CDB Group Director Shigeru Kuratani nets pair of prizes

December 3, 2010 – RIKEN CDB group director Shigeru Kuratani (Laboratory for Evolutionary Morphology) has been awarded a pair of prizes in recognition of his work in deciphering the evolution of morphological novelties. In November, he received the Hyogo Prefectural Science Prize for his work on the evolutionary mechanisms that led to the innovation of the turtle carapace. The prize was awarded at a ceremony on November 10.

Kuratani was further recognized for his research achievements with the Alexander Kowalevsky Medal, granted annually by the St. Petersburg Society of Naturalists (Russia) for contributions in the fields of evolutionary developmental biology and comparative zoology. The award will be given at a ceremony held in St. Petersburg next year.

Kuratani’s work continues to focus on elucidating how changes in the timing and sites of gene expression work with morphological shifts to give rise to novel bodily structures and functions.