Nikko Chemicals’ researcher receives dual honors in Japan
Last update on Oct 28, 2025
Nikko Chemicals Co., Ltd. announces that Masaki Hanzawa, a researcher at its R&D Center, has received two honors: the 13th Young Researcher Encouragement Award from the Japan Oil Chemists’ Society Kanto Branch, and the Young Researcher Oral Presentation Award at the 76th Colloid and Interface Chemistry Symposium, hosted by the Colloid and Interface Chemistry Division of the Chemical Society of Japan.
Award summary
The Japan Oil Chemists’ Society Kanto Branch - 13th Young Researcher Encouragement Award:
Award-winning research: Cleaning mechanism of skin commensal bacterial biofilms cultured on phospholipid membranes.
This award recognizes research by scientists under the age of 40, selecting outstanding work and initiatives that “deserve to be heard by many” through a rigorous voting process conducted by the society’s executive committee.
An award lecture on this research will be presented at the 3rd Oil Chemistry Seminar in 2025, scheduled for December 15.
The 76th Colloid and Interface Chemistry Symposium -Young Researcher Oral Presentation Award:
Award-winning research: Quantitative analysis of the effect of surfactants on acne bacteria biofilms.
This award honors exceptional oral presentations by researchers under the age of 35. The evaluation criteria include novelty and significance, logical accuracy in content and presentation, presentation and Q&A performance, and the presenter’s overall contribution.
Research details
Biofilms consist mainly of extracellular polymeric substances secreted by microbial communities. Due to the ubiquity and resilience of microorganisms, biofilms interact with nearly every aspect of human life. In particular, biofilms that negatively affect health and the economy must be controlled through chemical and mechanical means. This study aims to clarify the physicochemical effects of surfactants and lipids on the removal of skin commensal bacterial biofilms.
At the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Japan Oil Chemists’ Society, the researcher presented findings on how shear flow - generated by surfactant aqueous solutions and preformed phospholipid films on model substrates - influences the formation and removal of skin commensal bacterial biofilms.
At the 76th Colloid and Interface Chemistry Symposium, Dr. Hanzawa presented comparative results on the physicochemical effects of rhamnolipid (a biosurfactant) and sodium dodecyl sulfate on the extracellular polymeric substances and cells contained in acne bacteria biofilms.
Comment from the Award winner, “I am deeply honored to have received the prestigious Young Researcher Encouragement Award and the Young Researcher Oral Presentation Award. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved. Seeing that many past recipients of these awards are now leading figures in their fields, I feel humbled and inspired. I will continue to dedicate myself to advancing industry and academia.”