Daiwa Scholars 2026
The Foundation is delighted to announce this year’s Daiwa Scholars.
Announcing the new Daiwa Scholars, Jason James, Director General of The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, said:
‘This year the Daiwa Foundation’s Trustees have chosen seven new Daiwa Scholars, and they will be joined by the writer and artist Johny Pitts, who was chosen last year but deferred by a year. Four of the new scholars are scientists, covering an extraordinary range of expertise – exoplanets, propeller aerodynamics, plastics, and moths! We also have an expert in defence and security, a documentary-maker, and a critic of Japanese film. We are tremendously excited to be sending them to Japan and look forward to the impact they will undoubtedly make.’
Their profiles can be viewed via the link (PDF) below:
About the scholars
Rory Cartmell
Rory completed a BA in History at Durham University in 2017 and an MA in National Security Studies at King’s College London in 2025. He is a Senior Associate at SC Strategy, a London-based advisory firm specialising in geopolitical risk, defence, and national security, where he leads the firm’s analysis covering Japan. Rory advises senior decision-makers across the government, finance and defence technology sectors on strategic competition, defence policy, and national security trends. His work on the UK–Japan defence relationship and the broader Indo-Pacific security environment has focused on defence industrial cooperation, information security, and the strategic implications of Japan’s evolving defence posture. Rory is joining the Daiwa programme to deepen his Japanese language capability, build relationships within Japan’s defence and policy institutions, and strengthen the foundations for a long-term career contributing to UK–Japan security cooperation.
Dr Liam Hanson
Liam completed an MEng in Mechanical Engineering in 2020, followed by a PhD in Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics in 2025, both at the University of Bristol. He currently works as a Propeller Aerodynamics Engineer at Vertical Aerospace. His interest in Japan began with Studio Ghibli films, particularly Spirited Away, and has since expanded to include Japanese history and literature. Liam aspires to continue working in the aerospace industry, moving into roles that combine engineering expertise with cross-cultural collaboration, regulatory engagement, and strategic development, particularly within the rapidly evolving electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) sector. He is particularly drawn to Japan’s growing leadership in this field. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism recently established a Public-Private Council for the Air Mobility Revolution, outlining a vision for integrating eVTOLs into Japan’s transport infrastructure as early as 2030.
Caitlin Mckenzie-Stephens
Caitlin is completing a Master’s degree in Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Warwick. Although she has not yet visited Japan, her interest in its history and music, alongside her friendships with Japanese classmates, have all helped to deepen her understanding of the country and its culture. She has also begun learning Japanese in her free time. She aims to pursue a career as an astrophysicist and hopes to play a leading role in multinational research initiatives and the collaborative frameworks that drive global progress in the field. She believes that many of the most significant advances in astrophysics arise through such partnerships, in which Japan plays a leading role, and is keen to explore opportunities for UK–Japan cooperation. She is also committed to supporting greater participation of women in astrophysics and wider STEM fields.
Abigail Merchant
Abigail completed a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the University of Oxford in 2020. She is currently pursuing an MA in Art History with The Open University while working as an Assistant Producer in British television across science, culture, and arts programmes. Abi first encountered Japanese culture in childhood with her half-Japanese best friend, sparking an early curiosity that has grown into a broad enjoyment of the country’s art, literature, film, and philosophy. She took a short course in Japanese language while at Oxford, and in 2025 she travelled to Japan with her family. Abi hopes to build an interdisciplinary career combining television and film production with academic research. Her interests lie in the philosophy of film and comparative aesthetics, particularly the role of Japanese aesthetic principles in this field.
Dr Kit O'Rourke
Kit completed an MEng in Mechanical Engineering with Renewable Energy in 2020 and a PhD in Materials Engineering, focusing on waste plastics, in 2024, both at the University of Edinburgh. Kit’s first visit to Japan was in 2015 for the World Scout Jamboree, a formative experience that inspired a lasting interest in the country. They returned in 2017 with their sister. Kit has a basic knowledge of Japanese, having previously learnt to read hiragana, and is now revisiting the language to rebuild their skills. Kit is also deeply interested in Japanese literature, particularly the works of Haruki Murakami, Natsume Sōseki, Mieko Kawakami, and Yukio Mishima. Kit aspires to become an international researcher specialising in sustainable materials, polymer recycling, and circular-economy engineering, working at the interface between the UK and Japan. Kit is eager to learn from Japan’s world-leading expertise in polymer science, precision engineering, and advanced materials characterisation.
Johny Pitts
Johny is a self-taught artist who works with words and images. He is the author of Afropean: Notes from Black Europe (Penguin). As a child he lived in Tokyo for two stints between 1987 and 1990, and has strong memories of 1980s Japan. While Japan remains an innovator, Johny is keen to explore the cultural, political and economic legacy of the bubble era, how it still hovers over the 21st century, and what Japan’s response to the resulting “lost decades” can teach the rest of us about a world teetering on the edge of so much disjuncture. He has produced a four-part radio show entitled Failure of the Future for BBC Radio 4, also about 1980s Japan. He has lectured at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and The London School of Economics, and served as the 20th Friedrich Dürrenmatt Guest Professor at the University of Bern, Switzerland. In 2025 he received the EM Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Blake Simons
Blake completed a BA in Film Studies at King’s College London in 2025. They currently work as a freelance film journalist and programmer, specialising in contemporary Japanese cinema and global queer cinema. Over the past two years, they have interviewed over a hundred figures active in Japanese film, theatre, manga, and videogames for outlets such as IndieWire, BFI, The Guardian, Animation Magazine, and Variety. They co-lead the London International Fantastic Film Festival. Blake seeks to build on their existing work introducing international audiences to established and emerging Japanese-language filmmakers. They are equally committed to strengthening the appreciation and understanding of contemporary Japanese cinema in the UK. Observing that Japanese cinema is becoming increasingly international in outlook and entering a period of transformation, Blake feels that now is the ideal time to travel to Japan and engage directly with the culture that shapes their writing.
Tabitha Taberer
Tabby completed her MSci in Zoology at the University of Nottingham in 2021, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Biology at the University of Oxford. Her interest in Japan developed during her undergraduate studies, when she explored the country’s diverse climates and the coexistence of tropical, subtropical, and temperate species. She has since visited Japan three times and undertaken a Japanese language course at the Oxford University Language Centre. Tabby aims to establish an independent research group in Japan to study evolutionary biology across the Japanese archipelago, with a particular focus on butterflies and moths. The archipelago’s distinctive biogeographical context offers an exceptional natural laboratory for examining how isolation and environmental gradients drive speciation. Art has also been central to Tabby’s life. Shortlisted for Kew’s Young Botanical Artist Competition in 2023 for her painting of a ginkgo tree, she now hopes to draw fresh inspiration from Japan’s landscapes and nature.