Photo: 日本学士院 / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Shinya Yamanaka is a physician, surgeon and physicist, born on September 4, 1962 in Hiraoka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2026, Shinya Yamanaka is 64 years old. Schooling on record includes Kobe University. Listed accolades include Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2012), Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2013), Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (2009) and 5 more.
My Take
Shinya Yamanaka is the rare scientist whose work genuinely reset a field, and I find his trajectory deeply compelling. He trained as a physician and surgeon in Osaka and at Kobe University before pivoting to research, and his discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells earned him the 2012 Nobel Prize alongside a near-comical stack of honors: Lasker, Gairdner, Wolf, Balzan, the Order of Culture. What impresses me most is not the trophy case but the patience behind it, the willingness to chase a hard idea until it brought regenerative medicine within reach. That blend of humility and ambition is exactly what real scientific greatness looks like to me.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Shinya Yamanaka
- Name (Japanese)
- 山中伸弥
- Reading
- やまなか しんや
- Born
- September 4, 1962 (age 64)
- Origin
- Hiraoka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
- Occupation
- physician / surgeon / physicist / geneticist / researcher
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Tiger
2. Background
- University
- Kobe University
Awards & achievements
- 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 2013 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
- 2009 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research
- 2012 Order of Culture
- 2011 Wolf Prize in Medicine
- 2010 Balzan Prize
- 2009 Canada Gairdner International Award
- 2011 King Faisal International Prize in Medicine
3. Links
- Official sitehttps://profiles.ucsf.edu/shinya.yamanaka
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinya%20Yamanaka
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B1%B1%E4%B8%AD%E4%BC%B8%E5%BC%A5
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q80917
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Shinya Yamanaka born?
Shinya Yamanaka was born on September 4, 1962 and is 64 years old.
Where is Shinya Yamanaka from?
Shinya Yamanaka is from Hiraoka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
What does Shinya Yamanaka do?
Shinya Yamanaka works as physician, surgeon, physicist, geneticist, researcher.
Where did Shinya Yamanaka study?
Shinya Yamanaka attended Kobe University.
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