Please help the Nippon Science Support Network

The recent tragic events in Japan have made it difficult or impossible for many Japanese scientists to continue their work. The newly launched Nippon Science Support Network has therefore established a database of positions and stipends in other countries for Japanese students, research fellows and scientific personnel. The network has started as a cooperation between German and Japanese researchers, but because of overwhelming demand today turned into a global initiative, allowing researchers from all countries help to support Japanese scientists.

Behind this initiative are a lot of people, but most importantly Phil Selenko – a group leader from the Leibniz Institute of Molecular Pharmacology in Berlin. Longtime readers of this blog will remember that Phil helped organize a great effort in 2008 to bring Nobel Laureates and other senior scientists together with graduate students, and to give them the same kind of networking opportunities that are usually restricted to seasoned faculty (and often happens behind closed doors). I wish him the best of luck with this initiative.