DATE2025.10.15 #Awards & Prizes

Ms. Yurina Nakazato has received the 20th L'ORÉAL-UNESCO For Women in Science Japan Fellowship Award

Ms. Yurina Nakazato

Dr. Yurina Nakazato, a graduate of Department of Physics (currently a postdoctoral fellow at Simons Foundation Center for Computational Astrophysics), received the 20th L'ORÉAL-UNESCO For Women in Science Japan Fellowship Award. We would like to extend our congratulations to Dr. Yurina Nakazato.

During her master's program, Dr. Nakazato conducted research on the formation of stars and galaxies using large-scale numerical simulations.  She showed, for the first time, that star clusters are formed from interstellar gas "winds" in the early universe. After entering the doctoral program, she focused on the formation and evolution of distant galaxies, which were discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope launched by NASA in 2021. She has made great achievements in the study of the structure of galaxies using the space telescope and ALMA ground-based radio interferometer. She is also active as an international researcher, collaborating with research groups in the United States and Italy.

After completing her graduate studies in September 2025, Dr. Nakazato is currently working on the mysteries of the deep universe as a fellow at the Center for Computational Astrophysics, a research center and hub for astrophysicists run by the U.S. Simons Foundation. We look forward to her future research revealing the 13.8 billion year history of the universe.

The 20th L'ORÉAL-UNESCO Women Scientists

(Written by Professor Naoki Yoshida, Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science)