The Eleventh Nagamori Awards Ceremony was Held Successfully
Nagamori Foundation held the Eleventh Nagamori Awards Ceremony at Hotel Okura Kyoto on Sunday, September 7, 2025 to honor the winners of the awards and the recipients of the research grant for 2025.
The ceremony was attended by approximately 200 people including the winners of Nagamori Awards, research grant recipients, many academics, and those related to Nagamori Foundation.
After the 6 Nagamori Awards winners presented their research topic, Nagamori Foundation’s Review Committee chose Dr. Marcia O'Malley (Professor, Rice University) as the Grand Nagamori Award winner.
The commendation ceremony began with Prof. Hori, the Review Committee’s Chair, explaining how the winners were selected, followed by the announcement of the Eleventh Grand Nagamori Award winner. Each winner received a commendation certificate and a prize trophy from Mr. Nagamori, President of Nagamori Foundation, and then representing the award winners, Professor O'Malley delivered a speech to express the
pleasure of receiving the Award.
The next part of the ceremony was to present research grants (“Research Grant 2025”) to the 22 researchers, mostly associate or assistant professors (9 new and 13 renewal recipients). Following that, Dr. Ayumi Nagai, Assistant Professor, The National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Nara College, gave a speech to appreciate the grant on behalf of all the grant recipients.
There was a special lecture from Dr. Masayoshi Tomizuka, Cheryl and John Neerhout, Jr. Distinguished Professor, University of California, Berkeley, on
“My Career Path: Highlights from My Career & Messages to Pass On”.
Mr. MASUKO hiroshi, Vice Minister of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology – Japan, gave a congratulatory address in person, representing the guests. Moreover, at the celebratory party, Mr. NISHIWAKI Takatoshi, Governor of Kyoto gave a congratulatory address, and Mr. MATSUI Koji, Mayor of Kyoto gave a toast. The ceremony ended in great success.
The Grand Nagamori Award (2025)
- Marcia O'Malley
- ［Thomas Michael Panos Family Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering, George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing, Rice University］
- For contributions to the design of exoskeleton robots and implementation of shared control algorithms to assist upper limb movements
Award Winners (2025)
- Yacine Amara
- ［Full Professor, GREAH (Research Group on Electrotechnics and Automatic control of Le Havre),
Department of Sciences and Technologies, Université Le Havre Normandie］
- Hybrid excited synchronous machines: conception, modeling, design and control
- Huang-Jen Chiu
- ［Distinguished Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology］
- High power density converter design for energy-saving transportation electrification
- Wei Hua
- ［Professor, School of Electrical Engineering, Southeast University］
- Design and analysis of novel electrical machines
- Samir Kouro
- ［Principal Investigator, Advanced Center for Electrical and Electronic Engineering (AC3E), Department of Electronic Engineering, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María］
- For contributions to theoretical and practical development of partial power converters used in energy transition applications
- Toshiaki Tsuji
- ［Associate Professor, Program in Electrical Engineering, Electronics, and Applied Physics, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University］
- Dual-process meta-model for robot skill acquisition
The Grand Nagamori Award winner's comment
Dr. Marcia O'Malley
(Thomas Michael Panos Family Professor in Mechanical Engineering, Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering, George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing, Rice University)
I am deeply honored to receive the 11th Grand Nagamori Award. This recognition is a testament not only to the work of my research group at Rice University but also to the many students, collaborators, clinicians, and study participants who have contributed to our shared vision of restoring independence and improving quality of life for individuals with neurological injuries through robotic rehabilitation and movement assistance.
Our most significant research contributions have been in the design of multi degree-of-freedom motorized exoskeletons and hybrid control systems that enable intuitive, adaptive physical interaction between humans and machines to assist and restore movements of the upper limbs. By combining wearable robotics, adaptive control algorithms, and functional electrical stimulation, we have created systems that support rehabilitation and, in cases of permanent paralysis, reanimate paralyzed limbs to perform essential daily tasks. These innovations are grounded in a user-centered design philosophy and shaped by close collaboration with clinicians and patients.
The Nagamori Foundation’s commitment to advancing actuator and motor technologies that serve society aligns deeply with our mission. This award affirms the importance of designing intelligent, responsive control systems that adapt to the unique capabilities of each individual, and it inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of human-robot interaction.
I am grateful to my students and colleagues who have contributed to this work, to our clinical partners who have helped translate our ideas into practice, to our study participants for their valuable feedback and insights, and to my family for their unwavering support. This recognition strengthens our resolve to develop technologies that empower individuals, reduce caregiver burden, and expand access to rehabilitation worldwide.
