Dr. Yuko Harayama, a longtime friend of Switzerland, was appointed Executive Director for international affairs at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research Institute RIKEN, Japan's largest national research organization, on April 1, 2020. She has been serving on various Japanese and international commissions related to science, technology and innovation and possesses an extensive international network.

Dr. Harayama received her PhDs–one in Education Sciences and one in Economics–from the University of Geneva in Switzerland where she started her career in 1992. Dr. Harayama was awarded an honorary doctorate from University of Neuchâtel in 2014, on the same occasion as the Swiss Confederation’s President Didier Burkhalter at the time.

From 2013 to 2018, Dr. Harayama served as an Executive Member at the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI), Cabinet Office, and strongly influenced Japan’s future vision concept “Society 5.0”. Prior to that, she worked as Deputy-Director for the Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in France as well as member of the High Level Expert Group, Ex-Post Evaluation of the 7th EU Framework Programme.

In 2001, she became a fellow at the Japanese Research Institute of Economy, Trade & Industry (RIETI) and a professor at Tohoku University (Management of Science and Technology Department, Graduate School of Engineering) in the following year. Later she received the title “Professor Emeritus” at Tohoku University.