Tsuneko Okazaki

Tsuneko Okazaki (冈 崎 恒 子jap, Okazaki Tsuneko; born June 7, 1933), also written as Tuneko Okazaki is a Japanese molecular biologist, who became known with her husband Reiji Okazaki through the discovery and exploration of the Okazaki fragments.

Life

Tsuneko Okazaki matriculated in 1952 at Nagoya University, where she received a Bachelor in 1956. In her fourth year she met Reiji Okazaki, whom she married in May 1956. After 1958 his Master, she was a doctoral student. 1960 she and her husband received a Fulbright scholarship to the University of Washington and then switched over to Stanford University. Upon her return in 1963 she was awarded his doctorate in 1965 and was a Research Associate position at her alma mater. According to publications on the first indications of the later named after them Okazaki fragments it was loaded to the Kansas State University as a visiting assistant professor, where she conducted research from 1967 to 1968. In 1976 she became an assistant professor at Nagoya University in 1983 and a full professor. After she left the university in 1997, she became a professor at the Sogo Kenkyujo Ikagaku (English Institute for Comprehensive Medical Science ) private Fujita Hoken Eisei Daigaku (English Fujita Health University).

Awards

Tsuneko Okazaki received the Chunichi Cultural Prize of the newspaper Chunichi Shimbun, the UNESCO L'Oréal Prize, as well as the Japanese Medal of Honor Purple Ribbon.