Professor Atsushi Sunami is the first keynote speaker for the NERPS Conference 2024

Professor Sunami holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. He earned a Master of International Affairs (MIA) and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University. He is currently holding the positions of Adjunct Professor, Executive Advisor to the President, and Director of The Science for RE-designing Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (SciREX) Center at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Japan.

Before joining GRIPS, he worked as a Fellow at the Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industry, established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry in Japan from 2001 to 2003. He also gained experience as a researcher in the Department of Policy Research at Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. from 1989 to 1991. He further broadened his horizons as a visiting researcher at the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex and Tsinghua University in China. His research has concentrated on a Comparative Analysis of National Innovation Systems and Science and Technology Diplomacy, Politics of Science and Technology.

Professor Sunami is a member of various advisory boards, including the Advisory Board for the Promotion of Science and Technology Diplomacy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Council for Science and Technology in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, and the Expert Panel on Basic Policy in the Council for Science, Technology, and Innovation of the Cabinet office. He held the role of Special Advisor to the Cabinet Office, responsible for Science and Technology and Innovation, from 2015 to 2018.

He also serves as the President of The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) since 2020 and is dedicated to ensuring that SPF operates in a way that recognizes the challenges facing society, prioritizes collaboration with international partners, and pursues innovation at every turn.