Misaki Ouchida (2015)
Misaki is a natural science illustrator from Japan who is curious about the world and how things work. After obtaining her PhD in particle physics from Hiroshima University in Hiroshima, Japan, she transferred to the University of Washington, where she concurrently completed a certification in Natural Science Illustration and a MA in Anthropology. She realized her calling to become a science illustrator when she noticed that her lecture notebooks contained more illustrations than notes.
Combining her background in paleontology and anatomy with her interest in birds, as a Bartels Illustrator, she worked on several illustrations for Living Bird magazine, the Handbook of Bird Biology, Raptor Guide Book, a poster, and website materials.
After finishing the program, Misaki created illustrations for the 2016 State of the Birds report and worked as an assistant to Jane Kim to help paint the Wall of Birds. She then started a six-month science illustration internship at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She returned to Japan in 2016 to work at Kyoto University as a science communicator. In 2019, Kyoto University recognized the importance of science illustration as a tool for science communication and changed her job title to “science Illustrator,” making her the first official science illustrator hired by a national university in Japan. Misaki continues to derive great satisfaction from using her artistic abilities to help others understand science through art.
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