is a virologist specializing in the study of the influenza and Ebola viruses. He holds a professorship in virology in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, and at the University of Tokyo, Japan. Following the West African Ebola virus epidemic of 2014, Kawaoka began development of an Ebola vaccine working in close coordination with Alhaji N'jai a toxicologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his non-profit organization Project 1808, Inc. Controversial experiment Kawaoka reinvented a new virus based on H5N1, which he revealed to the public in 2011. For now, no known vaccine has been found. His research was halted by a moratorium issued from the US government in 2014. However, in 2019 he was allowed to resume the research. Dan Brown mentioned the experiment in his novel Inferno. Recognition 2006 – Robert Koch Prize (with Peter Palese) 2011 – Medal with Purple Ribbon 2013 – Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences 2014 – Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award 2015 – Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology 2016 – Japan Academy Prize 2018 – Sir Michael Stoker Prize Selected publications References External links Robert Koch Award lecture: New possibilities in the fight against influenza (3 November 2006) Living people 1955 births People from Kobe Influenza researchers American virologists Japanese virologists Japanese microbiologists University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Academic staff of the University of Tokyo Hokkaido University alumni Recipients of the Medal of Honor (Japan) Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences