HAMAGUCHI Michinari earned his M.D. and Ph.D. in medicine from Nagoya University, then pursued his research at Rockefeller University in the U.S (1985-1988).

He served as the President of Nagoya University from April 2009 to March 2015 before being appointed as the President of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). He also served as the Chairperson of the Council for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan (2015-2023) and the Chair person of the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2020-2024). He is currently serving as the Director General of the Strategic Center of Biomedical Advanced Vaccine Research and Development for Preparedness and Response (SCARDA) at the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).

Notable achievements in his career to date include promoting the establishment of Nagoya University satellite campuses in various parts of Asia during his time as president of Nagoya University. Additionally, during his tenure as president of the JST, he championed the creation of the Marie Curie Prize, which recognizes the exceptional achievements of female researchers. The award ceremony is held every June at the Polish Embassy in Japan. SCARDA began operating as a funding agency when Dr. Hamaguchi assumed his position. As the president of JST, he started Spring program to support post graduate students and 6 Moon Shot Programs as the national program. Currently, SCARDA supports vaccine research at five universities and six research institutes. It also supports over 30 vaccine R&D projects from companies of all sizes and academic institutions.

Awards and Honors

• Royal Order of SAHAMETREI Officer Class from Kingdom of Cambodia

• The Award for the Justice Cause of the Ministry of Justice from Vietnam

• Order of the Polar Star from Mongolia

• Global Competitiveness Award for ''Innovation Research Leadership'' from the Global Federation of Competitiveness Council (GFCC), USA

• Honorary Doctorate, Poland Gdansk University (2011)

• Honorary Doctorate, Mongolian National University of Science and Technology (2010)

• Honorary Doctorate, Sungkyunkwan University (2009)