Shoko Nishihara, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor and Director, Glycan and Life System Integration Center, Soka University President, Japan Consortium for Glycobiology and Glycotechnology (JCGG)Dr. Nishihara received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Tokyo, specializing in protein structural analysis. She began her research career at the Jikei University School of Medicine, where she investigated the pathogenic mechanisms of Staphylococcus aureus. She subsequently pursued postdoctoral research in Drosophila development at the University of North Carolina and the Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Life Sciences. After joining Soka University as a Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor), she transitioned into glycobiology and established an interdisciplinary research program integrating developmental biology, glycoscience, and stem cell biology. Her current research focuses on glycan functions in stem cells and development, as well as the molecular basis of glycosylation-related disorders. Dr. Nishihara also serves on the Editorial Board of Glycoconjugate Journal.Jun Hirabayashi, PhD. Designated Professor, Institute for Glyco-core Research, Nagoya University Vice-President, Japan Consortium for Glycobiology and Glycotechnology (JCGG)Dr. Hirabayashi graduated from Tohoku University and began his academic career at Teikyo University, where he initiated foundational studies on animal lectins, now known as galectins. He later joined the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba, focusing on the industrial application of glycoscience technologies such as frontal affinity chromatography and lectin microarrays. He is also a visiting professor at Kagawa University and a member of the Kagawa Rare Sugar Project. His research interests include biochemistry, glycoscience, glycotechnology, and lectin engineering.
