof. Dr. Arinthip Thamchaipenet
Project Manager, Be-HoBiD
Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University

Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Krom Phra Srisavangavadhana confers the honorary PhD degree upon Prof. Masaaki Morikawa.

Dr. Chongrak W. KU President, Prof. M. Morikawa, Dr. Apisit S., Dean of Fac. Sci, KU (left to right)

Prof. M. Morikawa and Prof. Arinthip T., Project Manager (left to right)