From left: UCSD Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth Simmons, KSO Chair Dr. Ann Kessler, KSO Founding Chair Malin Burnham, Kyoto Prize Laureate in Advanced Technology Dr. Shun-ichi Amari, Kyoto Prize Laureate in Arts & Philosophy Dr. Carol Gilligan, Inamori Foundation Executive Managing Director Mr. Shoichi Himono, and PLNU President Dr. Kerry Fulcher

The 25th Annual Kyoto Prize Symposium marked a quarter-century of bringing global thinkers and luminaries to San Diego for a unique exchange of ideas at the intersection of science, technology, and the arts. In partnership with the Inamori Foundation, the Kyoto Symposium Organization (KSO), UC San Diego (UCSD) and Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU), San Diego welcomed the 2025 Kyoto Prize Laureates: Dr. Shun-ichi Amari (Advanced Technology), Dr. Carol Gilligan (Arts and Philosophy) and virtually from the UK, Dr. Azim Surani for an exciting week of connection, learning and mentorship.

The Symposium’s enduring mission to inspire curiosity and dialogue through free public lectures, workshops, and community engagement was in full display on the campuses of UCSD and PLNU. This year’s KPS highlighted groundbreaking intellectual contributions, while showcasing the commitment to nurturing future generations through education and scholarship. Underscoring the symposium’s role as a vital bridge between global achievement and local impact, KPS attracted over 1,000 attendees to the laureate lectures and workshops.

In recognition of this milestone year and with great thanks to our community partners, KSO increased its sponsored busing to Title 1 high schools to attend the laureate lectures. This year over 600 high school students from Hoover, Lincoln, San Ysidro, Mar Vista, Sweetwater, Logan Memorial, Morse, El Cajon Valley, Montgomery, Crawford and Southwest attended including Tijuana, Baja California schools: CBTIS 116, CETYS, Preparatoria Federal Lázaro Cárdenas, CECyTE Florido, and ITT. For many this was their first time hearing from global leaders at this level.

KSO’s high school outreach program, which includes laureate-specific curriculum for attending KPS students, would not be possible without the dedicated support from our partners: Teens Rise Foundation, Winward Academy, and the Fundación Internacional de la Comunidad

*President Kerry Fulcher (center) and PLNU faculty welcome the Laureates and the Inamori Foundation from Kyoto, Japan*

Click here to watch this year's highlights!

Dr. Shun-ichi Amari

*Dr. Amari presenting at UCSD Price Center with host faculty Prof. Rose Yu*

“My concept was that, if we could study how the human brain functions, perhaps we could transfer these mechanisms to machines.” ”

— Dr. Shun-ichi Amari

Arriving from Tokyo, Japan after a 10-year hiatus of visiting the U.S., Advanced Technology Laureate and mathematical engineer, Dr. Shun-ichi Amari gave a reflective presentation titled, “My Life Has Been Lucky!”. Dr. Amari highlighted his intellectual journey and early opportunities especially in a new field called Mathematical Engineering that led to his pioneering research in artificial neural networks and the development of a new academic field – Information Geometry. The art of pursuing his own research freely without constraint by conventional frameworks led to his pivotal role in the evolution of artificial intelligence. He therefore, encouraged future researchers to embrace uncertainty and recognize the often unpredictable paths that lead to innovation.

Dr. Amari concluded his presentation with a precautionary tale on the un-checked nature of AI, its overreliance and the erosion of humanity’s ability to think. A Q&A with the audience was moderated by UCSD’s Associate Professor in Computer Science and Engineering Rose Yu who’s research in physics-guided deep learning aligns with Amari’s vision of unifying rigorous mathematics with intelligent systems.

In the inaugural Bridging the Future series, Dr. Amari’s research was showcased in a thought-provoking presentation by Amazon Web Services VP of Applied Sciences, Dr. Stefano Soatto. Bridging Amari’s 50-year research in information geometry and natural gradients, Dr. Soatto highlighted how Amari’s fundamental theories and principles still guide today’s most advanced AI technologies.

*Dr. Gilligan meeting Tijuana high school students post lecture*

Dr. Azim Surani

*Dr. Surani presenting at Qualcomm Institute with host faculty, Prof. Heidi Cook-Andersen and Prof. Deborah Yelon, and invited scholar Miles Wilkinson*

“I consider myself truly fortunate to have had the freedom to pursue the research topics that I loved most.”

— Dr. Azim Surani

Basic Sciences laureate and developmental biologist Dr. Azim Surani was receiving the 2026 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize in Germany during the Kyoto Prize Symposium. His virtual presentation titled, “Germline Epigenetic Imprints Regulate Mammalian Development,” nevertheless, allowed audiences to understand how his formative years in Kenya, migration to the U.K., and his mentor, IVF pioneer Robert Edwards, sparked his curiosity in the living world and eventually mammalian development.

Intrigued by the question of whether mammalian eggs could undergo asexual development, Surani’s research led him to the discovery of Genomic Imprinting – a novel concept that marked the dawn of epigenetics research into mammalian development, evolution and human disease. Addressing the young audience, Surani concluded with the importance of intellectual openness, curiosity-driven research and global interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing science and shaping a meaningful career in the life sciences.

Surani’s lively Q&A with audiences was joined by UCSD’s Herbert Stern Chair in Biology Deborah Yelon, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology Heidi Cook-Andersen and invited guest Miles Wilkinson, Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences.

Dr. Carol Gilligan

“Both times, and especially with the girls, I discovered the audacity of listening because in both instances, by listening, I disrupted a story and broke a silence.”

— Dr. Carol Gilligan

Visiting from New York was Arts and Philosophy Laureate and psychologist, Dr. Carol Gilligan who’s timely presentation titled, “The Audacity of Listening” explored the transformative power of listening especially to voices that have been historically silenced, or marginalized.

Weaving together personal reflection, psychological research, and cultural critique, Gilligan highlighted how listening is not a passive act but a courageous and disruptive one. Gilligan ultimately presented listening as both a moral practice and a form of resistance: an “audacity” that questions authority, reshapes knowledge, and opens the possibility for more inclusive and humane ways of understanding one another. By listening deeply for a different voice, for the undercover voice—to children, to women, to those excluded from traditional narratives—we begin to uncover suppressed truths about human development, relationships, and justice.

Additional workshops exploring questions of moral voice, care, and ethical responsibility were held in conversation with local philosophers Manuel Vargas (UC San Diego), Saba Bazargan-Forward (UC San Diego), and Joseph Stramondo (San Diego State University) moderated by UCSD’s Professor of Philosophy, Jonathan Cohen.

Highlights from the 2026 Opening Ceremonies and Scholarship Gala

*The 2026 Kyoto Prize Symposium Scholarship Winners with the 2025 Kyoto Prize Laureates and Inamori Foundation’s Shoichi Himono*

‍In celebration of the 2025 Kyoto Prize Laureates, the Southern California-Baja region came together for the 25th Annual Benefit Gala where the 2026 Kyoto Scholarship Winners from San Diego and Tijuana were announced. Four hundred gathered at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center to honor the laureates. Many of KSO’s private and public sector sponsors including San Diego International Airport, Kyocera International, U.S. Bank, Morrison Foerster and KPMG attended along with university leadership. In addition to showcasing the current scholarship winners, another highlight of the evening was hearing from Kyoto Symposium Orga nizati on’s Founding Chair, Malin Burnham, in celebration of our 25th anniversary. Guests enjoyed a variety of musical performances by past performers and scholarship recipients including 2012 Tijuana winner, Andrea Alvarado, now pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In recognition of this milestone year, the City of San Diego, through a proclamation by Mayor Todd Gloria, announced March 10, 2026 as “Kyoto Prize Symposium Day” acknowledging the Kyoto Prize as a globally distinguished honor to advance humanity across the fields of Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy. The proclamation also applauded the Symposium’s 25-year role in fostering global dialogue and cross-cultural exchange, as well as furthering San Diego’s strong partnership with Japan.