Reika Katsumata received the prestigious PRESTO Award from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
The PRESTO award is one of the most distinguished awards for early-career researchers who are either Japanese citizens or residents. The award, which amounts to 52 million Japanese yen (or $360,000-$440,000, depending on the exchange rate) promotes unique and challenging basic research to address some of the important problems facing Japan.
Katsumata will use her PRESTO award to spend the next three-and-a-half years developing universal cross-linkers for network polymers that can be reprocessed with ultrasound-mediated bond exchange reactions.