The Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature recognizes early- to mid-career women researchers whose technological work can create a positive impact on society and the planet. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Sony Group Corporation Chief Technology Fellow Hiroaki Kitano to learn more.
Hiroaki Kitano’s Background
When asked about his background and involvement in establishing the global recognition program, Kitano shared:
I currently serve as Chief Technology Fellow of Sony Group Corporation and founded the Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature together with Dr. Magdalena Skipper, Editor-in-Chief of Nature.
Award Mission
When asked what the Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature is and what motivated its creation, Kitano explained:
The Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature recognizes outstanding early- to mid-career women researchers working at the forefront of technology, with the clear aim of bringing positive impact to our society and the planet.
Our company values diversity as a crucial source of innovation and welcomes different perspectives to ensure that the evolution of technology is inclusive. We launched this award to support researchers who are pushing boundaries and making sizable contributions to their fields.
Selecting The 2026 Recipients
When asked what stood out about the research conducted by Dr. Xiwen Gong and Dr. Zhen Xu and led to their selection as 2026 recipients, Kitano detailed:
Dr. Xiwen Gong was selected as an early-career winner for her highly impressive interdisciplinary research that bridges materials science, wearable electronics, and energy technologies.
She is innovating electronic materials such as perovskites and quantum dots to develop efficient and stable optoelectronic and bioelectronic devices. The judging panel noted that she is “going after real bottlenecks in energy and electronics.” Rather than making incremental improvements, she has “come up with a way for others to design stability instead of just guessing.”
She also presents a clear long-term vision and a strong case for how the prize would support high-impact, cross-disciplinary research.
Dr. Zhen Xu was selected as the mid-career winner as the co-inventor and global leader of histotripsy, a non-invasive ultrasound technology that mechanically liquefies tumor tissue without incision and is already being used to treat liver tumors.
Her work demonstrates rigorous science and successful translation. Her research addresses major global health challenges across cancer, neurology, and cardiovascular medicine and is guided by a clear and inspiring long-term vision.
The judging panel also recognized her strong mentorship and commitment to advancing women in engineering.
Precision And Personalized Healthcare
When asked how Dr. Gong’s work on continuous health monitoring and therapeutic interventions could shape precision and personalized healthcare, Kitano described:
Dr. Xiwen Gong’s research points to a future where healthcare is continuous, personalized, and proactive rather than episodic and reactive.
By developing soft, skin-conformable, and bio-integrated electronic materials, her work enables devices that can continuously monitor physiological signals and deliver targeted therapeutic interventions in real time.
This approach could allow clinicians to detect subtle changes in health earlier, tailor treatments to an individual’s biology and daily context, and adjust care dynamically rather than relying on infrequent clinical visits.
Over time, such technologies have the potential to transform precision medicine, shifting healthcare toward highly individualized monitoring, earlier intervention, and more effective, patient-specific treatment strategies.
Understanding Histotripsy
When asked to explain histotripsy and why it is considered a breakthrough in non-invasive surgical technology, Kitano clarified:
Histotripsy is a breakthrough non-invasive medical technology that uses focused ultrasound to destroy diseased tissue without surgery, incisions, heat, or radiation.
Guided by real-time imaging, histotripsy offers highly precise treatment with fewer complications and faster recovery, opening a new frontier in non-invasive surgery.
Histotripsy has been approved by the FDA for the non-invasive treatment of liver tumors, with more than 3,000 patients treated worldwide, and there are ongoing clinical trials on histotripsy treatment of tumors in the kidney and pancreas.
It has the potential to be used for treatment across many diseases, such as various solid cancer types, neurological diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.
Supporting The Recipients
When asked how the $250,000 award provided to each recipient will help accelerate the research of Dr. Gong and Dr. Xu, Kitano specified:
The prize will enable Dr. Gong and her team to pursue bold, high-impact research that is difficult to fund through traditional programs, including bringing perovskite solar cell technology closer to commercialization and progressing her wearable, non-invasive brain stimulation device through clinical trials toward a portable, at-home treatment for conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
This funding will help generate the critical preliminary results needed to build momentum toward future large-scale funding and translational collaboration.
For Dr. Xu, the prize will support research focused on technical advancements and new applications of non-invasive histotripsy cancer treatment.
The recognition associated with the award will help raise awareness of her work among scientists, clinicians, and patients. This increased visibility can help open the door to new U.S. and international collaborations that can advance histotripsy technology and expand both the availability and effectiveness of treatments.
More broadly, the Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature provides both flexible funding and global recognition, helping accelerate the recipients’ important research and amplifying its potential impact.
Women Researchers In Technology
When asked about the trends among women researchers that make initiatives such as the Sony Women in Technology Award especially important, Kitano noted:
Across science and technology today, we are seeing researchers pursuing highly interdisciplinary work, collaborating across various science and technology fields to tackle complex, real-world challenges.
At the same time, many of these researchers are working at pivotal early- and mid-career stages, when access to visibility, networks, and sustained support can make a decisive difference.
What stands out is not only the excellence of their research, but a strong sense of purpose: a commitment to ensuring that technology contributes positively to society and the planet.
We believe initiatives like the Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature are especially important now because they recognize this momentum, amplify outstanding work, and help create an environment where diverse perspectives can thrive.
When the contributions of women researchers are meaningfully supported, innovation becomes broader, more creative, and ultimately more impactful.
Future Areas Of Focus
When asked which areas of science and technology Sony hopes to spotlight through future editions of the award, Kitano concluded:
Looking ahead, Sony hopes to continue spotlighting a broad range of scientific and technological research that can create meaningful impact for society and the planet.
This includes interdisciplinary work across areas such as engineering, AI and data science, life sciences, sustainability, and emerging technologies.
As a company rooted in both advanced technology and creative entertainment, Sony is especially interested in research that bridges technical excellence with human creativity, where innovation enhances how people live, connect, and experience the world.
By keeping the scope of the award intentionally open, we aim to highlight bold ideas and diverse approaches that translate science into real-world value.
