Assistant Professor Kenji Okuda of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (Department of Biological Sciences) received the 10^th Young Overseas Joint Research Fellowship given by the Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. He was presented the award at the 53^rd Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists Annual Conference held between March 16 - 18. The Young Overseas Joint Research Fellowship, funded by the Nam-Hai Chua Foundation, is an academic society award that encourages and supports exceptional young researchers, who have an international focus, to undertake collaborative research in overseas laboratories. . The award is for Academic Society Members, and two awards are presented each year.

The theme of the research that received the award is the Elucidation of the RNA Sequence Recognition Mechanism by the PPR Protein Which Controls the Manifestation of the Plant Organelle Genes. This research is aimed at revealing the mechanism of RNA sequence recognition through the PPR protein that is thought to carry out an important role in the genetic expression of organisms. This project was conducted in collaboration with Professor Small, ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology.

• Link: The Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists
• Link: Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering