On July 23, the Committee on the International Prize for Biology (chaired by Dr. FUJIYOSHI Yoshinori, Distinguished Professor, Tokyo Medical and Dental University) decided to award the 40th (2024) International Prize for Biology to Dr. Angelika Brandt, Professor, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt /Professor, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. This year’s Prize is awarded in the field of the Systematic Biology and Taxonomy.
 

Dr. Angelika Brandt, a Professor at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum and at Goethe University Frankfurt, has carried out a broad range of research on the systematics, taxonomy, ecology, biogeography, and evolution of deep-sea and polar organisms. Her published research results number 507 works in all, including 321 academic papers and 12 books, of which her academic papers have had more than 10,000 citations.

Dr. Brandt’s research activities and accomplishments on deep-sea organisms in the Antarctic region are especially noteworthy. A highlight was her leadership of the ANDEEP (Antarctic Benthic Deep‐Sea Biodiversity: colonization history and recent community patterns) project, conducting surveys of deep-sea organisms in the Southern Ocean with the participation of approximately 50 scientists from 13 countries. Biodiversity in the Southern Ocean benthic zone was recognized in the second half of the 19th century, and numerous surveys have been carried out there. In the process of these studies, researchers began to hypothesize that the Southern Ocean deep-sea fauna may be related to the nearby abyssal basin or to the continental shelf. However, the challenging nature of conducting surveys in such extreme environments meant that scientists had to rely on limited data, leaving them with an incomplete understanding of the organisms inhabiting these deep-sea regions. In this context, Dr. Brandt’s ANDEEP project made significant strides by conducting extensive surveys across various taxonomic groups. For the first time, it was revealed that the species diversity in the Southern Ocean deep sea is even more diverse than expected, with variations observed across different taxonomic groups. The series of deep-sea expeditions to the North Pacific resulted in the discovery of over 100 new species previously unknown to science. Additionally, their digitization initiatives for these regions expanded the accessible deep-sea data more than sevenfold.

With the advance of taxonomy, large numbers of species have been recorded. Due to the difficulty, however, of oceanographic and particularly deep-sea surveys, this has been the last frontier of taxonomy. Historically, taxonomy research has been conducted by individuals or small groups. However, for deep-sea and other aquatic areas requiring specialized equipment and technology, it is essential to organize group-based projects. Dr. Brandt has been especially innovative and original is in her promotion of international research projects in the field of taxonomy, where research by individuals had been the mainstream trend, and her major achievements in this area. Dr. Brandt’s dedication and enthusiasm have significantly benefited the deep-sea research community, greatly enhancing our understanding of the deep sea, one of the world's least explored ecosystems.

In view of these research accomplishments, the Committee judged Dr. Brandt to be the worthiest researcher to receive the 40th International Prize for Biology in the field of “Systematic Biology and Taxonomy.”


*The presentation ceremony in honor of the Prize recipient will be held around December at The Japan Academy. The date will be announced in due course. Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino are expected to be present at the ceremony.
 

To mark the award to Dr.Brandt, a Commemorative Symposium for the 40th International Prize for Biology, is scheduled to be held on  21 December, 2024 in Kyoto, co-organized by Kyoto University and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.Dr. Brandt will be joined by researchers working at the forefront of systematic biology and taxonomy from both Japan and overseas.
Those who wish to participate in the symposium must register in advance through the website (until 16 December).For more information, visit the website (Web Link).