How will our lives be lived in the future? This question and many more will be discussed from 8-10 of March. Several Nobel Prize laureates and other experts will explore how science and technology, combined with a better understanding of the world around us, might change our lives in the future. Students are invited to several events that are also open for the media to join.
The Nobel Prize Dialogue will take place at the Pacifico Yokohama Conference Center on 9 March. It is a full-day event featuring lectures and panel discussions. Chemistry laureates Akira Yoshino and Ada Yonath, as well as medicine laureate Svante Pääbo, are among the distinguished speakers.
In connection with the Nobel Prize Dialogue, physics laureate William Phillips will meet students at an event at Miraikan Museum already on 8 March. He will also give his contribution to the museum installation Nobel Q Exhibition. William Phillips and medicine laureate Richard Roberts will also meet students at Saitama Prefectural Tokorozawa Kita High School Gymnasium and Waseda University on 10 March.
These events mark the first international dialogue for Hanna Stjärne, the new Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation.
“I am looking forward to seeing the dynamics of bringing laureates and students together,” she says. “The theme of the dialogue – the future of life – is relevant in many ways. I hope to learn more about the challenges that lie ahead of us.”
Nobel Prize Dialogue is organised by Nobel Prize Outreach and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), with the support of Nobel International Partners ABB, EQT, Scania and Stegra and the Event Partners Mitsui Fudosan Residential Co., Ltd. and Shimadzu Corporation.
Nobel Prize laureates
Chemistry laureates Ben Feringa, Ada Yonath and Akira Yoshino will participate as well as medicine laureates Andrew Fire, Svante Pääbo and Richard Roberts. Physics laureate William Phillips will be on stage and joining online is last year’s physics laureate Geoffrey Hinton who was awarded the prize for his work on machine learning with artificial neural networks.
On the theme
Featuring Nobel Prize laureates from diverse disciplines in conversation with a wide selection of international and regional experts, the meeting will ask what it means to be human, now and in the years to come. Together they will investigate how new developments such as artificial intelligence, genetic technologies, quantum computing and the development of sustainable materials can most wisely be utilized to deliver the maximal benefit to humanity.
Facts about Nobel Prize Dialogue Tokyo
Nobel Prize Dialogue – The future of life
Date: Sunday, 9 March 2025 10:00 -16:00 JST
Venue: Pacifico Yokohama Conference Center (1-1-1, Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama)
More information with detailed programme, speakers and registration.