Harvard Biology Professors Win International Awards for Neuroscience Research

Two Molecular and Cellular Biology professors, Takao K. Hensch ’88 and Catherine Dulac, received prestigious international awards this fall for their neuroscience research.

Hensch was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun — one of Japan’s highest national honors — the Japan Cabinet Office announced on Nov. 3. Last month, Dulac received the Legion d’Honneur, the highest French award given to civilians for their contributions to France and the wider world.

Hensch, who was born in Japan and is half-Japanese, said he had known about his award for a few weeks, but was sworn to secrecy until the Japanese government made their official announcement.

He said that it felt particularly special as a scientist to receive the honor, which has historically been awarded to diplomats, politicians, and others in the humanities.

“I was overwhelmed, surprised, and quite grateful,” Hensch said. “It’s a lifetime achievement-type award, so I don’t consider myself that old yet, but to be honored in this way is quite special.”

Hensch helped to establish the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan and created a summer internship program at RIKEN for Harvard students. He said his work building an academic relationship between Japan and the U.S. was a key factor in winning the award.

“Making that part of the world accessible to Harvard students and the American, as well as the Western world, through science was something that I was hoping I could contribute to in some way,” he said.

Hensch is not the first Harvard professor to be awarded this honor. Several other professors have received the award, including Sociology professor Mary C. Brinton, Religion professor Helen Hardacre, and Harvard Law School professor J. Mark Ramseyer.

Dulac — who also teaches in the Neuroscience department and holds a University Professorship, Harvard’s highest faculty rank — largely focuses on neural circuits and social behaviors in mice.

“I am so extremely grateful to my lab, colleagues, staff and @MCB_Harvard members who helped my lab thrive over the years, leading to this recognition,” Dulac wrote in a post on X.

Dulac’s paternal grandfather had previously received the Legion d’Honneur, created by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, for his military service in World War I. In a press release issued by the MCB department, Dulac said receiving the same honor many years later held deep personal significance.

“It is rather astonishing that I would get such recognition for, instead, doing what I love to do: basic research and teaching!” Dulac said in the press release.

MCB Department Chair Rachelle Gaudet wrote in a statement to The Crimson that she was “delighted that Catherine and Takao have been recognized by these prestigious awards from France and Japan, respectively.”

“Both Catherine and Takao are scientific trailblazers in the field of neuroscience, and they both promote international collaborations with the Harvard and broader American scientific community through important leadership roles,” Gaudet added.