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TheknowledgecultivatedbyKyotoUniversityresearchersspreadsacrosstimeandspace,givingbirthtonewfrontiersofknowledgeandleadingtosolutionsforchallengesfacingtheworld.Thisaccumulationofknowledgeissociety’scommoncapital.Namingthis“KyotoUFutureCommons,”wehavebegunaninitiativetoshareitwidelywiththeworld.Inthisbooklet,throughmessagescontributedby125researchers,weintroducetheirvisionsofthefutureandconveythetransformativepowerthatresearchbringstosociety.https://commons.research.kyoto-u.ac.jp/1

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KyotoUniversityhasbeenguidedbyastrongspiritofself-relianceandself-respectsinceitsfoundingin1897,resultinginasolidtraditionofacademicfreedom.Coupledwithapursuitofharmoniouscoexistencebetweenhumanityandtheenvironment,ourinstitutionhasgivenrisetoamultitudeofinnovativescholarlyendeavors.Thisspiritofover125yearscontinuestodayatourinstitutionofgreaterthan4,000researchers,whodailyengageincreativeworkacrossallfieldswithaneyetothefutureofallhumanity.Thisbookletiscomprisedofasampleofsuchproposals,envisionedby125ofourearlycareercolleagues.Humansocietyonthisplanetisfacingmanycomplexchallenges,makingitincreasinglydifficulttopredictthefuture.Weasresearcherscancontributetosolvingthesechallengesbypioneeringnewdomainsofknowledge.Thisisourfirstsuchbooklet,butcertainlynotthelast.Mayitspagesserveasyourbridgetofreshdiscoveriesandilluminatethepathforwardforusall.NagahiroMinatoPresident2

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Ouruniversitypursuescutting-edgesciencebasedonanintellectualfoundationcultivatedovermanyyears,alwaysstrivingforthetruth.Weconsistentlychallengeourselvestopioneernewfields,drivenbycuriosity,aspiritofinquiry,andavisionforthefuture.Thisbookletillustrateshowourresearchextendsbeyondtraditionalacademicboundaries,realizingourresearchers’visionsforafuturesocietywheretheireffortsconnecttosolutionstoglobalchallenges.Ourresearcherscontinuouslymakediscoveriesthatastound,inspireemotion,andtransformtheworld.Throughmutualencouragementanddedication,westrivetoexpandknowledgethatwillshapethefuture.WiththisvolumeweaimtoconveytheuniqueappealofKyotoUniversity’sresearch,wheretraditionmeetsinnovation,inspiringhopeforthefuture.Mydeepestgratitudeisextendedtoallwhoassisted,withhopesforcontinuedpartnership.SusumuKitagawaExecutiveVice-PresidentforResearchPromotion3

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ContributionHiroshiKitagawaProfessorGraduateSchoolofScienceForabouttwentyyears,Ihavebeenworkingon“inter-elementfusion”mixingdifferentelementsattheatomicleveltocreatenewmaterials.In2020,ourresearchgroupcreatedanalloyoffiveelements(ruthenium,rhodium,palladium,iridium,andplatinum)thatarethebestfivehighlyefficientpuremetalcatalystsfortheelectrolysisofwatertoproducehydrogen̶aworldfirst.However,whentestingthis“brilliant5-elementteam”alloy,itsperformancewasonlytwicebetterthanthatofthebest-knowncatalystplatinum,whichfranklydisappointedme.Ontheotherhand,whenwecreatedtheworld’sfirsteight-elementalloybyaddinggold,silver,andosmium̶“underachieving”catalyststhatdonotgeneratehydrogen̶tothebrilliant5-elementteamalloy,thereactionefficiencyincreasedto11timesthatofplatinumand5timesthatofthefive-elementalloy.Thiswasastonishing.Thismademethinkaboutoursocietyandeducation.Perhapsitsuggeststhelimitationsofability-basedclasses,uniformcookie-cuttereducation,andconcentratingonacorecompetency.Withoutensuringdiversity,newideascannotemerge.Novel“chemical”reactionsoccurwhendifferentthoughtsandculturesintersect.Universitiesneedtosecurestudentdiversityandcreateenvironmentswhereexciting,unpredictablereactionsnaturallyarisefrominteractionsamongdiverseindividuals.Ihopetoseemorepeopleemergewiththecouragetobecome“alienelements”thatchangetheworldandthinkbeyondconventionalwisdom.Discoveriesbornfromunexpectedcombinationswillpavethewaytothefuture.4

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Lunarwaterresourcesand“cislunarscience”TeruakiEnotoGraduateSchoolofScienceFindinglunarwaterresourcesisessentialforhumanbeingstoexplorespacefrontiersliketheMoon,Mars,andasteroids.CosmicraysconstantlybombardtheMoon’ssurface,generatingneutrons.Wearedevelopingaplantolocatewaterbymeasuringneutrons,usingneutrons’behaviorofslowingdownwhentheycollidewithhydrogennuclei(protons)inwater.LeveragingspaceradiationmeasurementtechniquesdevelopedinX-rayastronomyandcitizenscienceknow-how(observinggammaraysproducedbylightningandthunderstorms),ourprojectaimstodeployanetworkofradiationdetectorsaroundtheMoon.Ifsuccessful,itcouldopenupanewfield,“cislunarscience,”enablingparticleexperiments(suchasmeasuringneutronlifetimesfromalunarorbiter)andadvancingcosmologicalresearchviaobservationsofgamma-rayburstsinthecislunarregion,ortheareabetweenEarthandtheMoon.5

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Bringingthesun’sfusionpowertoearthFumiyoshiKinInstituteofAdvancedEnergyNuclearfusionpowergeneration,utilizingfusionenergy,isgainingattentionasaninnovativetechnologyforasustainablefuture.Ithasthepotentialtofundamentallysolveenergyproblems:itputslessofaburdenontheglobalenvironmentthanexistingpowergenerationmethods(therearenoresourcedepletionconcernsbecauseseawaterisusedforfuel),anditisverysafe(thereisnohigh-levelradioactivewaste).AtKyotoUniversity,researchisbeingconductedtogeneratenuclearfusionenergybyconfiningplasmainahelicalmagneticfieldusingaspeciallydesignedexperimentaldevice,HeliotronJ.Iamdevelopingmethodstounderstandandcontrolturbulence,themainobstacleinplasmaconfinement.Ihopethatharnessingnuclearfusion,themechanismbywhichthesunproducesheatandlight,willimprovepeople’slivesonEarth.6

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Newwaysofperception:thefusionofphysicsandAIKojiHashimotoGraduateSchoolofScienceHowdohumansperceivetheworld?Physicsusesmathematicaldescriptionstoformulatelawsandpredictphenomenainoursurroundingsandtheuniverse.Particlephysics,myspecialty,ultimatelyseeksthefundamentalconstituentsofreality.Meanwhile,recentadvancesingenerativeAIhaveenabledustomodelhowhumansperceivetheworldusingcomputersandpredictwordsorimages.Iaimtoestablishanewdiscipline,“machinelearningphysics,”integratingphysicsandAIasmethodsofhumanworldperception.7

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Physics:amathematicalunderstandingYoshikoOgataResearchInstituteforMathematicalSciencesIstudythephysicsofquantummany-bodysystemsfromamathematicalpointofview.Quantummany-bodysystemsarephysicalsystemswherenumerousmicroscopicelements,suchasatomicnucleiorelectrons,interactandevolvefollowingthelawsofquantummechanics.Forexample,quantumcomputers,whichhaveattractedattentioninrecentyears,aredesignedbasedontheprinciplesofthesequantummany-bodysystems.Additionally,manyeverydayphysicalphenomena,suchaselectricalconductivityinmetals,magnetism,andheatconductance,canbeunderstoodthroughquantummany-bodytheory.Byunderstandingthepropertiesofquantummany-bodysystemsmathematicallyrigorouslyingeneralsettings,Iaimtoprovidemathematicalsupporttophysicaltheoriesandcontributetoadeeperunderstandingofphysicalphenomena.8

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Applyingthepoweroftopology:physicsandbeyondMayukoYamashitaGraduateSchoolofScienceTopologyisabranchofmathematicsthatdealswithshapes,spaces,andtheirhigher-dimensionalandmoreabstractgeneralizations.Myresearchfocusesontherelationshipbetweentopologyandtheoreticalphysics.Topologylooksintopropertiesthatremainunchangedthroughcontinuousdeformation,andithasbeenfoundthatthisisusefulinvariousareasofphysicsincludingparticleandcondensedmatterphysics.Thepowerofabstractioninmathematicsallowsforunifiedexplanationsofphysicalphenomena,whilephysicscanmotivatenewmathematicaldiscoveries.Itisexcitingtoseehowthetwofieldsevolvetogether.Whileitishardtopinpointhowmyresearchinpuremathematicswillbenefitsocietytoday,historyshowsthatsuchresearchoftenfindsunexpectedapplicationsdecadesorcenturieslater̶quantumcomputingisoneexample.Ibelieveourdiscipline-bridgingworkcouldfollowasimilarpath.9

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Analyzingthecoresofinfinite-dimensionalspacesKeiIrieResearchInstituteforMathematicalSciencesModerngeometryprimarilystudiesvariousspaces.Homologytheoryisafundamentaltooltounderstandtheirglobalshapes.Thistheory,conceivedover100yearsagofrompurelymathematicalinterest,isnowusedinfieldslikedatascience.MyresearchcentersaroundFloerhomology,inventedbythemathematicianAndreasFloerinthe1980s.Putmetaphorically,itanalyzesthe“cores”ofcertaininfinite-dimensionalspaces.WhileIstudyFloerhomologyfrommathematicalinterests,itmayeventuallyhaveanimpactontherealworld.10

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ExploringsolarsystemoriginsviadistantprotostarsYokoOyaYukawaInstituteforTheoreticalPhysicsOveralongperiodoftime,hierarchicalstructureshavedevelopedintheuniverse:galaxies,stars,andplanetarysystems(includingourown).Thehistoryofstructureformationintheuniverseisalsothehistoryofmaterialevolution.Acomprehensiveunderstandingoftheseprocessesfromphysicalandchemicalperspectivesisthekeytoansweringthefundamentalquestion,“Howwasoursolarsystemborn?”Usingradiotelescopes,Iobservestarsandplanetarysystemshundredsoflight-yearsawayfromtheearthtostudywhathappenswhenplanetarysystemsformandthekindofmaterialspresent.Byobservingdistantstarformation,Iinferthestateofournewbornsolarsystem4.6billionyearsago,continuallyapproachingthegreatmysteryofoursolarsystem’sorigins.11

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ShapeandMotionofBigDatafromaMathPerspectiveYasuakiHiraokaInstitutefortheAdvancedStudyofHumanBiologyModernsocietyisfloodedwithdata.However,asseenwiththeblackboxprobleminAI,whichlearnsfromvastamountsofdata,wearenotfullyharnessingthetruevalueembeddedwithinit.Toeffectivelyusebigdata,itiscrucialtodescribetheunderlyingstructureusingappropriatemathematicallanguageandtoapplythislanguagetogivemeaningtoandunderstandthemechanismsbehindphenomena.Myresearchfocusesonsolvingthisissuebydevelopingdescriptors̶mathematicallanguagethatfocusesontheshapeandmovementofdata,expressingitsessentialstructure̶throughcutting-edgemathematicsanddatasciencetechniques.Toachievethis,Iampursuingaunifiedapproachthatintegratesmathematics,datascience,andpracticalapplications,aimingtocreateanewinterdisciplinaryfield,datadescriptivescience,whichtranscendstheboundariesoftraditionalacademicdisciplines.12

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Algorithms:optimizingsocialsystemsJunKawaharaGraduateSchoolofInformaticsIresearchmethodstooptimizesocialsystemsusingalgorithms.Variouschallengesinsocialsystemsneedtobesolved:devisingswitchingproceduresformaintenancewithoutpoweroutagesinnetworksthatbringelectricitytohomes,designingelectoraldistrictstominimizevotevaluedisparitiesinnationalelections,andoptimallyallocatingevacuationsheltersduringdisasters.Iapproachtheseissuesbyrepresentingthemasgraphs̶structuresofpointsconnectedbylines̶anddevelopingalgorithmstosolvegraphproblems,therebyseekingbetteroptimizationmethods.Inadditiontopublishingresearchpapers,Iaimtoimplementalgorithmsthatfunctioninreal-worldsocialcontexts.13

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ExploringcomplexsystemswithrandommatrixtheoryBenoitVincentPierreCollinsGraduateSchoolofScienceThemaingoalofmyresearchistoanalyzethestructureoflarge,complexdataandsystemsusingtherandommatrixtheorytouncovertheuniversallawsbehindthem.Thismathematicaltheoryisappliedinfieldssuchasstatisticsandquantuminformationtheoryandplaysanimportantroleinvariousareasofsociety,suchasanalyzingfinancialmarketsandevaluatingtheperformanceofwirelesscommunicationsystems.Associetybecomesmorecomplexduetotheexponentialgrowthofinformation,advanceddataanalysismethodswillbeevenmorenecessary.Byexploringthepotentialofrandommatrixtheoryasapowerfultoolforprocessingandutilizinginformationmoreefficiently,Iaimtocontributetosolvingeconomicandsocialproblems.14

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Mathematicaloptimization:optimalchoiceswithscienceEllenHidemiFukudaGraduateSchoolofInformaticsPeopleaimforoptimaloutcomesinvarioussituations.Forexample,companiesseekmaximumprofitwithlimitedbudgets.Driverschoosethefastestrouteamongmanyoptions.Gamersmakethebestchoicestowin.Mathematicaloptimizationisafieldthatsolvestheseeverydayoptimizationproblems.Itdescribesreal-worldissuesmathematicallyandusescomputerstofindsolutions.Ifocusondevelopingalgorithmsforcomplexmathematicalmodels.Inthefuture,Iaimtocreatefastalgorithmsformorecomplexapplications,supportingpeopleinmakingoptimalchoicesthroughscience.15

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Shallwebootstrap?YuNakayamaYukawaInstituteforTheoreticalPhysicsStartingacomputeriscalled“boot(strapp)ing,”whichoriginatesfromastorywhereamanstuckinabottomlessswampliftedhimselfoutofdangerusinghisbootstraps.Thismethodofsolvingproblemsusingonlyinternalconditions,withoutexternalinformation,iscalled“bootstrapping”andhasbecomeatrendintwenty-first-centurytheoreticalphysics.Couldtheultimatelawsofphysicsbedeterminedsolelybyinternalconsistencywithoutexternalinputs?Indeed,bootstrappingmethodscansolvechallengingproblemsinphysicssuchasthebeginningoftheuniverse,phasetransitionsofmatter,andthestructureofnuclearforce.Toelucidatethefundamentallawofnatureinaunifiedmanner,shallwebootstrap?16

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columnThebasicsciences:traditionandinnovation“Representthenewera.”ThesearethewordsofdeterminationHidekiYukawawroteinhisnotebookwhensettinghisgoalsforphysicsresearch.Aboutacenturylater,KyotoU’sbasicscienceresearchfieldshaveachievedinternationallysignificantaccomplishmentsthroughtherelentlesspursuitoftruth.Inheritingthisspirit,theuniversityhasestablishedseveralresearchinstitutesdedicatedtothebasicsciences.In1953,theYukawaInstituteforTheoreticalPhysicsopenedtocommemorateYukawa’sNobelPrize,becomingahomeforwide-rangingresearchfromelementaryparticlestothecosmos.Tenyearslater,theResearchInstituteforMathematicalSciencesopenedasJapan’sfirstspecializedmathematicsandmathematicalsciencesinstitute.ProducingnumerousrecipientsoftheFieldsMedal,GaussPrize,ChernMedal,andBreakthroughPrize,ithasconsistentlyledtheworldwith,forexample,themathematicaltheoryofstochasticdifferentialequationsandtheconstructionanddevelopmentofalgebraicanalysis.AppliedmathematicsisgainingattentionduetodevelopmentsinAIandbigdataanalysistechnologies.Jointresearchwithindustryisexpanding,includingfoundationalresearchforfuturemobilityinsociety,wherenewalgorithmsarebeingdevelopedtomathematicallyensuresafeandsatisfactorytransportationoptionsforall.Groundbreakingworkisalsounderwayinthefieldofparticlephysics.Researchershavebeguntacklingcrucialtasksinfundamentalphysics(discoveringnewlaws,developingnewmaterials)byintegratingrapidlyevolvingmachinelearningwiththeoreticalphysics.KyotoUwillcontinuetostandattheforefrontofpurescience,pursuinginitiativesthatpioneerneweras.17

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ControllingstrengthtocreateimmortalmaterialsHiroyukiHirakataGraduateSchoolofEngineeringThroughouthistory,humanityhassufferedsignificantlossesfromunforeseenfailureseverytimewecreateinnovativeproducts.Topreventthis,itiscrucialtofullyunderstandthestrengthofourmaterialsanddesignproductsthatleveragetheircharacteristics.However,welackdeepunderstandingofandcontroloverhowmaterialstrengthisdetermined.Myresearchfocusesonhowirradiatingmaterialswithelectronsorlightandinjectingsurpluselectronscandrasticallyaltertheirproperties.Forexample,abrittlemateriallikeglasscanbecomeasmalleableasmetalthroughelectroninjection.Throughthisresearch,Iaimtoelucidatethefundamentalmechanismsthatchangematerialstrengthanddevelop“immortalmaterials”thatcanwithstandvariousformsofdamage,contributingtoasustainablesociety.18

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ControllingfrictiontoimprovemachineperformanceTomokoHirayamaGraduateSchoolofEngineeringWhatcomestomindwhenyouheartheword“friction”?Youmightthinkof“frictionbetweencountries”or“interpersonalfriction,”whichcarrynegativeconnotations.However,inmyfieldofmechanicalengineering,frictionisnotnecessarilybad.Infact,essentialcomponents,suchasbrakesandclutches,relyonfriction.Myresearchfocusesonhowtocontrolfrictioneffectivelywithinmachines.Whilethisworkmayseembehindthescenesinmechanicalengineering,high-performancemachinescannotexistwithoutfrictioncontrol.Ideeplylovethisfieldof“tribology”(thestudyoffriction),whichsupportsmachines’advancementandenergyefficiencyfromthebackstage.19

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Forabetterfuture:growingcrystalsSakikoKawanishiGraduateSchoolofEnergyScienceCrystalgrowth,theprocessbywhichatomscometogethertoformacrystal,isanindispensablepartofthematerialmanufacturingprocess.Togrowhigh-qualitycrystalsforuseinsolarcellsandpowersemiconductors,whichholdthekeytorenewableenergyandenergyconservation,itisnecessarytocontrol,attheatomiclevel,thecrystalgrowththatoccursathightemperatures.Iaimtointroducenewmethodstodirectlyobservecrystalshapeandcolorchangesduringgrowthandtranslatethemintoinnovative,cutting-edgematerialsandgrowthprocessesforsuchmaterials.Thisresearchincorporatesideasfrommetallurgy(thescienceofsmeltingorestoproducemetals),anolddisciplineestablishedbyourpredecessors.Throughthisblendofoldandnewinmaterialsresearch,Iwanttocontributetocarbonneutrality,ourmission.20

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Technologyofthefuture:madewithbubblesKyokoNamuraGraduateSchoolofEngineeringWhenyouboilwaterinapot,bubblesrapidlyrisetothesurface.Whenyouopenacarbonateddrink,bubblesburstbeforeyoureyes.Althoughbubblesarefamiliartous,muchabouttheirbehaviorremainsunknown.Istudymicroscopicbubbles’movementandtheflowsaroundthem.Thisresearchcontributestotechnologiessuchassmartcoolingsystemsthatuseminimalenergytocoolheatedmachines,aswellasbloodtestinganddrugdevelopmentmethodsthatrequireonlysmallamountsofreagents.Itisinvolvedinpromotingresourceandenergyconservationacrossvariousfields.Thereisstillmuchwastedmatterandenergyintheworld,butIaimtoscoopitupwithbubblestohelpbuildasustainablesociety.21

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Dynamicforces:changingtheworldCathyE.McNAMEEGraduateSchoolofEngineeringManychemical,pharmaceutical,food,andbiotechnologyproductsrequirecolloids(materialssmallerthanapproximately0.000001m)tobedispersedoraggregatedinliquids.Theforcesactingbetweenthecolloidsdetermineiftheywilldisperseoraggregate.Manyinnovativenano-andbio-technologicalmaterialsneedspecificphysicalproperties,whichcanbecontrolledthroughtheforcesinthesystem.Weaimtodevelopmethodstochangetheseforcesandcontroltheextenttowhichtheyarechanged.WearestudyingdynamicforcesusinginterfacialchemistryandtechniqueslikeAtomicForceMicroscopy.Inordertochangeandcontrolthephysicalpropertiesofmaterials,webringtheseforcesintoadynamicstatebyapplyingvariousstimuli,suchasmagneticandelectricfields,audiblesounds,andheat.Ourgoalistodesignandfabricatematerialswiththedesiredpropertiesbyusingtheseforces.22

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Photonicnanostructures:towardasmartSociety5.0MenakaDeZoysaGraduateSchoolofEngineeringIfwecouldfreelymanipulatelight,whichisusedinvariousfields,itwouldleadtorevolutionaryadvancementsinbothtechnologyandourdailylives.Toachievethis,weareconductingresearchonphotonicnanostructuresforlightcontrol.Wedesignandexplorenanostructureswithopticalpropertiestailoredtospecificapplications,andthenfabricatethemtopreciselycontrollight.Forexample,wearedevelopinganewlightsource̶aphotoniccrystallaser̶capableofemittinghigh-power,collimatedlaserbeamsoreventargetedbeampatternsfromasinglesemiconductorchip,aworld-leadinginnovation.Theresultsofourresearchcanbeappliedinvariousfields,suchasremotesensingforself-drivingcarsandrobots,opticalsensingandcommunicationinunderwaterandspaceenvironments,andlaserprocessing.ThesetechnologiesareexpectedtobecomekeyfoundationalelementssupportingtheforthcomingsmartSociety.23

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TowardsustainableenergydevelopmentNanaYoshimitsuGraduateSchoolofEngineeringTheincreasingworldpopulationandenergydemandsrequireustodevelopnewresourceextractionandpowergenerationmethodswithlowCO₂emissions.LikeusinganX-rayCTscantoexaminethehumanbody,wecaninvestigateundergroundstructuresbyanalyzingwavepropertiesthatpassthroughtheearthcrust.Iamtryingtoclarifytherelationshipbetweensubsurfacestructuresandwavecharacteristicsbyanalyzingwavesartificiallytransmittedthroughrocksamplesinthelaboratory,fieldobservationrecords,andnaturalearthquakerecords.Myresearchaimstodeveloplow-environmental-impactresourceexplorationandpowergenerationmethods.Iwouldliketocontributetotheformationandgrowthofasustainablesociety.24

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Preservingthegeo-environmentessentialforhumansocietyAtsushiTakaiGraduateSchoolofGlobalEnvironmentalStudiesTheground,whichsupportsinfrastructureandsuperstructures,isessentialasthebasisforalllifeandsociety.However,itfacesvariousenvironmentalproblemsduetohumanactivities.Aprimeexampleissoilcontaminationfromimpropermanagementofchemicalsandwaste.InJapan,anotherissueariseswhenexcavatinggroundlayerscontainingarsenicorleadexceedingenvironmentalstandards,ashandlingtheexcavatedsoilandrockbecomesproblematic.GivenJapan’slimitedlandarea,securingspacefordisposingofallsoilandrockthatcontaintoxicsubstancesisdifficult.Therefore,Iamresearchinganddevelopingtechnologiestosafelyutilizesoilandrockasgeomaterialsasmuchaspossibleandreasonablypreservethegeo-environment.Throughdevelopingsuchlow-environmental-impacttechnologies,IaimtocreateasocialinfrastructurethatcancoexistwiththeEarth’senvironment.25

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Preservingcommunities’buildingsandtownscapesMinaSuginoGraduateSchoolofEngineeringInJapan,includingKyoto,whereKyotoUniversityislocated,temples,shrines,residences,andothertraditionalwoodenbuildingshavecreatedculturalvalueandcommunity-rootedtownscapesovergenerations.However,Japanisalsopronetoearthquakes,andlargeoneshavecausedsignificantdamagetothem.Iamdevelopingpracticalperformanceevaluationmethodsandcountermeasurestoensuretheyaresafelypreservedforthefuture.Thisinvolveson-sitesurveys,dataanalysis,andexperimentalsimulationstoassessseismicresistance.Also,inresponsetorecentissueslikevacanthousesandashortageofpeopletomaintainbuildings,Iamconductingresearchfromasocietalperspectiveaswell,consideringlocalhistoryandculture.26

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TowardearthquakeforecastingMakikoOhtaniGraduateSchoolofScienceMyresearchfieldisseismology,andIstudythemechanismsofearthquakes.TheEarth’ssurfaceiscoveredbymovingtectonicplates,whichcausestraintobuildupslowlyonundergroundfaults.Whenthefaultcannolongerwithstandthestress,itsuddenlyslipstoreleasetheaccumulatedstrain,leadingtoanearthquake.I’mmodelingearthquakeprocessesandsimulatingtheiroccurrencewithcomputers.Sinceitisdifficulttodirectlyobservetheprocessesoccurringonfaults,manyfactorsinfluencingfaultslipremainunknown.Althoughweseismologistscannotyetreliablypredictearthquakes,Iaimtocontributetoimprovingearthquakemodelswiththehopethatonedaywewillbeabletoforecastfaultslipsasaccuratelyastheweather.27

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AdigitaltwinapproachandAI:makingcitiesmoreresilientJiaGuoGraduateSchoolofAgricultureJapanisamongthenationsheavilyaffectedbynaturaldisasters.Thedevastating2011Mw9.0GreatEastJapanEarthquaketriggeredaseriesoftsunamis,leadingtothelossofthousandsoflivesinthecoastalareasofnortheasternJapan.Ourstudyfocusesondevelopingaframeworkthatintegratesphysics-basedanddata-drivenmodelingforreal-timedynamicsimulations,withtheobjectiveofimprovingdisasterpreventionandmitigation.Thisresearchspanscomputationalmechanicsandengineeringscience,utilizingBayesianinference,artificialintelligence,andadvancedsensingtechnologies.Ourgoalistousedigitaltwinapproachtomakecitiesmoreresilient,enablingbuildingsandcitiestoadapttoandrecoverfromhazardsinamoreintelligentandefficientmanner.28

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ModelingandpredictingdisastrouswaveeventsAminChabchoubTheHakubiCenterforAdvancedResearchClimatechangeisseriouslyimpactingoceanandcoastalenvironments.Withtheincreasingneedforrenewableenergy,coastalandoceanengineeringhasbecomeincreasinglyimportant.Extremewaves,drivenbystrongoffshorewinds,cannowreachupto30meters,posingriskstoships,offshorestructures,coastalfacilities,andresidentialareas.Iaimtomodelsuchextremewavesbycombiningamathematicalapproachwithwavetankexperiments.Experimentsinwhichawavemakeriscontrolledandshakentogenerateactualphysicalwavesareimportantnotonlyforvalidatingtheoreticalmodels,butalsoforaccuratelypredictingthedamagecausedbygiantwaves.Workingwithworld-classresearchersandcompaniesinmultipledisciplines,wearealsodesigningdata-drivenextremewavepredictionmethodsandinnovativemechanicalconceptsformitigatingtsunamisandothercoastaldisasters.29

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Smartrivermanagement:linkingmountainstotheseaSamehAhmedKantoushDisasterPreventionResearchInstituteIamdevelopingreal-timemonitoringtechnologyforflashfloods,sedimenttransport,andchangesinriverbasinmorphologyandenvironments.Myresearchfocusesonunderstandingtheimpactofhumanactivities,suchasdamconstruction,irrigationdevelopment,deforestation,andsandmining,onriverenvironmentsanddeltas.Itaimstoenhanceriverecosystemsandimprovetheresilienceofcommunitiesnearriversthatarevulnerabletoclimateandnaturalimpacts.Additionally,IamsharingJapan’sknowledgeandpracticesrelatedtohydropowerdams,reservoirsedimentation,dammanagement,floodmanagement,andenvironmentalmanagement.IhavealsodevelopedWadiflashfloodandwaterharvestingstrategies.Ultimately,IaimtodevelopinnovativeintegratedriverbasinmanagementapproachesthatcanbeappliedtoriversandWadisworldwidethatfacesimilarchallenges.30

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Tomorrow’surbanmobility:promotingsocietalwell-beingJan-DirkSchmöckerGraduateSchoolofEngineeringThewaywetravelgreatlyimpactsourlives.Iaimtoimproveurbantransportationsystemsforasafer,moresustainableandflourishingsociety.Visionsforsmartandsustainablecitiesvary,anddefininga“perfecttransportsystem”ischallenging.Keyfactorsincludewalkability,high-qualitypublictransit,andminimizingcongestion,butthebestcombinationdependsonvariousfactors.Myresearchaddressesspecificissueslikepublictransitcongestioncausedbytouristsandforecastingdemandbyintegratingmultipledatasources.Ialsoengageintheoreticalinquiries,suchastheeffectsofnewtypesoffarepolicies.Usingmathematicalmodeling,datascience,andsimulations,Istrivetobringtogetherhumanbehaviorandeconomicandphysicalconstraints.Forme,thisiswhatmakestransportationsuchafascinatingfieldofstudy.31

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LivingwithearthquakesMasumiYamadaDisasterPreventionResearchInstituteJapanisoneoftheworld’smostearthquake-pronecountries.Variousmeasureshavebeentakentoreduceearthquakedamage.Iamresearchingearthquakeearlywarningsystemstoapplyseismologicalknowledgeforsocialbenefit.Thesesystemsanalyzereal-timedatafromseismometersnationwide,quicklydetectingearthquakesandnotifyingpeopleviacellphonesandTV.Nowpartoftheinfrastructure,thesewarningsareactuallybecomingmoreaccurateeveryyear.Researchers,includingthoseattheJapanMeteorologicalAgency,aredevelopingnewmethods,installingseafloorseismometers,andimprovingtechniquestoreducefalsealarms,enhancingthesystem’sreliability.Inthefuture,IhopetobringthisJapanese-developedearlywarningsystemoverseas,helpingreduceearthquakedamageindevelopingcountrieswithvulnerablebuildings.32

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columnMitigatingearthquakedamageJapanisfamousforitsearthquakes.About20%oftheworld’searthquakeswithamagnitudeof6orhigheroccurinoraroundJapan.Earthquakesarecomplexdisastersthatcausebuildingstocollapse,landslides,tsunamis,andfires,affectingevacuationandrecoveryevenaftertheshakingstops.KyotoUniversityconductsearthscienceandengineeringstudiesonearthquakemechanismsanddamageprediction,high-precisionsimulationdevelopment,andmultifacetedearthquakedisasterpreventionresearchininformatics,socialpsychology,andeconomics.Knownforitseffortscenteringonobservation,theuniversitycollectsmobileobservationdatadomesticallyandinternationally,includingtemporaryaftershockmonitoringusingitsownseismometers.JointresearchwiththeJapanMeteorologicalAgencyhascontributedtothedevelopmentofearthquakeearlywarningtechnologythatpredictsarrivaltimesandtheintensityofshakingimmediatelyafteranearthquakeoccurs.Currently,researchexploringtherelationshipbetween“slowearthquakes”(weak,gradualslipsatplateboundaries)andmajorearthquakesisdrawingattentionasapotentialnewearthquakepredictionmethod.Afterbeingobservedinthesourceregionofthe2011GreatEastJapanEarthquake,similarphenomenawerereportedbeforemajorearthquakesinMexicoandChile,leadingtointernationalcollaborativeresearch.KyotoUniversitycontinuesitsworktoprotectlivesandlivelihoodsthroughcutting-edgeresearchandthedevelopmentofpracticaldisasterpreventionmeasures.33

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UnveilingmolecularenigmasinchemicalsolutionsStephanThuermerGraduateSchoolofScienceDiscoveringtheforcesandstructureswithinatomsandmoleculesenabledustocreatematerialswithnovelproperties.Yet,weoftenmustrelyonassumptionstodescribemolecularprocessesinliquids,manyofwhichhappeninaqueousenvironments.Understandingthecomplexmolecularinteractionsoccurringwithinliquidscouldenhanceourknowledgeofchemicalandbiologicalprocesses,e.g.,insidethehumanbody,andimproveclimatemodels.Forexample,itisamysterywhybiologicalmoleculesexhibitsingle-handedness(theirmirrorimageisrarelyfoundinnature).Byspectroscopicmeasurementofelectronsemittedfrommoleculesuponlightirradiation,Istudytheelectronicstructureofatomsandmoleculesinsolutionthatgovernchemicalreactivity.Workingmywayfromsimpleionstowardthebuildingblocksofmodernchemistryandbiology,Iaimforafundamentalunderstandingofmolecularprocessesinliquids.34

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Well-designed,beautifulmoleculesTakayukiTanakaGraduateSchoolofEngineeringSincemoleculesaretypicallyonthenanometerscale,makingthemsuitableasfunctionalmaterialsrequireseitherscalingupsinglemoleculesbyafactorofatleast106orassembling106molecules.However,simplygatheringmoleculesoftencompromisestheirfunction,necessitatinginnovationinboththeassemblymethodandthedesignofthemoleculesthemselves.Iaimtocreatemeticulouslydesignedmoleculeswithminimalsubstituentsanddenselyintegratethemtodevelopmaterialsthatsurpassthecapabilitiesofexistingsubstances,contributingtoenergysolutions.Bypursuingoptimalmoleculardesignsthroughfundamentalscience,Ihopetosupplydiverse,beautifulmaterialsthatleadtobreakthroughsinglobalchallenges.35

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Thepowerofmolecules:solvingglobalissuesAikoFukazawaInstituteforIntegratedCell-MaterialSciencesOurlivesrelyonmaterialswithdiverseproperties.Totrulyaddressmanyoftheglobalchallenges,weneedtodevelopnewmaterialswithpropertiesandfunctionsthatgobeyondwhatconventionalsciencehasachieved.Myresearchfocusesspecificallyonpropertiesandfunctionsrelatedtolightandelectrons.Itaketwoapproaches:thefirstisdrivenbycuriosity(“Whatpropertiescouldemergeifwecreateamoleculewithanunusualstructure?”),andthesecondisgoal-oriented(“Howcanweachievespecificfunctionsthatconventionalmaterialscannot?”).Ifwecandesignentirelynewmoleculesthatgiverisetounprecedentedphenomenaandfunctions,wecanunlocknewpossibilitiesforourfuture.36

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©ScienceMangaStudio(2021)MakingacleanworldthroughtinyporesShuheiFurukawaInstituteforIntegratedCell-MaterialSciencesYoumeanttoaddsugartoyourcoffeebutaccidentallyaddedsalt̶there’snowaytoundoit!Whilethismayseemlikeasimplemistake,somethingsimilarishappeningonamuchlargerscaleworldwide.Traceamountsofpollutantsfromwastewateraremixedintoseawater,andhumanactivityisincreasingtheconcentrationofCO₂intheatmosphereyearly.Oncemixed,thismightseemimpossibletoreverse.Thus,wearedevelopingmaterialswithtinyporesthatcancleanupthesemixtures.BycreatingmaterialswithporestailoredtothesizeandshapeofpollutantsorCO₂molecules,wecanselectivelycapturethemfromwaterorair,respectively,restoringcleanwaterandair.Theseporousmaterialsmayhavesmallpores,buttheystorebigdreamsandhopesforthefuture.37

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NowisthetimetorevisittheatomicbombsKoichiTakamiyaInstituteforIntegratedRadiationandNuclearScienceTheHiroshimaandNagasakiatomicbombingsclaimedmanylives.Thesufferingcontinueseventoday.Toensurethatsuchtragediesareneverrepeated,researchersmustconductthoroughinvestigationsandpresenttheirresultswidely.IhavefocusedontracesoftheHiroshimaatomicbomb,namely,microscopicparticlescontainingtheuraniumloadedintothebomb.Asshowninthephotograph,Icollectedsoilsamplesfromadepthof30cminHiroshima,andbyfindingandanalyzingtheseparticles,Iamre-examiningtheeventswithinthemushroomcloudafterdetonationandhowfalloutsuchas“blackrain”occurred.Throughthisresearch,Iaimnotonlytoreconsidertheeffectsoftheatomicbombbutalsotocontributetotherealizationofarationalnucleardisasterpreventionsystem.38

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JustresourcingofourzeroemissionsfutureBenjaminCraigMclellanGraduateSchoolofEnergyScienceToaddressclimatechange,weneedtoreducetheuseofCO₂-emittingfossilfueltechnologiesandtransitiontocleanoptions.Itisequallycrucialtoensurethatpeopleworldwidecanaccessenoughcleanenergytomeettheirneeds.Thiseffortmustbecarriedoutinwaysthatprotecttheenvironmentandhumanhealth,withequitablesharingofburdensandbenefits.Myresearchevaluatesthesocial,economic,andenvironmentalimpactsoftransitioningtolow-carbontechnologieslikerenewableenergyandhydrogenfuelcells.Byconsideringtheentiresupplychain̶fromminingandprocessingnecessarymineralstotheiruse̶Iaimtoclarifyhowthisshiftaffectsnatureandpeople.Furthermore,byexploringwaystodistributeresourcesfairly,Iaimtocontributetosustainabledevelopmentforallcountries.39

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NewglasstechnologyforabetterenvironmentSatoshiHorikeGraduateSchoolofScienceGlassisanindispensablematerialthatsupportsourlives.Usedasfarbackas2000BC,Todayitplaysaroleinbuildingsandinfrastructuresuchasfiberoptics.Whenconsideringthepropertiesofglass,itsbrittlenessmightcometomind.Glassalsohasothercharacteristics,suchasbeingnon-conductive,transparent,dense,andresistanttoweathering.Bydevelopingnewtypesofglass,suchasflexibleorresponsiveglass,wecantransformhowitservesinformationsocietyandlivingenvironments,andevenaddressenergychallenges.Myresearchfocusesoncreatingtheseinnovativeglasstypesbyassemblingchemicalbondsbetweenmetalsandmolecules.Ihopethatinthefuturethisresearchwillcontributetoamaterialtechnologythatsupportssociety.40

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Sustainablyusingtheearth’senergyKazukiSawayamaGraduateSchoolofScienceMyresearchgoalinvolvesrealizingasocietywheregeothermalresources,agiftfromtheEarth,canbesustainablydevelopedwhilereducingtherisksofearthquakesandvolcaniceruptions.Toachievethis,itiscrucialtounderstandhowsubsurfacerocksandtheporewaterexist.Tacklingthisinvisibleproblem,Iamworkingondigitaltwinsoftheporemicrostructuresofrealrockstostudyhowwaterflowsunderground.Iamalsodevelopingphysicalmodelsforestimatingundergroundwaterflowfromsurfaceobservabledata(seismicvelocityandelectricalproperties),throughlaboratoryexperimentsundercrustalstressconditions.Basedonthesefundamentalfindings,Ihopetodeepenourunderstandingoftheplanetweliveon.41

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Changethesystem,notthetechnology!GregoryPatrickTrencherGraduateSchoolofGlobalEnvironmentalStudiesThedemandfordecarbonizationisstrongduetoclimatechange,andpolicymakersprimarilypromotenewtechnologiessuchasrenewableenergyandelectricvehicles.Itisimportanttoseetheproductionanddiffusionofthesetechnologiesasacomplexsocio-technicalsystemcomposedofinterlinkedsocialfactors,includingpolicies,corporatebehavior,infrastructure,lifestyles,andtheeconomy.Whileitisnecessarytodownscaletraditionalcarbon-intensivetechnologiestoacceleratedecarbonization,socio-technicalsystemsareresistanttochangeduetodependenceonexistingstructuresandtheprocessesthroughwhichtheywereestablished.Furthermore,largecorporationsattempttoobstructtransformativepolicydecisions.Iaimtogenerateinterdisciplinaryinsightsbasedonempiricaldataregardingfactorshinderingtransformationandlinkthemtopoliciesthatcanbreakthedeadlock.42

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CreatingnewsolartechnologiesAkiraYamamotoGraduateSchoolofHumanandEnvironmentalStudiesTodealwiththedepletionoffossilresources,peoplearelookingforwaystousethevastsolarenergyreachingEarth’ssurfaceeffectively.However,humanityhasyettoadequatelydoso.Whilesomepracticaltechnologieshavebeencommercializedandknowledgehasaccumulatedoveryearsofresearchanddevelopment,Ibelievethereisstilluntappedpotentialinusinglight.Iamdevelopingnewphotocatalytictechnologiestoproducefuelanddecomposeenvironmentallyharmfulcompoundsusinglightenergy.Ifvarioussolartechnologiesbecomepracticalandarenetworkedinenvironmentallyfriendlyways,weshouldbeabletousesunlightmuchmoreefficientlythannow.Aimingforsuchafuture,Iwanttocreatenewmolecularconversiontechnologiesusingsolarenergy.43

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Preventingclimate-inducedconflictsTakashiSekiyamaGraduateSchoolofAdvancedIntegratedStudiesinHumanSurvivabilityDisastersinducedbyclimatechangeortheimplementationofmitigationandadaptationpolicies,suchascarbonemissionreductionsandgeoengineering,mayprecipitateconfrontationsordisputesamonggroupsornations.Thesemaybedrivenbyconflictsovertheallocationofwater,food,land,andenergyresources,aswellasbycompetinginterests.Climatesecurity,myfieldofresearch,concernsitselfwithdisputesandconflictscausedbyclimatechange.Asclimatechangeprogresses,climatesecurityrisksmayalsoincrease.However,itisnotinevitablethatclimate-inducedconflictswillincrease.Rather,thechallengespresentedbyclimatechangecouldprovideopportunitiesforcooperation.Myobjectiveistocontributetothepreventionofclimate-inducedconflictsbyclarifyingtheextentandmechanismsoftheimpactofclimatechangeontheinternationalpoliticaleconomy.44

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Buildingtheenvironmentally-friendlysocietiesthroughGreenChemistryKeiSaitoGraduateSchoolofAdvancedIntegratedStudiesinHumanSurvivabilityToachievethegoalofzerogreenhousegasemissionsby2050,theestablishmentofacirculareconomythatgeneratesnowasteisconsideredessential.InlinewiththetwelfthSustainableDevelopmentGoal,whichfocusesonsustainableconsumptionandproduction,thereisaneedforcircularproductsthatarenotonlyeasytorecyclebutalsodesignedforrepairandlong-termuse̶ideallyfittingasubscriptionmodelthatminimizeswaste.Withthepowerofgreenchemistry,wearedevelopingmaterialsforsuchproductsforaneco-friendlysociety.Iamalsoconductingresearchfromatrans-disciplinaryviewpointtounderstandwhattrulyconstitutes“environmentallyfriendly”solutions,collaboratingacrossacademia,industry,andgovernment.45

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©RuiOkazakiAcircularsociety:producingmaterialsfromairKeijiNumataGraduateSchoolofEngineeringResourcessuchasfood,energy,andrawmaterialsforchemicalsarelimitedandriskdepletionifnoactionistaken.Additionally,pollutionfromnon-biodegradablematerialslikeplasticsremainsaseriousconcern.Myresearchaimstocreatepolymermaterialsfromabundantsourceslikeairandseawater,developingasystemwherethesematerialscannaturallyreturntotheenvironmentafteruse.Oneapproachinvolvesutilizingmarinepurplephotosyntheticbacteriatofixcarbondioxideandnitrogenfromtheair,creatingproteinmaterialssuchasartificialspidersilk.Byestablishingproductionplatformsformaterialsthatavoidcompetitionwithenergyandfoodresources,decomposenaturally,andcanserveasagriculturalresources,Ihopetocontributetoasustainablesocietythatwecanbeproudtopassontofuturegenerations.46

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TheimpactofmarinegeochemistryonhumansLinjieZhengInstituteforChemicalResearchTheoceanplaysavitalroleinregulatingtheEarth’sclimatebyabsorbingcarbondioxide(CO₂)andheatthatwouldotherwiseexacerbateglobalwarming.Marinegeochemistry,arelativelyyoungdiscipline,iscrucialduetotheroleofbiologicalprocessesincontrollingthecyclesofelements.Intheoceantoday,thedistributionsofbioactivetracemetalsareofgreatimportance,astheycanlimitbiologicalproductionandbecometoxictoorganismsathighconcentrations.Iamstudyingthedistributionsofninebioactivetracemetals(Al,Mn,Fe,Co,Ni,Cu,Zn,Cd,andPb)intheNorthPacificOcean,whichisattheendofthethermohalinecirculation.Reviewingthedistributionsofthesetracemetalsintheoceanwillhelpusenhanceourunderstandingoftheirbiogeochemicalcycles,comprehendtheimpactofanthropogenicandlithogenicsubstancesonmarineplanktonand,consequently,ontheEarth’sclimate.47

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CreatingafuturewhereglobalwarmingissolvedShinichiroFujimoriGraduateSchoolofEngineeringTransformingsocietyintoonewithnocarbonemissionstopreventglobalwarminghasbecomeacrucialglobalchallenge.Addressingitrequiresawiderangeofactionssuchasintroducinginnovativeenergytechnologiesandchangingourlifestyles.Weareconductingresearchusingsimulationmodelstoexplorethedegreetowhichsuchmeasurescanreducegreenhousegasemissions,theirassociatedcosts,andwhetherglobalcooperationcanovercometheNorth-Southdivide.Thisinvolvesprojectingenergy,economic,andagriculturalscenariosworldwideupto2100.Whilethisresearchposesmanychallenges,webelievethatourworkiscriticaltoguidesocietyandpolicytowardasustainablefuture.48

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columnClimatechangeresearchClimatechangeisoneofthegreatestglobalchallengesofourtime.Since2010,Japanhasexperiencedfrequentsevereweatherdisasters,includingheavyrains,flooding,andlandslides.Theeffectsofglobalwarmingarebecomingapparenteverywhere.Climatechangecountermeasurescanbebroadlydividedinto“adaptation”and“mitigation.”Adaptationreferstomeasuresfordealingwithclimatechangeimpacts,whilemitigationinvolveseffortstocurbclimatechangebyreducinggreenhousegasemissions.KyotoUniversityisconductingadvancedresearchinbothapproaches.Attheforefrontofadaptationresearch,developmentsinsimulationmodelshaveenableddetailedpredictionsofweatherdisasters,leadingtorevisionsinfloodcontrolplanning.Collaboratingwithotherinstitutions,KyotoUniversityhascreatednumerousdetailedtemporalandspatialfutureweatherpredictions,includingforecastsforlocalizedheavyrainfall.Basedonthesepredictions̶whichsuggestintensifyingweatherdisasters̶researchersfromvariousfields,includingmeteorology,disasterprevention,engineering,andagriculture,arejointlystudyingcountermeasuresfromurbanplanningperspectives.Inmitigationresearch,theuniversityhaslongshownleadershipinenvironmentaleconomics.Throughworkoncirculareconomiesandbiodiversityconservation,KyotoUaimstoachievebothgreenhousegasreductionandglobalsustainability.Increasingly,researchersfrommoreandmorefields,suchasmedicineandenergy,arejoiningforcestocombatclimatechange.Itishopedthattogethertheywilltranscendtraditionalacademicboundariestofindtrulycomprehensivesolutions.49

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Stimuli-responsivepolymers:solvingtoday’sproblemsKiraBethLandenbergerGraduateSchoolofEngineeringInmylaboratory,Iamworkingtocreateuniquepolymermaterialsusing“livingcationicpolymerization,”achemicalsynthesismethodthatallowspolymerstobeprocessedintodesiredlengthsandpatterns,torealizeasustainablefuture.Amongthese,Iamworkingonthermoresponsivehydrogels,whichchangesizeinresponsetotemperature,withtheaimofapplyingthesetosoftrobots.Thesehydrogelswillreducethenumberofmotor-drivenpartsandenableustocreateenergy-savingrobotsthatoperatenaturallyandcanbeusedinawiderangeofapplications.Anotherresearchprojectinvolvesthecreationofself-healingmaterialsusinghalogenbonding.Thesecanbeusedtoprolongthelifeofvariousdevicesinourdailylives,thusreducingtheenvironmentalcostsofmanufacturingandtheneedtodisposeofvariousproducts.50

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Towardasustainablesociety:theroleofconductiveenzymesKeiseiSowaGraduateSchoolofAgricultureEarth’sfossilenergyreservesmaydepletewithindecades,ultimatelyleavingonlysolarenergy.Howcanhumanitybalanceenergyneedsandliveinharmonywithnature?Iaimtorealizesuchafutureusingenzymes̶efficient,eco-friendlybiocatalysts.Myresearchfocusesonconductiveenzymesthatconvertelectricalandchemicalenergy.IplantoadvancetheirimplementationinsocietythroughapplicationsinbioreactorsthatutilizeatmosphericCO₂,biofuelcellsgeneratingpowerfromallkindsoforganiccompounds,andtailor-madebiosensorsdetectingbiologicalsubstancesinurine.51

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Creatingorganicmoleculeswitheco-friendlytechHirohisaOhmiyaInstituteforChemicalResearchManypharmaceuticalsandfunctionalmaterialsarecomposedoforganicmolecules.Thesevaluableorganicmoleculeshavebeencreatedthroughorganicsynthesis,amolecular-levelmanufacturingprocessthatassemblesmoleculesofvariousshapes,sizes,andproperties̶muchlikebuildingwithLEGO®blocks.However,traditionalorganicsynthesisrequiresvariousreagentsandmultiplestepstograduallychangemolecules’shape,size,andproperties,requiringtremendouscostsandtimeandimposingasignificantburdenontheenvironment.Therefore,Iresearchtocreateatechnologythatcanassemblevaluableorganicmoleculesasdesired,regardlessoftheirshape,size,orproperties,usingenvironmentallyfriendlyreagentsandenergysources.52

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AmobilepowersupplyforsustainabilityAtsushiWakamiyaInstituteforChemicalResearchHumanity,longreliantonfossilfuels,isfacingamajorturningpoint.Ifwecouldfullyharnesssolarenergy,wecouldgenerateinjustonehourtheenergyconsumedyearlybytheentireplanet.Toeffectivelyutilizesolarpowerasrenewableenergy,wearedevelopingperovskitesolarcellsusingorganicsemiconductormaterialdesignandsynthesistechniques.Thesecells,madethroughaprinting-likeprocessatlowtemperatures,arelightweightandflexiblewhenappliedtofilm.Theyefficientlygeneratepowernotonlyinbrightsunlightbutalsoincloudyconditionsandindoorlighting.Basedonourresearch,weestablishedtheKyotoUniversitystartupEneCoatTechnologies,Co.Ltd.Together,weareworkingonourresearchdayinanddayouttospreadperovskitesolarcellsasamobilepowersourceinsociety.53

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SensingyourfeelingsremotelyusingwirelesssignalsTakuyaSakamotoGraduateSchoolofEngineeringPhysicalandmentalstatesaffectphysiologicalsignalssuchasrespirationandheartbeat.Wearabledeviceswithsensorstomonitorthesesignalshavebeenincreasinglypopularforexerciseandhealthmanagement.However,mostexistingsensorsrequireskincontact,causingdiscomfortandinconvenienceforlong-termmonitoring.Ihavebeenworkingonwirelesssensingtechnologytomeasurebodymovement,respiration,andheartbeatusingwirelesssignals.Oncethistechnologybecomeswidespread,people’shealthcanbemonitoredwithoutwearablesensors,allowingnecessarycaretobeprovidedforeverybodyeverywhere.Nomatterhowmuchscienceandtechnologyadvance,wemustrememberthathumansremainmerelyoneoftheanimalspecies.Ibelievethatsensinghumanphysiologicalsignalsiskeytoopenthedoorforthefuture.54

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Learningfromintracellularmetabolism:buildingmolecularcombinationsPengLinInstituteofAdvancedEnergyMetabolons,metabolicenzymecomplexesincells,promoteandregulatemetabolismefficientlybydynamicallyforminganddissociatingenzymecomplexesinvolvedinmetabolicpathways.Sincetheinteractionsofproteinsandenzymesrelatedtometabolismchangeinatemporo-spatialmanner,thespatialorganizationoftheseenzymecomplexesandtheirreactioncharacteristicsremainunclear.Totacklethis,Iamdevelopingmolecularcombinationsinwhichfunctionalmoleculesarepositionedatthesingle-moleculelevelonDNAnanostructures.Byconstructingenzymecomplexeswithspecificspatialarrangementsinvitroandanalyzingmetabolicreactionswhiledynamicallychangingtheconfigurationofthecombinations,Iaimtorevealtherelationshipbetweencomplexformationandreactionefficiency,sheddinglightonthemechanismofintracellularenzymecomplexes’structuresandfunctions.55

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©RuiOkazakiChemistry:redefiningourviewoflifeShimpeiNaniwaGraduateSchoolofEngineeringHumanshaveadvancedsocietybyusingchemicalreactionstoproducevarioususefulsubstances.Atthesametime,chemicalreactionsaredeeplyintertwinedwithnature,andlifeisalsotheresultofchainsofthesereactions.Ifwecouldfreelycontrolandunderstandchemicalreactions,notonlywouldourlivesbeenriched,butwewouldalsobeabletoanswerthefundamentalquestionof“Whatislife?”Iamworkingondevelopingnewchemicalreactionsusingsolidcatalysts,substancesthatpromotethesereactions.Iaimtoestablishmethodstocontrolreactionswithsolidcatalysts,notonlyforindustrialprocesseswheretheyarealreadyusedbutalsoforreactionsrelatedtolivingsystems,thatwerepreviouslythoughttohavelittleconnectiontosolidcatalysts,therebyendowingchemicalreactionswithanewvaluebasedonsolidcatalysis.56

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ContributionKazutoshiMoriDistinguishedProfessorInstituteforAdvancedStudyHavingconductedmolecularbiologyresearchforfortyyears,Ihavewitnessedthedevelopmentoftechnologiesthatwereunimaginableduringmystudentdays.Giventhisreality,itisextremelydifficulttoimaginewhatthefutureholds.So,IwanttowriteabouttwoquestionsIhopewillbeansweredduringmylifetime.“DoeslifeexistbeyondEarth?”WeknowwaterexistsontheMoonandMars.Aretheremicroorganismsthere?Whatgeneticmaterialwouldsuchlifeformsuse?Wouldtheyfollowthecentraldogma̶DNAtoRNAtoprotein̶likelifeonEarth?Wouldtheyusetwentyaminoacids?Ifonlyfifteenaminoacidswereused,twobasescouldcodeforoneaminoacid.Ormighttherebeentirelydifferentcombinations?Secondly,“Howdidcells,thebasicunitsoflife,comeintoexistence?”Theprinciplethatlifecannotarisefromnon-lifebecameestablishedbasedonPasteur’sexperiments,whichadvancedpublichealth.However,onceonEarth,life(cells)didemergefromnon-life.ExperimentshaveproventhatfourtypesofRNAcouldformfromsmallmoleculesonprimitiveEarth.Buthowmanysubstancesmustbeenclosedbyamembranetoinitiatelifeactivitiesandenableself-replicationthroughdivision?ThisisanextremelychallengingquestioninsystemsbiologythatIdonotthinkIcansolve.Thereisnoendtothemysteriesthatpiquethecuriosityofresearchers.57

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CombatingplantdiseaseandclimatechangeAkiraMineGraduateSchoolofAgricultureJustlikehumans,plantsgetsick.Manyplantdiseasesarecausedbyinfectiousmicroorganismssuchasfungi,bacteria,andviruses.Throughouthumanhistory,famineshaverepeatedlyarisenduetoplantdiseases.Eventoday,plantdiseasesposeaseriousthreattofoodsecurity.Ironically,globalclimatechangetriggeredbyhumanactivityispredictedtoincreasetheiroccurrence.Tocombatplantdiseasesinthefaceofglobalclimatechange,myresearchaimstogainadeeperunderstandingofhowtherisingtemperaturesandchangesinprecipitationbroughtaboutbythelatteraffecttheformer’sdevelopment.Ianticipatethatmyresearchwillultimatelyhelpcreateplantsthatareresistanttodiseasesunderclimatechange,contributingtofuturefoodsecurity.58

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EnvisioningdiversityandsustainabilitythroughoneseedKomeiKadowakiTheHakubiCenterforAdvancedResearchMyresearchinterestinlivingthingsstartedearlyandhasledmetostudyhowdifferentplants,animalsandmicroorganismslivetogetherinnaturalforests.Throughinnovativeapproachescombiningmanipulationexperiments(wherehumaninterventionisappliedtostudyspeciesandtheenvironment)andtheoreticalmodels,Ihavebeenclarifyinghowplantsinteractwithsoilmicroorganismsandanimals,andhowtheseinteractionsshapethestabilityandfragilityofnaturalecosystems.Ibelievethatunravelingtheintricatetapestryofnaturalecosystemswillultimatelyrevealhowhumansandnaturecansustainablycoexist,addressingthegreatestchallengefacingEarthandhumansociety.Drawingontheecologicalinsightsgainedfrommyresearch,Ilookforwardtocontributingtobiodiversityconservationandforestrestoration.59

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CreatingnewfruitsenrichingourlivesHisayoYamaneGraduateSchoolofAgricultureFruitsbringrichnesstoourlives.Myresearchinterestsfocusonphysiologicalandgeneticstudiesonfruitandfruittrees.Becausefruittreesareusuallygrowninopenfields,theyaregreatlyaffectedbyambientenvironments.Recently,climatechangehasbeguntoimpactfruitproductioninnotonlyJapanbutalsoworldwide.Globalwarminghasalreadyaffectedtheflowering,fruiting,andripeningoffruittrees.Toenablesustainablefruittreecultivationandfruitproduction,wemustdevelopnewvarietiesthatcanadapttoclimatechangeandcultivationmethodsthatcanmitigatephysiologicaldisorderscausedbyclimatechange.Currentlymyresearchmainlyfocusesonblueberries.UsingNobelPrize-winninggenomeeditingandothertechniques,Iamworkingtocreatenewvarietiesthataretoleranttoabioticstressandproducehigh-qualityfruitwhichappealstocustomers.60

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Towardanature-filledfutureSatsukiTsujiGraduateSchoolofInformaticsOurlivesaresupportedbytherichnaturalenvironmentandourconnectionswithitsmanylivingorganisms.However,intensifiedhumanactivitieshaveledtoseriousglobalclimatechangeandbiodiversityloss.TocoexistwithourimportantneighborsonEarth,itisessentialtounderstandandpreservelocalnatureandspeciesforthefuture.Iamworkingonassessingandconservingaquaticbiodiversityusing“environmentalDNAanalysis,”whichcollectsandanalyzestheDNAorganismsshedintotheenvironmenttodiscernwhatspecieslivethere.Bymakingvisibletherichnessandcurrentstateofnature,Iaimtoraisepublicawarenessandincreasetheeffectivenessofconservationandmanagementmeasurestakenbygovernmentsandcompanies.61

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Understandfungi,understandforestsYorikoSugiyamaFieldScienceEducationandResearchCenterForestsarehometodiverseorganismsthatinfluenceeachotherastheygrow.Understandingthestructureoftheirecosystemsisessentialforproperforestmanagementandconservation.Fungiplayauniqueroleinthis,contributingpositivelyandnegativelytoforestmaintenance.Theycanpromotetreegrowthbydecomposinghard-to-break-downsubstancesorformingsymbioticrelationships,buttheycanalsobringtreestothebrinkofextinction.However,fungi,withtheirthread-likestructuresjustafewmicrometersindiameter,areinvisibletothenakedeye,andmuchabouttheirdiversityandfunctionsremainsunknown.Bysteadilyuncoveringwhatkindoffungiarelocatedwhereandwhatrolestheyplay,Ihopetodeepenourunderstandingofforestsandimprovetheirmanagement.62

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columnDialogueswithsocietySinceitsfounding,KyotoUniversityhasfurthereddialogue-centerededucationalandresearchactivitieswhileconsistentlyengagingwithsocietyatlarge.Startedin2011,“AcademicDay”isanannualeventwhereover100researchersgatherforcasualconversationswithmembersofthepublic.In2023,theeventwasheldoffcampusforthefirsttime,attractingnearly900visitors.Inonepopularpartoftheevent,researchersandvisitorssitontatamimatssurroundinglowchabudaitables,wheretheycandiscussresearchtopicsonafriendlybasis.“KyotoUniversityWeeks”featureopenhousesatnumerousresearchinstitutesandfacilitiesaroundthecountry,fromaforestinHokkaidotoavolcanicobservatoryinKagoshima.Everyyear,visitorscanenjoythelikesofobservatorytoursandnatureobservationworkshopsinresearchforests.Theuniversityalsoconductsdialogue-basedhighschoolcollaborationprograms.Theseinclude“ELCAS,”anexperientialsciencecourseledbyKyotoUresearchers(startedin2008),andthe“LearningCoordinatorProject”(launchedin2013),wheregraduatestudentspresentresearchtohighschoolers.Theuniversityhasalsoworkedtoutilizeitsintellectualresourcesthroughvideo.“KyotoUChannel,”launchedin2023,isawebsitethatallowsuserstocross-searchKyotoUniversity’sarchive.Itfeaturesmorethan4,000,includinglecturerecordingsfromtheuniversity’sOpenCourseWare(OCW)holdings,andcontinuestoaddinteractivecontent.63

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UnderstandingbiodiversityforharmonywithnatureYukakoHattoriGraduateSchoolofBiostudiesOrganismsadapttotheirenvironmentsinvariousways.Forexample,habitats,diets,andsymbioticmicroorganismsdiffersignificantlybetweenspecies.However,traditionallifescienceshavefocusedprimarilyonafewmodelorganisms,suchasthefruitfly,andhavenotpaidenoughattentiontothediversesurvivalstrategiesandinterspeciesrelationshipsinnature.Iamusingmulti-omicstechnology,whichintegratestheanalysisofvariousomicsdatalikegeneexpressionandmetabolites,tostudycloselyrelatedspeciesoffruitfliesandfield-collectedsamples.Throughthis,Iaimtouncoverthemolecularmechanismsbehindanimaladaptationtonutritionalenvironmentsandtheroleofsymbioticmicroorganisms.Byadvancingourunderstanding,conservation,andsustainableuseofbiodiversity,Ihopetocontributetocreatingarich,sustainablesocietywherepeoplecoexistwithnature.64

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UnderstandingevolutionfrombryophytesYukikoYasuiGraduateSchoolofBiostudiesAllextantlifeformsonEarthhaveevolvedfromasinglecommonancestor.Althoughmuchremainsunknownaboutthefundamentalprinciplesofevolution,itisanticipatedthatasourunderstandingdeepens,wewillbebetterequippedtoapplytheseprinciplesfortheconservationofbiologicaldiversityandtheadvancementoffuturesocieties.Tocomprehendevolutionaryprocesses,Iconductcomparativeresearchondioicousandmonoicousbryophytes.Thedioicousbryophytepossessesasexchromosome,whichgeneticallydeterminesitssex,whilethemonoicousbryophytedoesnothaveasexchromosomeandformsmaleandfemalereproductiveorgansonthesameindividualdependingontheseason.Byinvestigatingmolecularmechanisms,fromchromosomalrearrangementtobiologicalphenomenaacquiredinevolution,Iaimtocontributetoamorecomprehensiveunderstandingofthefundamentalprinciplesgoverningevolutionarybiology.65

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LessonsfromdiverseplantsYusukeOnodaGraduateSchoolofAgriculturePlantssupportalllifeonEarth,includinghumans,throughphotosynthesis.Withover350,000plantspecies,theyprovideresourcesforfood,medicine,textiles,furniture,andmore.Howhavetheseplantsevolved,andhowdotheycoexist?Ourresearchspansfromfundamentaltoappliedsciences,exploringplants’diverseforms,environmentalresponses,multifacetedecologicalsignificance,andcontributionstoecosystems.Eventhemostordinaryplantsaroundusholdfascinatingstories,andunravelingthesenaturalwondersisaprivilegeforresearchers.Wealsostudyforeststructuresandfunctionsusingadvancedtechnologies,suchasdronesequippedwithlaserscanners.Thesestudiesaimtodeepenunderstandingofforestdevelopment,enhanceproductivity,andsupportenvironmentalconservation.66

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Foodandnutritionresearch:boostinghumanresilienceIkuoKimuraGraduateSchoolofBiostudiesDietaryhabitsregulatethebody’shomeostasis,anddysfunctionofthisregulatorymechanismcanleadtovariousdiseases.Inrecentyears,therelationshipbetweenfoodandhealthhasbeenprovenatthemolecularlevel,revealingthatdietisthemostcriticalfactorinmaintaininghealthandhomeostasis.Forinstance,notonlydofattyacidscontainedinoilsserveasenergysources,buttheyalsodelivervitalsignalstocells.Weareadvancinglifescienceresearchthatintegratesmedicine,pharmaceuticals,andagriculture,aimingtofullyunderstand“nutritionalsignals”̶thestartingpointofalllifephenomena̶basedonvariouschemicalsproducedwhenmetabolizingfood.Weaimnotjusttocurediseasesbutalsotopreventthem,andthereforewanttolinkthistopreventivemedicine,preemptivemedicine,drugdevelopment,andthecreationoffunctionalfoodingredientsforstrengtheningbodilyhomeostasis.67

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“Shippology”:understandinghowwebecame“humans”SayakaTojimaTheHakubiCenterforAdvancedResearchWeare“humans”̶biologically,wearetaillessHomosapiens,butculturally,wehavecreatedmanykindsofcharacterswithtailsinmythsandfolklore.Myresearchtriestounderstandhowwebecame“humans”bothbiologicallyandculturallybyfocusingontails.Ingeneral,whenweseekknowledge,itisneverenoughtorelyonjustonemethod.Iemphasizetheimportanceofthinkingfromdiverseandopenperspectivesbeyondtraditionaldisciplinesandcallmyapproachtotails“shippology”(fromshippo,meaningtailinJapanese).Iamexploringhowhumanslosttheirtailsthroughanevolutionaryanddevelopmentalbiologicalapproach,whilealsoanalyzinghistoricaldepictionsoftailstotracechangesinhuman-specificcognition.Throughthiswork,Iaimtoprovideacomprehensiveunderstandingofhowwebecame“humans”.68

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ElucidatingtheemergentpropertiesofbiologicalfunctionsTakuyaSatoCenterforEcologicalResearchApproximately40%ofknownspeciesontheearthareparasitic,andallwildanimalsareinfectedbyatleastonespeciesofparasite.Manyoftheseparasiticspecieseffectivelymanipulatetheirhosts’physiologicalstate,morphology,andbehaviorfortheirownbenefit.Suchhostmanipulationbyparasitesnotonlyaffectstheindividuallevelbutalsocreateshigher-levelbiologicalfunctionssuchasenergyflowandmaterialcyclingattheecosystemlevel.Forexample,horsehairwormsparasitizeterrestrialinsects,inducingthemtojumpintorivers,wheretheyareeatenbysalmon,thusdrivingenergyflowbetweenforestandstreamecosystems.Themechanismsbehindsuchhostmanipulationremainamysteryinmostcases.Iaimtounravelsuchmechanismsbehindtheemergenceofdiversebiologicalfunctionsandexplorewaystosustainablyusethemforthebenefitofhumansociety.69

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Underwaterlifethroughsound:towardcoexistenceSatokoSoenKimuraCenterforSoutheastAsianStudies70Varioushumanactivities,suchasshipnavigation,construction,andexploration,areincreasinglyprevalentintheocean.Recentstudieshavedemonstratedthatthesoundsgeneratedbytheseactivitiessignificantlyimpactmarinelife.Dolphinsandporpoises,inparticular,arenotablefortheiracutehearingandrelianceonsoundtocommunicateandrecognizetheirenvironment.Giventheirheavydependenceonsound,therearegrowingconcernsaboutthepotentialeffectsofmarinenoiseontheirwell-being.Primarilyfocusingondolphinsandporpoises,Iinvestigatetoclarifythebehaviorandecologyoflargemarineanimalsandassesstheimpactofnoisepollution.Inthefuture,therewilllikelybeademandforstandardsandguidelinestoregulateunderwaternoise,aswellasthedevelopmentofnoise-silencingtechnologiesbasedontheseguidelines.IbelievethatthefundamentalknowledgeIamcurrentlyworkingonwillbecrucialinaddressingthesechallenges.

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Activematterandmaterialsscience’sfutureAkiraKakugoGraduateSchoolofScienceLivingthingssuchasbirds,fish,ants,andbacteriasometimesformorganized“swarms”thatallowthemtomoveefficiently,carrylargefooditems,andperformfunctionsortasksimpossibleforasingleindividual.Howdotheyformsuchswarms?Andhowdotheirfunctionsandtasksemerge?Weaimtounravelthesequestionsfromaphysicsperspectiveusing“activematter,”whichisacollectionofself-propellingagents.Answeringthemcouldleadtothedevelopmentofmaterialswithpersistentfunctionalitymimickingthatfoundinbiologicalswarmsorthecreationofrobotsthatcanadaptandtransforminresponsetotheirenvironment.Thiswillopennewpossibilitiesinmaterialscience.Additionally,throughthisresearch,wehopetogaininsightintotheoriginsoflife.71

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EquationsofcellmotiondrivefuturemedandnewtechYasuhiroInoueGraduateSchoolofEngineeringCellsshapeourbodiesundertheuniversalphysicallawofforcebalance,followinggeneticinstructions.Tounderstandbiologicalmorphogenesis,Istudytheequationsofcellmotion,whichmathematicallydescribehowcellsmoveandcreatestructures.JustasNewton’sequationsofmotionadvancedourunderstandingofcelestialmechanicsandenabledsatelliteoperations,inthefuture,theequationsofcellmotioncouldhelpusgraspmorphogenesisanddeveloptechnologiestomanipulatecellstoartificiallycreateorgans.Moreover,justasNewton’sequationsarenotlimitedtocelestialbodies,theequationsofcellmotionarenotlimitedtobiologicalsystems.Reproducingtheminartificialmaterialscouldleadtonewengineeringtechnologieswherematerialsautonomouslyformshapes.72

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AnagingsocietyovercomesproteincancersDaichiMorimotoGraduateSchoolofEngineeringThenumberofdementiapatientsisincreasingatarateofoneeverythreesecondsandisprojectedtoexceed130millionby2050.Withouttheimmediatedevelopmentofeffectivepreventivemeasuresandtreatments,thiscouldleadnotonlytothecollapseofthehealthcaresystembutalsoofsocietyasawhole.Neurodegenerativediseasesthatcausedementiaareoftenreferredtoas‘proteincancers’,astheaccumulationofproteinaggregatesinthebrainisamajorcause.Therefore,detailedresearchonproteinaggregationisessentialforunderstandingthesediseasesanddevelopingtreatments.Iaimtocontributetodiseasepreventionbycapturingproteinaggregationasitoccurs,withhighspatiotemporalresolution,focusingparticularlyonthestructuralandstatechangesofproteinsduringtheearlystagesofaggregation.Ihopetohelphumanityovercometheseso-called‘proteincancers’throughmyresearch.73

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Understandinglife:proteindynamicsMioIwasakiCenterforiPSCellResearchandApplicationOurbodiesarecomposedoftensoftrillionsofcells,whichworktogethertocarryoutorganfunctionsandrespondtoexternalsignals.Cellularactivitiesareregulatedbyvariousmoleculeswithinandaroundthecells,andwhenthisregulationfails,itcanleadtocellularaging,death,anddisease.Amongthekeymoleculesincells̶DNA,RNA,metabolites,andproteins̶proteinsprimarilygoverncellularfunctions.Bystudyingthedynamicsoftensofthousandsofproteinsandenhancingtheprecisionofproteomics,atechniqueforanalyzingproteinswithincells,Iaimtouncoverthemysteriesbehinddiseasedevelopment.74

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TheshapeofgenomicDNA:illuminatingthefutureTomokoNishiyamaGraduateSchoolofScienceOurbodiespossessuniquegeneticinformation,orgenomicDNA.PersonalizedmedicinetailoredtoindividualDNAcouldenablemoreprecise,efficienttreatments.Humangenomesequencinghasgreatlyadvancedpersonalizedmedicinebyrevealingourgeneticmakeup.IaimtouncoverhowgenomicDNA’sindividualityformsbystudyingitsshapeandbehavior.TheshapeofgenomicDNAmirrorstheevolutionoflifeonEarth.Bydecodingitsshape,Ihopetodevelopnewpredictivemethodsandtreatmentsforvarioushumandiseases.75

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TowardcuringintractablediseaseswithgeneticmutationsAkitsuHottaCenterforiPSCellResearchandApplicationManyofthediseasesthatcannotbecuredevenwithmodernmedicinearecausedbygeneticmutations.Onemaythinkthatgeneticmutationsaresomebodyelse’sproblems,buteveryone,includinghealthyindividuals,hasanaverageof17to20disease-relatedones.Genesarecarefullystoredinthenucleusofcells,soithasnotbeeneasytofindandrepaironlythemutatedparts.However,thishasbecomepossiblewiththeadventofCRISPRgenomeeditingtechnology,whichcanaltertheDNAsequenceoftargetedgenes.Inmylaboratory,weareworkingondevelopingtreatmentsformusculardystrophyandotherintractablediseasesbyfullyutilizingthegenomeeditingsystemsofbacteria,thegenedeliverymechanismsofviruses,andiPScelltechnology.76

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UnlockingthemysteriesofthehumangenomeShrutiBhagatInstitutefortheAdvancedStudyofHumanBiologyThehumangenomeisasetofDNAinstructionsnecessaryforhumanbeingstofunction.Ourgenomecontains3.2billionnucleotides(A,T,C,andG),butonly1%accountsforcodinggenesthataretranslatedintoproteins,whiletheremaining99%ofthenon-codinggenomeremainsamystery.Myresearchelucidatesthefunctionofthenon-codinggenome,previouslyconsidered“junkDNA.”Recentdiscoverieshaveshownthatnon-codingregionsplayaroleinregulatinggenefunctionandthatmutationsintheseregionsmaycausehumandiseases.Wedevelopcutting-edgetechnologiescombinedwithadvancedcomputationaltoolstodiscovernon-codingregions’functionandimpactonhumandiseases.Theultimategoalistounderstandtheoperatingprinciplesofthehumangenomethatmakeushuman.77

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columnTwohubs:breakingnewground“Whatislife?”“Whatdoesitmeantobehuman?”Twointernationalresearchcentersaretacklingthesefundamentalquestionsbycreatingnewacademicfields:iCeMS(theInstituteforIntegratedCell-MaterialSciences)andASHBi(theInstitutefortheAdvancedStudyofHumanBiology).Establishedin2007,iCeMSadvancescellbiology-chemistryfusionresearchcenteredon“self-assembly,”exploringtheboundariesbetweenlifeandmatter.Whilebiologistsadvancetheirunderstandingoflivingorganisms,chemistsdevelopmaterialswithfunctionssimilartobiologicalsystems.Activelyseekingtoreturnresearchbenefitstosociety,thescientistshavelaunchedfivestartupcompaniesrelatedtopharmaceuticals,theenvironment,andmaterialschemistry.ASHBi,foundedin2018,aimstoestablishthenewfieldofhumanbiologyandadvance21st-centurylifesciencetounderstandhumans.WiththeadventofiPScellsandimprovedgeneticanalysistechnologies,researchusinghumancellsratherthananimalslikemicehasbecomepossible.Theresearchersstudyhumanbirth,development,andlifetimechangeswhilealsoconsideringpotentialethicalchallenges.BothcentersattractresearchersfromacrosstheglobewiththeirinnovativeconceptsfornewfieldsandEnglishworkenvironments.Integratingideasacrossrace,gender,andpositionwhilecontinuouslyproducinggroundbreakingresultsisconsideredamodelforcutting-edgeresearchuniversities.ForKyotoU,whichhaslongembracedcross-disciplinaryendeavors(suchasbetweenphysicsandphilosophy),thesecentersrepresentnewfusionhubswiththeentireworldintheirfocus.78

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Science’swisdomandhumanity’svirtuesMitinoriSaitouInstitutefortheAdvancedStudyofHumanBiologyWhyishumanlifenoteternal?ThiswasaquestionIhadasachild.Whileindividuallivesareshort,theexistenceofhumanityhascontinuedforanincrediblylongtime.Supportingthiscontinuityaresperm,eggs,andthegermcellsfromwhichtheyoriginate.Touncoverthemechanismsthatsustaintheperpetuationoflife,IhavebeenstudyinggermcellsandsuccessfullyproducedhumangermcellsfromhumaniPScellsinvitro.Currently,thedevelopmentofthistechnology,itsapplicationtothestudyofvariousdiseasessuchasgeneticdisorders,andethicalissuesarebeingdiscussed.Humanityhasalwayssoughttolivewithvirtueasaguidingprinciple.Assciencecontinuestorevealthelawsofnature,anewphilosophyoflifeisneededtoconnectthesediscoveriestocreatingarichersociety.Ihopetocontributetoaworldwherescientificwisdomandhumanvirtueareharmoniouslyintegrated.79

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TowardreconstitutinghumandevelopmentinadishCantasAlevInstitutefortheAdvancedStudyofHumanBiology“Whatmakesushuman?”and“Howarehumansmade?”arefundamentalquestionsthatlieattheheartofmyresearch.Decadesofstudiesusingmodelorganismssuchasmiceandchickenshaveshedlightonthecellularandmolecularmechanismsthatguidecomplexlife.Yet,ourunderstandingofhumanbiologyremainslimited,particularlytheprocessofhumanembryoformationanddevelopmentfromafertilizedegg.Toaddressthis,ourresearchteamhasestablishedanethicallynon-controversialmodelusinghumaniPScells,allowingustoreconstitutekeyaspectsofhumandevelopmentandorganformationinvitro.Ibelievethismarksthebeginningofanewareainhumanbiologyresearch,offeringfreshinsightsintoourdevelopment,diseases,andevolution.80

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Syntheticlifesystems:foraprosperousfutureHirohideSaitoCenterforiPSCellResearchandApplicationIaimtocontributetofuturemedicineandsocietybycreatingsyntheticlifesystemsbasedonRNA,anessentialmoleculeforlife.Bycombiningknowledgeandtechniquesfromdiversefieldstodevelopuniquetechnologies,IseektodeepenourunderstandingoftheinteractionsbetweenRNAandRNA-bindingproteins,whichplaycriticalrolesincellularfunctions,aimingtocreateartificialcellsandelucidatethedesignprinciplesoflife.Iamalsoworkingoncontrollingphaseseparation(theprocesswherecomponentsseparateintolayers,likeoilandwater)basedonRNAstructure,aswellascontrollingcellandorganismfate,suchasgrowthanddifferentiation,throughartificialgenecircuitsandstructures.Istrivetobringinnovationtolifesciencesandmedicine,contributetoahealthysociety,andpavethewayforthenextgenerationofbasicandappliedresearch.81

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©RuiOkazakiThemysteriesoforgangrowthMasafumiInabaGraduateSchoolofScienceRegenerativemedicinehasmaderemarkableprogress,andinthefuture,itwillprobablybepossibletocultureanentireorganandtransplantitintoapatient.However,basicresearchisnecessarytogetthere.Evenwithcurrenttechnology,itispossibletocreatesmallorgans(organoids)fromstemcells,buttheyarefarfromthesizeandfunctionofrealorgans.Tomakeorganoidsclosertorealorgans,Iwanttoelucidatehoworgansachievetheiractualsizeandshapeduringdevelopment.Asakeytosolvingthismystery,Ifocusonintestinalperistalsis.Peristalsisiscloselyrelatedtointestinalelongation.Iwanttoelucidatehowperistalsispromotesintestinalelongationandusemyfindingstoadvanceorganoidresearch.82

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ElucidatingontogenytocreateorgansMototsuguEirakuInstituteforLifeandMedicalSciencesTheprocessofontogeny,whereahumanbodycomposedoftensoftrillionsofcellsiscreatedfromasinglefertilizedegg,isextremelycomplex,andmanymysteriesremainunsolved.Whyisitsoreproducibledespiteitscomplexity?Howisgeneticinformationreadtoformintricatestructureslikehandsandfaces?Furthermore,ontogenyiscloselyrelatedtocongenitaldiseases,makingunravelingthesemysteriescrucialforhumanhealth.Iresearchtechniquestoinduceorgan-liketissuesfromstemcells,whichcanbecomevariousbodyparts,bypartiallyrecreatingthebody’sdevelopmentalprocessinvitro.Currently,onlyportionsoforganscanberecreated,butbyadvancingourunderstandingofthedevelopmentalprocess,Ihopetodeveloptechniquestofreelycreatefullyfunctionalones.83

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Understandingimmunity’spower:creatingahealthyfutureforallYokoHamazakiCenterforiPSCellResearchandApplicationTheimmunesystemisessentialforprotectingourbodiesfrompathogenslikevirusesandcancer.Whenitsfunctionsdecline,infectionscanbecomemoresevere.Incontrast,excessiveimmunereactionsorregulatoryissuescanleadtoautoimmunedisorders,allergies,andmetabolicdiseases.Thethymus,anorganlocatedabovetheheart,producesTcells,theimmunesystem’skeyplayers,butitsfunctionsdiminishstartingearlyinlife.MygoalistodeeplyunderstandthedevelopmentandagingofTcellsandthethymustohelppreventandtreathumandiseases.UsingiPScells,Iamalsoworkingondevelopingtechnologiestoregeneratethymicfunctions.Byenablingflexiblecontrolorregenerationoftheimmunesystemondemand,Ihopetocontributetoafuturesocietywherepeopleofallgenerationscanlivehealthylives.84

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Themind’sneuralmechanismsMasayukiMatsumotoCenterfortheEvolutionaryOriginsofHumanBehaviorInthehumanbrain,tensofbillionsofneuronsareconnectedbysynapses,formingacomplexnetworkofneuralcircuits.Itisbelievedthatour“minds”arecreatedbythefunctionsofthesecircuits,butthemechanismsremainlargelyunknown.Iaimtouncoverhowthemindisgeneratedbyrevealingtheneuralcircuitsandprinciplesbehindpsychologicalphenomenasuchasprediction,attention,decision-making,motivation,andemotion.Toachievethis,Iamresearchingmonkeys,whichhavebrainssimilarinstructuretohumans,usingacombinationofneurophysiological,neuropharmacological,andgeneticmethods.Thefindingsfromthisresearchwillleadtothedevelopmentofnewdiagnosticandtreatmentmethodsformentalandneurologicaldisorders.85

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ThinkingoutsidetheneuronMisaArizonoTheHakubiCenterforAdvancedResearchRatherthanneurons,theclassicfocusofneuroscience,Istudyastrocytes,whicharebraincellsweknowmuchlessabout.Recentresearchshowsthatastrocyteactivityiscrucialforbrainfunctionsincludinglearningandmemory,andthatastrocyteabnormalitiesaredeeplyinvolvedinbraindiseasessuchasAlzheimer’sdiseaseandschizophrenia.Byapplyingcutting-edgetechniquessuchassuper-resolutionandultra-high-speedimaging,optogenetics,andcomputersimulationstoastrocytes,Iaimtounveilnewbrainmechanismsanddevelopinnovativetreatmentsforbraindiseases.Ibelievethisapproachultimatelycontributestorealizingmyidealsocietywherediverseindividualsliveuptotheirfullpotential.86

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columnGenerousresearchsupport“Aresearcher’sparadise”̶thatishowalumnidescribeKyotoUniversity’suniqueprogramknownastheHakubiCenter.Thewordhakubi,or“whiteeyebrows,”derivedfromaChineselegendintheRomanceoftheThreeKingdoms,referstosomeoneorsomethingthatstandsoutasexceptionalevenamonganalreadydistinguishedgroup.HencetheHakubiCenterprovidescomprehensivesupporttoaparticularlyexceptionalgroupofnext-generationresearchers.Launchedin2009,theprojectattractsyoungresearchersfromaroundtheworldpursuinginnovativeresearch.Withanacceptancerateofonlyabout3%,distinguishedscholarsfromwithinandoutsidetheuniversityevaluatecandidatesbasedonboththeirachievementsandfuturepotential.Successfulapplicantsreceiveuptofiveyearsoffundingwithanannualgrantofupto4millionyen.Theyaregenerallyexemptfromteachingdutiesandadministrativeresponsibilities,allowingthemtofocusentirelyontheirresearch.Overthepastfifteenyears,237researchershavebeenpartofthecenter,conductinggroundbreakingresearchacrossdiversefields̶fromstudyingsocialintelligenceinfishtoinvestigatingtheoriginsofPureLandBuddhistart.Regularinterdisciplinarydiscussionsamongfellowshaveledtoinnovativecollaborations,suchasprojectscombiningastronomyandhistoricalstudies.BeyondHakubi,KyotoUoffersmanyinternalfundingprogramstosupportresearchuniversity-wide.Theseprogramsassistresearcherspursuingoriginalworkbasedonlong-termvisionsandthoseventuringintopioneeringfieldswithpotentialforbreakthroughdiscoveries.87

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Brainresearch:addressingasuper-agedsocietyTakashiTsukiuraGraduateSchoolofHumanandEnvironmentalStudiesAddressingage-relateddeclineofcognitivefunctionsiscrucialinasuper-agedsociety.Althoughpreviousresearchhasmainlyfocusedonage-relatedchangesofbiologicalbrainmechanisms,forhumanbeings̶socialanimals̶itisalsoimportanttoconsidercognitivefunctionsinsocialcontexts.Ourresearchhasinvestigatedhowhumanmemoryfunctionsaremodulatedbyinteractionbetweenbiologicalbrainchanges(e.g.,aging,braindamage,neurodegeneration)andpsychologicalprocesses(e.g.,emotion,reward)insocialcontexts.Toelucidateourresearchquestions,weareusingfunctionalmagneticresonanceimaging(fMRI)andneuropsychologicalapproaches.Basedonscientificevidence,wewouldliketodemonstratethatcognitivefunctionsintheelderlycanchangepositivelyinsocialcontexts,andtoproposeanewlife-courseperspectivethatgoesbeyondthe“agingequalsdecline”framework.88

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©RuiOkazakiPreference:neuralandpsychologicalmechanismsRyuheiUedaKyotoUniversityInstitutefortheFutureofHumanSocietyMyresearchisonthecognitiveneuroscienceofromanticrelationshipsandaestheticexperiences.Atfirstglance,thetwomayseemunrelated,buttheysharethecommonalityofbeingaccompaniedbythesubjectiveexperienceof“liking.”Aimingtounravelthemechanismsofthebrain,mind,andheartbehindtheseexperiences,Iconductresearchthatcombinespsychologicalexperimentswithfunctionalbrainimaginganalysis.Sometimes,Icollaborateonproblemswithresearchersfromdifferentfields,suchasarthistory,aesthetics,andliterature.Ibelievethatsuchinterdisciplinaryeffortsaremeaningfulnotonlyinthattheyprovideacademicknowledge,butalsointhattheycanoffernewperspectivesonuniversalthingssuchasloveandbeauty.89

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SupportingthebraindevelopmentofthenextgenerationMasakoMyowaGraduateSchoolofEducationTherapidadvancementoftechnologyhasledhumanitytoliveinanenvironmentwhererealandvirtualspacesmerge.However,howthisdrasticenvironmentalchangeaffectshumanbeings,especiallyduringthesensitivedevelopmentalperiodofchildhood,hasnotbeenthoroughlystudied.Inthefuture,childcareandeducationwillfacethecriticaltaskofnurturingnotonlyintelligence,butalsointellect,whichincludescuriosity,inquisitiveness,motivation,emotion,andjoy̶thecoreaspectsofhumanity.Thefoundationforlifelongphysicalandmentalhealthisformedduringchildhood.Advancinghumansciences,ourgoalistopromoteinnovationsthatsupportthephysical,mental,andemotionalwell-beingofthenextgeneration.90

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Museumdesign:foracuriosity-drivensocietyTakayukiShioseTheKyotoUniversityMuseumUsefulscienceforsocietyandpracticalresearchforinnovationareessentialforeffectivelyusinglimitedsocialresources.However,researchthatisdrivenpurelybycuriosity̶simplywantingtouncoversomething̶isequallyimportant.Ratherthanasocietywhereeverything,eveninelementaryandsecondaryeducation,isjudgedbyitsusefulnesstothecommunityorregion,Iwanttoexploreamodelwherecuriositytakescenterstage.Iamfocusedonhowwecanbetterengagewithchildren’scuriosityandcreateasocietywheretheycanactfreelyfromthatcuriosity.Iseemuseumsasplaceswherechildrencanexpresstheirstrangefeelingsorawarenessasquestionsandcontinueexploringthem.Myresearchaimstomaximizethispotentialofmuseumsbydevelopingnewexhibitionmethodsandcommunicationdesigns.91©JanBuusforForbesJAPAN

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Creatingintelligence,understandingourselvesTadahiroTaniguchiGraduateSchoolofInformaticsHumancognitionandintelligencearephenomenathatemergeinourworld.Theirdynamicsoperateacrossacontinuumfromphysicaltoconsciousexperiences,governedbybothphysicalandemergentlawsorganizedhierarchically.Humanperceptionandcommunicativebehaviorsareshapednotonlybyindividualsensorimotorinformationprocessing,butalsobycognition,socialculture,language,andsocialnorms.Theessenceofhumanintelligenceliesincreatingthesesymbolsystemsthroughbothbottom-upandtop-downprocesses.Tounderstandhowhumansconstructinternalrepresentationsfromexperiencesandorganizesymbolsystems,includinglanguage,withinsociety,IproposedthesymbolemergencesystemstheoryandconductedconstructiveresearchusingAIandrobots.Furthermore,Iaimtoestablishaninterdisciplinaryfieldthatexaminesthenatureofhumanexistencebyintegratingvariousscientificdisciplines.92

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ReproducinghumanvisualattentioninrobotsRichardVealeGraduateSchoolofMedicineInourdailylives,weconstantlyshiftourattentiontoimportantpartsofthevisualworldaroundus.Ourbrainsaccomplishthisunconsciouslyandonamoment-to-momentbasis.Althoughsuch“attention”isofkeyimportancetooursurvivalandintelligence,itsmechanismisnotwellunderstood.Ianalyzeactivityinthebrainrelatedtoattentionandlearningandrecreateitinsimulatedbrainsinrobots.Thisallowsustounderstandtheprinciplesofthebrainandhowtheyinteractwiththebodyandexternalworld.Todothis,wemusttakeintoaccounttheresultsofnotonlylaboratoryexperimentswithmanycontrolswhichproduceunnaturalbehavior,butalsoexperimentsintherealworldundernaturalconditions.Myeventualgoalistoenablebettercommunicationbetweenhumansandmachinesbyclosingthegapbetweenthehumanbrainandartificialintelligence.93

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Braindecoding:liberatingthemindfromthebodyYukiyasuKamitaniGraduateSchoolofInformaticsBrainsignalsarelikeencryptedcodesofourmentalstates.Mygrouphasbeenresearchingmethodsfordecodingthesesignalsandrecreatingthecontentsofimageries,dreams,andillusionsviaAI.Asthisbraindecodingadvances,humansmaygainnewpossibilitiesbeyondphysicallimits.Directconnectionsbetweenthebrainandtheenvironment,andbetweenbrains,couldenablecommunicationbeyondwords,whilebrain‒AIfusionmightgiverisetonewformsofintelligence.Thisrequiresadeepunderstandingoftherelationshipbetweenthebrainandthemind,reliablefindings,andaddressingsocialandethicalconcerns.Mygroupiscommittedtopursuingthischallengeresponsiblywhileconsideringhumanity’sfuture.94

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Promotingwell-beingthroughsleepresearchEmiHasegawaGraduateSchoolofPharmaceuticalSciencesWeallknowtheimpactofsleepdeprivation:disruptionsineverydaylifeandworsephysicalandmentalhealth.Chronicsleepdeprivationorirregularsleeppatternscanleadtotheonsetandworseningofvariouslifestylediseases,cardiovasculardisorders,mentalillnesses,anddementia,andcanalsoleadtoeconomiclosses.Althoughsleepiscrucialforsustaininglife,manyaspectsofitsfunctionsandthemechanismsregulatingitremainunknown.Ifocusonneurotransmitterssuchasdopamineandorexinusingadvancedneurosciencetoolstoinvestigatethephysiologicalrolesofsleep.Bydeepeningourunderstandingofsleep,aphenomenonthatisbothfamiliarandmysterious,Iaimtocontributetonewtreatmentsandinnovativemedicationsforrelateddisorders.Ibelievethesestudieswillpavethewayforhealthierandhappiercommunities.95

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columnReturningknowledgetosocietyKyotoU’sstartupcompaniesareoftencharacterizedbytheircutting-edgedeeptechinnovations.Buildingonastrongfoundationofbasicresearch,thesecompaniesareshapingtheworldoftomorrow,withpotentialimpactsthatcouldextenddecadesintothefuture.Asoffiscal2023,therewere273suchstartups.Manyoftheseareadvancedtechnologycompaniesrootedinbiotechnology,pharmaceuticals,engineering,andchemicalresearch.Severalstartupsaredrawingparticularattention:acompanydesigningandmanufacturingfusionpowerreactorsasapromisingnext-generationenergysource;anotherdevelopingthin,lightweightsolarcellsthatcangeneratepoweralmostanywhere;andanotherworkingtoachievetruewirelesspowertransmission.InthefieldofiPScell-baseddrugdiscovery,whichusesinducedpluripotentstemcelltechnologydevelopedatKyotoU,onecompanyhasalreadybegunclinicaltrialsaimedathumanapplications.Whatenablesthesecompaniestocreatesomethingunprecedentedistheuniversity’sresearchculture,whichhasalwaysprioritizedthepursuitoftruthdrivenbyresearchers’interestsandcuriosity.KyotoUniversitystartupshavethepotentialtobringaboutdisruptiveinnovationsthatcouldfundamentallytransformexistingmarketsandindustrynorms.Manysuchtechnologiesarealreadybeingutilizedinsociety.Infiscal2023,intellectualpropertyincomecamefrom263technologies,totalingapproximately1.8billionyen.TheIPportfolioisdiverse,spanningthelifesciencesandengineering,toiPScelltechnologies,semiconductormanufacturingequipmentdevelopedthroughindustrycollaboration,andevennewfruitvarieties.96

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TowardprecisionmedicineforhealthyagingGaneshPandianNamasivayamInstituteforIntegratedCell-MaterialSciencesMyvisionforthefutureisonewherescientificadvancementsingenomicsfosterhealthyaging,addressraregeneticdisorders,andcombatmitochondrialdiseases.Myresearchfocusesondecodingandrecodingsmartgeneticswitchesthatregulategeneexpression.Byunderstandinghowgenesareturnedonandoffthroughanapproachthatanalyzesgenes,RNA,andproteinssimultaneously,weaimtodelayage-relateddiseases,treatgeneticdisorders,andenhancemitochondrialfunction.Iamcommittedtodemocratizinghealthcareandensuringourinnovativetranscriptiontherapeuticsanddiagnosticsareaccessibletoall.Bymergingscientificrigorwithdedicationtosocialjustice,Ibelievewecancreateafuturewhereallindividualsbenefitfromlonger,healthierlives,freefromtheconstraintsofgeneticdisordersandmitochondrialdiseases.97

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LongevityandaminoacidresiduesTakumiTakataInstituteforIntegratedRadiationandNuclearScienceTheproteinsinourbodiesareprimarilymadeupofL-typeaminoacidresidues.Recently,D-typeaminoacidresidues,mirrorimagesoftheusualL-typeaminoacidresidues,havebeenfoundinproteinsassociatedwithage-relateddiseaseslikecataractsandAlzheimer’s.However,theirsignificanceisunclear.UncoveringthemeaningofD-typeaminoacidresiduesinproteinsismylife’swork.Thisresearchholdsgreatsocialsignificanceaswefaceanagingpopulationandcouldhelpsolvemanymysteriesoflife,suchaswhylifechoseL-typeaminoacidresiduesforproteinsatthe“originofspecies.”IaimtoextendthehumanhealthspanandshedlightonthemysteriesoflifephenomenabystudyingD-typeaminoacidresidues.98

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Computerdrugdevelopment:fast,cheap,andpreciseYasushiOkunoGraduateSchoolofMedicineDrugdevelopmentrequiresalargeamountofmoney,morethan100billionyen,andalongperiodoftime̶easilymorethan10years.Myaimistodevelopdrugsthatarefaster,cheaper,andmoreeffectivebyusingcomputertechnologiessuchasAIandsimulation.Specifically,IamworkingondevelopingAIthatcanidentifydisease-causingmoleculesfromapatient’sgeneticdataandautomaticallydesigndrugchemicalstructurestargetingthesemolecules.Iamalsodevelopingsimulationtechnologythatpredictsdrugefficacyandsideeffectsusingworld-classsupercomputerssuchas“Fugaku.”Mydreamisthatinthefuture,drugscreatedthroughthecomputertechnologiesIdevelopwillhelpsavemanypatientssufferingfromuntreatablediseases.99

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Cytotherapy:newdevelopmentandbestmanagementYasuyukiAraiKyotoUniversityHospital“Cytotherapy”referstotreatmentsaimedatcuringdiseasesusingone’sownordonorcells.Iaminvolvedinthefieldofcytotherapydevelopmentscience,whichinvolvesselectingpromising“seeds”frombasicresearchfieldsandsupportingtheirdevelopmentintoestablishedtherapies.Ontheotherhand,incytotherapiesalreadyappliedinclinicalpractice,unmetneedsremain,suchasmaximizingtherapeuticeffectsandpredictingcomplications.Toprovidebettercytotherapiestomorepatients,Iestablishedcytotherapyoperationsscience,anewfieldthatoptimizestherapybypredictingandcontrollingcellbehavior.Ialsoshareinformationinternationallytopromotefurtheradvancementsinthisnewtherapeuticapproach.100

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InvestigatingsomaticcellevolutionandovercomingdiseaseNobuyukiKakiuchiTheHakubiCenterforAdvancedResearchHumanityhasovercomemanydiseases,yetmanylivesarestilllostbecausewelackanunderstandingoftheircausesandeffectivetreatments.Recentscientificandtechnologicaladvancesallowustoextractmorepatientinformation,complementingcellandanimalexperiments.Basedontheprincipleofevolutioninorganismalgenetics,westudytheevolutionoftensoftrillionsofcellswithinasinglehumanbody.Whileevolutiongenerallyoccursthroughdiversitycreationandenvironmentalselection,ithasbeenfoundthatforindividualcells,physiologicalphenomena,lifestylehabits,anddiseasesactasenvironmentalfactors,drivinguniqueevolutionaryprocesses.Byinvestigatingthesecellularevolutions,weaimtounraveldiseasemechanismsandcontributetodevelopingnewtreatments,ultimatelycreatingasocietywherepeoplecanlivehealthierlives.101

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Visuallydecodingviruses:guardingtheworldfrominfectionsTakeshiNodaInstituteforLifeandMedicalSciencesInrecentyears,emergingzoonoticvirusessuchasEbolavirusandhighlypathogenicavianinfluenzavirushaveposedseriousthreatstopublichealth.However,effectivecountermeasuresagainsttheselethalpathogensremainlimited.Toaddressthischallenge,adetailedunderstandingofthemolecularmechanismsunderlyingvirusreplicationisessential.Inmyresearch,Iemployvariouselectronmicroscopytechniquestoanalyzetheultrastructureofvirus-infectedcellsandthestructureofviruscomponentsatnano-andangstrom-levelresolutions.Byvisuallyelucidatingindetailhowdistinctviralproteinscooperativelyfunctionwithininfectedcellstoformprogenyvirusparticles,Iaimtodeepenourunderstandingofthecomplexprocessesgoverningvirusreplicationandmoveonestepclosertodevelopingeffectivesolutions.102

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RegulatingimmunityviaRNAandtreatingdiseasesOsamuTakeuchiGraduateSchoolofMedicineWhileimmunesystemactivationiscrucialfordefendingagainstpathogens,excessiveactivationcancausevariousdiseases,includingautoimmunedisorderslikerheumatoidarthritis.ImmunecellactivationiscontrolledbymessengerRNAs(mRNAs).AlthoughmRNAvaccineshaveincreasedawarenessofRNA,muchremainsunknownaboutitsregulationinthebodyandfateafteradministration.MyresearchinvestigatestheregulatorymechanismoftheimmunesystemthroughthedegradationofmRNAs,aimingtouncoverthefullscopeofRNA-mediatedimmuneregulation.Bymanipulatingthisregulatory“brake”usingcutting-edgenucleicacidtherapeutics,wecouldpotentiallydevelopnewtreatmentsforimmune-relateddiseases.103

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DecipheringRNAmetabolismfornewdiseasetreatmentsMasanoriYoshinagaGraduateSchoolofMedicineLifeismadeupofcountlesscells.RNA,universallypresentinthem,playsanessentialroleingeneexpression̶readingandexecutingDNA’sgeneticinformation.However,whencellularRNAisnotproperlychemicallymodifiedordegraded,itcancausecellulardysfunctionandimmunesystemabnormalities.Recently,RNAabnormalitieshavebeenlinkedtovariousdiseases,includingautoimmunedisorders.Usingcutting-edgetools,IaimtocomprehensivelyexplorethemolecularmechanismsregulatingRNAquantityandquality,andclarifytheirrolesinourbodies.Furthermore,IhopemyresearchwillhelpdevelopnewtreatmentsbyuncoveringthelinkbetweenRNA-relatedmolecularmechanismsanddiseases.104

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BuildingafutureresilienttoinfectiousthreatsMikiNagaoGraduateSchoolofMedicineInfectiousdiseasesarecausedbyexternalorganisms(pathogens)thatinvadethehumanbody.Theycanoccurregardlessoflivingenvironment,pre-existingconditions,age,orrace,andaslongashumanscoexistwithmicroorganisms,completeeradicationisdifficult.TheCOVID-19pandemichasshownusthatinfectiousdiseasesimpactnotonlyhealthcare,suchastestingandtreatment,butalsooursociallives.Ourlabstudiespathogensthatanyonecanbeinfectedby̶suchasdrug-resistantbacteria,influenza,andCOVID-19̶andthosethatmainlyaffectindividualswithweakenedimmunesystems.Weapproachthisresearchfromamicrobiologicalperspective,whilealsoconsideringthebroadersocialaspectsofinfectiousdiseases.Throughcollaborationacrossdiversefields,weexploreclinicalstrategiestopreventthelossoflovedonesfromtheseinfections.105

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©RuiOkazakiAsocietywherepeoplelivewithcancer,notdiefromitManaTakiKyotoUniversityHospitalInJapan,nearlyhalfofthepopulationwillhavecancer,whichaccountsforaboutone-thirdofalldeaths.Manycancerpatientsendurepainfultreatmentsandexperiencearegrettablefinalstageoftheirlives.However,althoughitiscommonforsmallcancerstodevelopwithage,theydonotsignificantlyimpactdailylifeiftheirprogressioncanbecontrolled.Iamfocusingontheepithelial-mesenchymaltransition,whichcontributestocancercellinvasionandmetastasis,andamconductingimmunotherapyresearchtopreventcancermalignancy.Whiletherapiesaimingforcompleteeradicationofcancercanplaceaheavyburdenonpatients,ifimmunotherapycancontrolcancerprogression,wemaynotneedtoeradicateitcompletelybutrathermanageitasalessseverecondition.Ihopetocreateafuturewherepeoplecanlivefullerlivesdespitehavingcancer.106

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Thepharmaceuticalsciences:towardhealthylongevityMasahiroOnoGraduateSchoolofPharmaceuticalSciencesIresearchanddevelopdrugsthatareusefulfordiagnosingandtreatingcanceranddementia.Unlikeconventionaldrugs,thedrugsIamdeveloping̶radiopharmaceuticals̶releaseradiation.Radiationpermeatessubstancesandkillscells.Inthemedicalfield,thesetwopropertiesareappliedindiagnosticimagingandinternalradiotherapy,respectively.Bydeliveringradiopharmaceuticalstoorgansorcellscausingdisease,itispossibletosimultaneouslydiagnoseandtreatillnesses.Iworktodevelopsuch“two-in-one”drugs.IdomyresearchbecauseIwanttodeliver,fromKyotoUniversity,theworld’sfirstdrugofthistypetopatientssufferingfromcanceranddementiaassoonaspossibleandhelprealizehealthylongevityaroundtheworld.107

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SurgeryfriendlyforpatientsandsurgeonsHirotoNishinoKyotoUniversityHospitalMedicineandtechnologycontinuetoadvancerapidly,andthenumberofpatientswhoselivesaresavedthroughsurgicaltreatments,suchasforcancer,isincreasing,withfurtheradvancementshopefullyawaitinginthefuture.Inthiscontext,wemustalsoconsiderthesustainabilityofsurgicalcare,whichhassofardependedheavilyonsurgeons’experienceandpersonalsacrifice.Ihavebeenresearchingatechniquecalledreal-timenavigationthataccuratelytracksthedeformationandmovementoforgansduringsurgerytosupportpreciseresectionsandtreatments.Movingforward,Iaimtoexpandthistechnologyglobally,creatingasocietywheresurgeryiseffectiveandsafeforpatientsandpreciseandcomfortableforthenextgenerationofsurgeons.Byintegratingandapplyingmedicineandtechnology,Iwillpioneeranewtypeofsurgerythatisfriendlytobothpatientsandfuturesurgeons.108

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DreamingofacureforatopicdermatitisKenjiKabashimaGraduateSchoolofMedicineAtopicdermatitisaffectsabout230millionpeopleworldwide,significantlyimpactingqualityoflifeduetoitching.Foralongtime,topicalsteroidsweretheonlyeffectivetreatment.Somenewdrugshavebeendevelopedrecently,butnoneworkforallpatients,andsymptomsoftenreturnafterdiscontinuation.Weconductbasicandclinicalresearchtounderstandthepathologyofatopicdermatitisanddevelopsafetreatments.Wearealsoworkingonnewtechnologies,suchasnon-invasiveimaging,toobservetheskin’sinteriorwithoutcuttingit.Ourcollaborationwithpharmaceuticalcompanieshasalreadyledtothecreationoftwonewdrugs.Weareresearchingtowardacompletecure.109

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TreatingpPROMtopreventpretermdeliveriesHarutaMogamiKyotoUniversityHospitalPretermbirthisamajorissueinperinatalmedicineasitcanleadtoneonatalcomplicationsandlong-termeffects.Fromtheperspectiveofinnateimmunity,myresearchseekstodeveloptreatmentsforpretermprematureruptureofmembranes(pPROM),wherethefetalmembranerupturesinthesecondtrimester.Inmousemodelexperiments,wehaveobservedthatmacrophagesgatherattherupturesiteoftheamnioticmembrane(partofthefetalmembrane)topromotewoundhealing.Understandingthisphenomenoncouldbekeytorepairingandregeneratingtheamnion,ultimatelypreventingpretermbirthcausedbypPROM.Ifbabiescanbebornhealthyatfullterm,theycanstarttheirliveswithastrongfoundation.ByreducingpPROMandpretermbirths,Iaimtohelpmorebabiesgrowuphealthyinasocietyexperiencingrapidpopulationdecline.110

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©RuiOkazakiLong-termsupportforsurvivorsbeyondcancertreatmentAmiTabataGraduateSchoolofMedicineRemarkableadvancesinmultidisciplinarycancertreatmenthaveimprovedtheprognosisforpatientswithbraintumors.However,survivalbringsnewdifficulties.Manypatientsandtheirfamiliesmustnavigatelifewithphysicalsequelaeorinvisibleimpairments(neuropsychologicalcomplications),makingitdifficultforbothtoreturntotheirformerselves.Yet,long-termsupportremainsinsufficientintoday’ssociety.Asanoccupationaltherapist,Iaimtobuildasystemofcooperationthatconnectsthemedicalfieldwithsociallife,ensuringcontinuoussupport.Additionally,asaneducatorandchildhoodcancersurvivor,Iseektodisseminateaccurateknowledge,enhancepeersupport,andcreateasocietywheresupportistailoredtomeetthespecificneedsofeverylifestage.111

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Developmentaltraits:understandingandinclusivityHarukaKozukiKyotoUniversityHospitalWithsociety’sgrowingrecognitionofindividualdiversity,thepresenceofpeoplewithneurodevelopmentaldisorders̶commonlyreferredtoasdevelopmentaldisorders̶hasbecomemorewidelyknown.Currently,caresettingsfocusonearlydetectionandearlysupport,butinthefuture,hopefullywewillmovetowardasocietythatembracesandincludesindividualsbasedonadeepunderstandingoftheirdevelopmentalcharacteristics,ratherthandiscriminating.Cooperationacrossvariousfieldssuchashealthcare,welfare,andeducationisessentialforchildrendiagnosedwithneurodevelopmentaldisorderstogrowuphealthyinbothmindandbodyandadapttosociety.However,evidencetosupportsuchcooperationremainsinsufficient.Fromamedicalperspective,Iaimtoelucidatetheimpactofcross-disciplinarycollaborationontheenvironmentssurroundingthesechildren.112

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TowardahealthysocietyforallKosukeInoueTheHakubiCenterforAdvancedResearchMedicinehasusuallyprioritizedhigh-riskpatientgroupswhenselectingtreatmenttargets.However,treatmenteffectsandsideeffectsvaryacrossindividuals,andhigh-riskgroupsdonotnecessarilycorrelatewithhightreatmentbenefit.Toaddressthis,Ihaveintroducedanewstrategycalledthe“high-benefitapproach,”whichusesAImodelstoestimateindividualtreatmentbenefits,targetinggroupswithhighpotentialbenefitsratherthanhighrisk.Thisapproachoptimizesresourceallocation,reduceshealthdisparities,andcontributestoachievingtruepersonalizedmedicineforeachpatient,potentiallymarkingahistoricturningpointintheevolutionofhealthcare.113

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ContributionYasuoDeguchiProfessorGraduateSchoolofLettersPhilosophyisthedisciplineofproposingvalues.ThatishowIviewitnow.Itpresentsvaluestopursue̶notasabsolute,unchangingtruths,butaspossibleproposalstopeopleandsociety.That’sthekindofendeavorphilosophyshouldbe.Overthepasthalf-century,Japan’sphilosophicalscenehasbeenexposedtowavesof“normalscience”(asKuhntermedit)originatingfromNorthAmerica.Weputalidonbigquestions,insteadpublishingpeer-reviewedpapersdiscoveringcounterexamplestocounterexamplesofcounterexamplestofamousthesesbyrenownedphilosophers.Thistrendofaccumulating“puzzle-solving”paperstosecuretenurepositionshasbecomeprevalent.Thismovementhasundoubtedlypromotedstandardizationandprecisioninphilosophicaldiscourse,moreobjectiveresearchevaluation,andoverallimprovementinresearchquality.However,nowanormalscience,philosophyhasalsoretreatedintopurelyacademicintellectualcuriosity,losingitsconnectionwithsociety.Yetcurrently,thereisasimultaneousworldwidemovementinphilosophytobidfarewelltopuzzle-solvingandboldlyproposenewvaluestosociety,asNietzsche,Marx,andtheKyotoSchool(suchasKitarōNishida)oncedid.PeopleseemtobelookingtoKyotoUniversityforanewKyotoSchoolthatengageswithsocietythroughitsvalueproposalstoemerge.Ialsowishtopresentsocietywithmynewvaluesystemcalled“WE-turn,”enrichingpeople’svaluechoicesandcontributingtorealizingasocietywheredifferentvaluescoexistonmultiplelevels.114

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Tech+traditionalwisdom=brighterfutureSeijiKumagaiKyotoUniversityInstitutefortheFutureofHumanSocietyThankstotechnologicalandeconomicadvancements,Japanhasachievedmaterialprosperity.However,manypeoplestillsufferfromdistressoftheheartandmind,andinthisrapidlychangingera,thosestrugglesarelikelytoincrease.Throughouthistory,greatreligiousleadersandphilosophershavesoughtwaystoalleviatementalsuffering,andhumanityhasaccumulatedthisknowledgeastraditionalwisdom.Weareworkingtodevelop“traditionalwisdomtech,”whichcombinesthiswisdomwithtechnologieslikegenerativeAI.Additionally,wearedeveloping“kokoro(mental)wellnesstech,”whichintegratesmolecularbiology,neuroscience,andthehumanitiestohelppeopleaccuratelyassesstheirmentalstateandmovetowardtheirdesiredstatebasedonmeasurableinsights.Ourgoalistocreateasocietywherepeopleachieveinnerrichnessandlivefulfilling,vibrantlives.115

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Ethicsofcoexistence:learningfromeasternwisdomAkiraFukutaniGraduateSchoolofHumanandEnvironmentalStudiesInJapanesesocietytoday,whenhearingphraseslike“mutualhelpandconsideration,”manymayfeelburdenedratherthaninspiredtotaketheinitiative.Ontheotherhand,extremelyinfluentialpre-modernEastAsianethicalphilosophiesliketheCheng-ZhuandYangmingschoolsofNeo-Confucianismhadtheuniqueideaofnaturallypromotingcoexistencewithothersbasedonuniversalhumanempathy.Thesephilosophiesstartedwiththedailymindsetsofindividuals,ledtocommunityformation,andeventuallycreatedinstitutionsandpolicies.IwanttoconveythevalueofEasternwisdomasarichsourceofinsightforbalancingpersonalhappinessandsocialprosperity.116

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ExploringthehumanconditionvialanguagechangeAdamAlvahCattGraduateSchoolofLettersMyspecialtyishistoricallinguistics,whichanalyzeslanguagesfromahistoricalperspective,andthemainlanguagesIfocusonareancientIndo-EuropeanlanguagessuchasVedic,Avestan,andTocharian.Theyarenolongerusedandstillcontainmanymysteries.Iworktouncovernewaspectsoftheselanguagesbyexaminingfragmentarymanuscriptsanddecipheringthetextswhiletakingintoaccounttheircontext.Themoreaccuratetranslationsofancienttextsthatbecomeavailable,themorecontributionswecanmaketootherfields,suchasBuddhiststudiesandhistory.Whenwelookatthehistoryoflanguages,wefindthatlanguagechangeisnotrandombutshowscertainregularities.Throughlinguisticresearch,wecangainadeeperunderstandingofhumanhistory,culture,waysofthinking,andvalues,andthusthehumancondition.117

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ListeningtoancientIndiantextsKyokoAmanoGraduateSchoolofLettersIstudyancientIndiantextscomposedinSanskritaround3,000yearsago,particularlytheMaitrāyaṇīSaṃhitā.Thecoreofmyresearchisreadingandunderstandingthem.Evenafteranalyzinggrammarandclarifyingwordmeanings,thereareoftencaseswherethemessageremainsunclear.Insuchcases,Ikeepsearchingforeventhesmallesthintsandcontinueinvestigatingandthinking.Itisliketryingtohearvoicesfromadistantpastandplace,andIbelievethatthehumanitiesteachusthismindset.Inthefuture,societywillbefloodedwithevenmoreinformation,leavingusoverwhelmedbyprocessingtheconstantflow.However,whattrulymattersmaylieinvoicesthatcanonlybeheardbylisteningclosely.Throughdecipheringancienttexts,Iaimtoconveytheimportanceofsuchlistening.118

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columnJapan’sphilosophyresearchInthefirsthalfofthetwentiethcentury,KyotoUniversitywashometomanyprominentphilosophers,includingKitarōNishidaandHajimeTanabe,formingaphilosophicalgroupknownastheKyotoSchool.WhilegroundedinWesternthought,theschoolincorporatedEasternideas,earninginternationalrecognitionasJapan’sfirstoriginalphilosophicalmovement.Inrecentyears,theschool’snon-Westernandoriginalapproachhasattractedrenewedattentionandacclaim.WhydidthiskindofphilosophyemergeatKyotoU?Sinceitsfounding,theuniversityhasadoptedaGerman-styleresearch-centeredapproach,creatinganenvironmentthattreatsstudentsasindependentresearchers.Thiscultureofrespectingindependentthinkingbecamethefoundationfordevelopinguniquephilosophicalperspectivesandforminga“school”wherestudentsinheritedandadvancedthisknowledge.KyotoUniversity’sphilosophyhasinfluencedotheracademicfields.ItsimpactcanbeseeninthetheoriesofKinjiImanishi,anecologistandfounderofprimatology,andinthefundamentalthinkingofphysicistHidekiYukawa,whoeagerlyattendedNishida’sphilosophylecturesasastudent.Inourrapidlychangingera,wherelong-establishedvaluesandstandardsarebeingshaken,philosophy’simportancecontinuestogrow.InthecenturysincethefoundingoftheKyotoSchool,KyotoU’sphilosophershavecontemplatedmanyreal-worldissues.Theirthinkinghasexpandedintofieldslikephilosophyofscienceandbioethics,continuingtoprovideguidanceforhumanitytobuildasustainablesocietyandfuture.119

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EmbracingdifferentviewsforinspiringinsightsKenjiTsudaGraduateSchoolofLettersChristianity,originatingfromJudaismintheancientMediterranean,evolvedbyincorporatingvariouspeoplesandcultures.Earlyon,groupswithdivergentviewsemerged,laterdeemedheretics.While“heresy”impliesathreattoorthodoxy,sincemoderntimes,ithasbeenrecognizedthathereticalviewsoftenclarifiedambiguitiesandshapedorthodoxdoctrinethroughdebate.Researchonheresyrevealshiddenproblemsandneedswithincommunitiesandsocieties,allowingustoanalyzeresponsemechanisms.Theseinsightscanalsoserveascluesforunderstandingcontemporaryissueslikecultsandsocialconflicts.120

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Humansandtrees:ancientwisdomtothefutureSuyakoTazuruResearchInstituteforSustainableHumanosphereStandingbeforeagianttreeadornedwiththeritualpurificationropecalledashimenawa,Iclearmymind.Beforeawoodenstatue,Ireverentlyputmyhandstogether.Inaserenetearoom,Isharpenmysensesoveracupoftea.Drawingvitalityfromvibrantnewgreenery.Thoughweliveinconvenient,prosperoustimes,anxietiesaboutdisasters,diseases,andconflictspersist,astheydidforancientpeople.Westillfindmodestspiritualstabilityandfulfillmentinnatureandtrees.Iresearchtreespeciesandagesfromsmallwoodfragmentsofoldartifactstounderstandancientpeoples’heartsandminds.Byexaminingtheirviewsonwooduse,life,anddeath,andeventheirthoughts,Ibelievewecancontributetoatrulyharmoniousglobalsocietywherepeoplecanlivepeacefullyandsafely,handinhandwithnature.121

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Unravelingart’spast,proposingitsfutureKaoriTaguchiGraduateSchoolofHumanandEnvironmentalStudiesWhendidhumansfirstbecomeinterestedinrepairingartworks?Ancientrecordsrevealglimpsesofpeoplereplacingtheoldandpolishing.Thesetechniqueswereoftenpasseddowndiscreetlyashiddenskills,withdetailsremainingvague.Myresearchattemptstoreconstructthemysterioushistoryofconservationandrestoration,viewingitthroughintersectionswithmedicine,science,aesthetics,andarthistory.Iconsiderwhatconstitutesanoriginalandwhatmoredesirablepreservationandrestorationentail,examiningthesequestionswithinthecontextofaestheticsandintellectualhistory.Exploringthediverselivesofartworksandtheirfutures,Iapplymyresearchfindingstotheactualconservationofcontemporaryartandotherworks,devisingmethodstoprotectandpreserveourfutureculturalheritage.122

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Artisinnovation,innovationisartYutakaYamauchiGraduateSchoolofManagementAsamanagementscholar,Ifocusoninnovation̶creatingvalue.Here,valuestemsfromthedisruptionoftheexistingorderandisnotmerelyameasureinmonetaryterms.Forinstance,Starbucks,emblematicofglobalcapitalism,becameasymbolofanerabyenablingnewself-expressioninthe60s-70scounterculturecontextandlighterself-expressioninthe80s-90sneoliberalera.Thisisanexampleofpickinguponsocietalchangesandcreatingnewexpressionsbyoverturningthedominantsystemofvalues.Thus,innovationcanbeseenasaesthetic,anartpractice,andasocialcritique.Fromthisperspective,Iapproachvariousissuesrelatedtosustainability,gender,andracism.123

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Wheredoeseducationcomefrom?Whereiseducationgoing?YusukeTakahashiGraduateSchoolofEducationEducationshouldbeanationalpolicyforthenext100years.Itseemsdifficulttodemonstratelong-termeducationaleffectsthroughashort-termlens.Myresearchiscenteredonthedevelopmentofhumanpersonalitytraits,andsocialskills(empathy,cooperativeness,perseverance,communicationskills),aswellasindividualdifferencestherein.Byconsideringeducationalpoliciesbasedonscientificevidencefromarangeofperspectives,includingeducationalanddevelopmentalpsychology,behavioralgenetics,andpsychoinformatics,wecanelucidatemoreeffectiveandsustainableformsofeducation.Tohelpcreateahundred-yearplanforlifelonglearning,Iconductbasicresearchonindividualdifferencesineducationalpsychologywiththeaimofprovidingacademicandsocialsuggestionsforbothmacroscopicperspectives(policy-making),andmicroscopicperspectives(individuallyoptimizedlearning).124

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Towardchildren’sacademicachievementandhappinessYoshimiOkumuraGraduateSchoolofEducationJapanhasmanychildrenwhofeellonely,andthenumberofchildrennotattendingschoolisincreasing.Incontrast,Dutchchildrenareknowntohavehighoverallwell-being,particularlyintermsofmentalwell-being.ByfocusingonDutcheducationinmyresearch,Iwanttocontributetoeducationthatensuresacademicachievementwhilehelpingeachchildtofeelvaluedandhappy.Ofcourse,itisimpossibletodirectlyimplementinJapanoverseaseducationsystemsshapedbydifferentculturesandsocieties.However,examiningwhatisdiscussedinothercountriesandtheresultingoutcomescanprovideinsightsandhelpusre-evaluateJapaneseeducation.125

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TowardclosingthegendergapincorporateJapanAsliM.ColpanGraduateSchoolofManagementWhilegenderdiversityamongcorporateexecutivesisadvancingglobally,Japanstillshowslittleprogressinappointingfemaleexecutives.Femaleexecutivescontributetomoreprosocialandcreativestrategicdecision-making,serveasrolemodelsforotherwomen,andenhancethesociallegitimacyofcompanies.However,duetogenderbiasesinsideandoutsidecompanies,theappointmentoffemaleexecutivesandtheirdecision-makingpowerareoftenhindered.Toaddressthisissue,IamresearchingwaystoincreasethepresenceofwomenintopmanagementinJapan,suchaspromotinggenderdiversitythroughthecooperationofinvestorsandotherstakeholdersandexpandinghighereducationopportunitiestobroadenthepoolofpotentialfemaleexecutives.126

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Studentswithdisabilities,rights,andtheuniversityJunMurataAgencyforStudentSupportandDisabilityResourcesThenumberofstudentswithdisabilitieswhorequirereasonableaccommodationisincreasingatJapaneseuniversitiesandotherinstitutions.Afundamentalvalueforanyuniversityshouldbecultivatingaspacewhereabroadspectrumofstudentscanforgetheirpathsthroughrichandvariededucationalexperiences.However,manystudentswithdisabilitiesstillfacechallengesinaccessingadequatelearningopportunities,aproblemthatalsosymbolizesbroadersocietalissuessurroundingdisability.Toaddressthis,Iamcommittedtoongoingpracticalandresearcheffortstoensurethateducationalopportunitiesareavailablenotonlyinhighereducationbutacrossvarioussettings,aswellastotacklethewide-rangingchallengesrelatedtodisabilityincontemporarysociety.Fromtheperspectiveofdisability,Icontinuallyaskwhatkindofsocietyweshouldstrivetocreate.127

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Creatingspaceswherewell-beingthrivesforallYukikoUchidaKyotoUniversityInstitutefortheFutureofHumanSocietySincemytimeasagraduatestudent,Ihaveconductedresearchinculturalpsychology.Oneofmyresearchareasiswell-beingandhappiness,whereIhavefoundsimilaritiesanddifferencesshapedbysocietalchangesandculturalcontexts.Touncovertheroleofcultureinourpsychology,Iconductexperimentalandsurvey-basedstudiesthatcompareandvisualizementalprocessesacrossJapaneseandothercultures.Bymakingthesecomparisons,wecandeepenourunderstandingofhowindividualsandsocietieshavecultivatedtheirheartsandminds,andperhapsevenhelppeoplegainperspectivesthatfreethemfromthevaguenormstheyoftenacceptwithoutquestion.Oneofthestrengthsofculturalpsychologyisitsabilitytobringtogetherthehumanitiesandsocialsciencesonaglobalscale,andmygoalistointroducenewmethodologiestofosterinternationalcollaborationinthisfield.128

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columnKyotouniversity’shistoryFreedom.ItisawordthatcannotbeoverlookedwhendiscussingKyotoUniversity.Respectingstudents’independenceandvaluingfreeresearchdrivenbyintellectualcuriosityhascreatedoneofJapan’sleadingresearchuniversitiesandproducednumerousachievements.Thesourceofthisdistinctiveacademicculturedatesbacktotheuniversity’sfounding.In1897,KyotoUniversitywasestablishedasJapan’ssecondImperialUniversity,followingTokyo.WhileTokyoImperialUniversitywasalreadywellestablishedinthecapital,KyotoUniversitydevelopeditsowncharacterbyemphasizingtheindividualityofitsstudentsandresearchers.Fromitsinception,theuniversitymodeleditselfafterGermaninstitutions,introducingthenoveleducationalapproachof“educationthroughresearch.”ItwasreportedlythefirstinJapantoformallyimplementseminarswherestudentsandfacultycoulddiscussasequals,treatstudentsasresearchers,andrequireagraduationthesis.ThecompactnatureofKyoto,whichenablesstudentsandfacultytoengageindiscussionsandinteractcloselydayandnight,greatlycontributedtoformingthiscultureoffreedom.Thiseducationaltraditioncontinuessteadfastlytoday.Asaresult,formorethan125years,theuniversityhasproducedahighlydiversesetofgraduates.In1949,HidekiYukawabecamethefirstJapaneseNobelPrizewinnerinphysics.Sincethen,elevenNobellaureatesandnumerousrecipientsofinternationalawardshaveemerged,includingwinnersoftheFieldsMedalandBreakthroughPrize.129

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Economicsofintermediation:goods,laborandmoneyMakotoWatanabeKyotoInstituteofEconomicResearchManyeconomicandsocialissuesarerelatedtotheconnectionsbetweengoods,labor,peopleandmoney.Myresearchfocusesontheroleofintermediariesthatconnectbuyersandsellersinvariouscontexts.Forexample,ingoodsandservicemarkets,Iexplorewhyplatform-basedmodelsbecamethedrivingforceofthemoderneconomy.Inlabormarkets,Iaskwhetherintermediariestrulyservetheinterestsofworkers,inparticularwhytheymakelow-wagelaborpersistandincomeinequalitycontinuetowiden.Inmoney/financemarkets,Iinvestigatewhyfinancialintermediaries,whichshouldenhanceefficiency,oftentriggerliquiditycrisesandassetbubbles.Myresearchaimstoprovideeconomicsolutionstothesereal-worldissues,addressingareasthatexistingmarketsandinstitutionsfailtocover,andtocontributetotherealizationofavalue-creatingsocietythatpromotessustainabledevelopment.130

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ComparativelegalresearchforimprovinglawandsocietyGabrieleKoziolGraduateSchoolofLawPrivatelawgovernsvariousaspectsofhumanlifeandtheeconomy,suchascontracts,propertyrights,andfamilyrelations.Whiletheproblemsfacedaresimilarallovertheworld,thelegalsolutionsvarydependingonthecountry.Myresearchfocusesmainlyoncomparingthedifferentapproachestowardsvariousprivatelawissues.Iaimtouncovernotonlythedifferencesinrulesbutalsothevariationsinhistoricaldevelopment,culture,thinking,andvaluesthatshapethesedifferences.Throughthisresearch,Ihopetonotonlyfosteradeeperunderstandingofhowpeopleinothercountriesseethings,butalsoenableustolearnfromoneanotherinfindingbettersolutionstodailyproblemsand,ultimately,inbuildingbettersocieties.131

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©RuiOkazakiCoexistingwithAIandrobotsTatsuhikoInataniGraduateSchoolofLawBorninEuropeinthenineteenthcentury,modernjurisprudence,whichformsthefoundationofcurrentlegalstudies,possessesanimportantprinciple:therealizationofdemocracycomposedofautonomousindividuals.However,withtherapiddevelopmentoftechnologythatinfluencesandisinfluencedbyhumans,suchasAIandrobots,orastheviolenceinherentintheconceptofautonomousindividualsitselfisrecognized,itsvalidityisincreasinglybeingquestioned.Therefore,Iapplyinsightsfromvariousfields,suchascognitivescience,contemporarythought,culturalanthropology,andeconomics,toformulateanewperspectiveofhumansandtheworldthatwillformthebasisoflaw.Throughthisresearch,Istrivetocreateasocietywheretherisksbroughtaboutbyadvancedtechnologyarecontrolleddemocraticallyandreasonably,andpeoplecanenjoyitsbenefitstothefullest.132

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StrivingforstabilitythroughriskmanagementRusudanKevkhishviliGraduateSchoolofEconomicsCompaniesdrivetheeconomy,andearlydetectionofissuesincorporateperformanceisessentialtopreventingfailures.Basedoninformationavailableinfinancialmarkets,mygoalistoprovidesocietywithtoolsforassessing,throughthequantificationandvisualizationofproblems,firms’financialstrength.Marketdataforfinancialproductslikestocksandbondsserveasindirectindicatorsofacompany’sfinancialhealthassessedbymarketparticipants,butthedataisoftenvastandcomplex.Inmyresearch,Ifocusonextractingaccurateinformationfromthisintricatedataanddevelopinguser-friendlyriskmanagementtoolssothatindividualscanefficientlyinspectfirmsoftheirinterest.Ibelievesuchtoolscanincreasetransparencysurroundingfirms’financialposition,reducethelikelihoodofsuddencrises,andcontributetoamorestableeconomy.133

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DataanalysisanddecisionmakingTakahideYanagiGraduateSchoolofEconomicsWiththeadvancementofinformationtechnology,ithasbecomepossibletocollectandanalyzebigdataonvariouseconomicandsocialphenomena.Properlydoingsoandinterpretingtheresultscanprovidevaluableinsightsforpolicyevaluation,policymaking,andbusinessdecision-making.Oneofthegoalsofeconometrics,myfieldofresearch,istoconsiderhowtoeffectivelycollect,analyze,andinterpretdataformakingsuchimportantdecisions.Iaimtodevelopdataanalysismethodsthatcanbeappliedtoeconomicandsocialdecisionmakingbyapplyingandextendingthestatisticalapproachknownascausalinference,whichinferstherelationshipbetweenacauseanditsresultingeffects.134

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Realizingalow-carbonfutureJulieAnnDeLosReyesTheHakubiCenterforAdvancedResearchAchievingalow-carbonsocietyisoneofthemosturgentchallengesofourtime,requiringcollectiveaction.MyresearchfocusesontheroleoftheAsia-Pacificregioninfacilitatingthistransition.Inparticular,IexaminetherelationshipbetweenEastandSoutheastAsiaandtheirrolesasleadersintechnology,suppliersofcriticalminerals,andkeyplayersingreenfinance,whichsupportsthelow-carbontransition.Iinvestigatehowdifferentactors(states,corporations,andfinancialinstitutions)mediatetheshiftawayfromfossilfuels,createcleanenergymarkets,anddevelopcriticalmineralsupplychains.Icriticallyanalyzewhethertheirstrategiespromoteenvironmentallyandsociallyjustsystemsor,conversely,reinforceenvironmentaldegradationandsocialinequality.Mygoalistoinfluencepolicydecisionsbyaddressingtheseissuesinatimelyandcriticalmanner.135

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EverydaypracticesandcreationintimesofcrisisTomokoSakaiInstituteforResearchinHumanitiesFromananthropologicalperspective,Istudytheexperiencesofpeopleandcommunitieslivingwiththeaftermathofdestructiveeventssuchasconflicts,disasters,andpollution.MyresearchfocusesonNorthernIreland,whichenduredlong-termconflictinthelatetwentiethcentury,andthecoastalregionsofTohokuaffectedbytheFukushimaDaiichinuclearaccident.Iexamineeverydayactivitieslikehousework,care,andleisurethroughextendedfieldwork.Theseseeminglytrivialaspectsoflifegainimportancewhenphysicalandmentalsafetyarethreatened.Inourcurrentera,wheresocietiesincreasinglycoexistwithcalamitiesandlarge-scaleviolenceduetoclimatechangeandprolongedmilitaryconflicts,blurringthelinebetweennormalandabnormalconditions,Ihighlightthepotentialfornewrelationshipsandcreativeforcesemergingfromdailylife.136

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TowardaworldwithoutvictimsTatsushiFujiharaInstituteforResearchinHumanitiesIhavebeenstudyingandchroniclingthecontemporaryhistoryofEarthfromtheperspectiveof“sacrifice.”Theadvancedindustrialsocietyofthepastfewcenturieshasonlybeenpossiblethroughthesacrificeofworkers̶forcedtolaborviolentlyonplantationsforrubber,cocoa,bananas,soybeans,andcottonandinminesextractingcoal,fertilizer,andplutonium̶aswellasthroughthelarge-scaledestructionofforests,soil,oceans,andwatersources.Modernsociety,whileproclaiminghumandignity,hasonlydevelopedbydeemingslaves,non-malegenders,anddominatedpeoplesas“inferior”andexcludingthemfromhumanrights.ByrevealingtosocietythehistoryandmechanismsofthisstructureIcallthe“worldsacrificesystem,”Ihopetocontribute,howeverslightly,toendingtheever-worseningsimultaneousdestructionofhumansandnatureassoonaspossible.137

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Sustainablefuturecuisines:respectfullymodernizingourdietHartNadavFeuerGraduateSchoolofAgricultureTwentyyearsago,IbeganresearchingsustainableagricultureinCambodia,believingthatimprovingfoodproductioncouldsolvemanyenvironmental,health,andculturalchallenges.Overtime,Irealizedthatefficientandequitableagriculturalsystemsarenotcreated“inalab”,butemergethroughcloser,respectfulrelationshipsbetweenurbanconsumers,farmers,andresearchers.Duringthisperiod,IencounteredthegrowingfieldofFoodStudies,whichtakesaholisticviewoffoodsystems,andIincorporatedthisapproachintomyteachingandresearch.Today,Iamtacklingnewchallenges,suchasuncoveringthenutritionalrationalityofancientcuisines,exploringtherelationshipbetweenwildcrops,soilbacteria,traditionalmedicine,andfood,andinvestigatinghowtoinspireyoungpeopletosustainablyupgradeandmodernizeheritagefoodculture.138

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ReconstructingplacesandnarrativesAiSugieGraduateSchoolofLettersManypeoplehavelosttheirhometownsandlovedonesduetoconflicts,persecution,anddisasters.Howdothesepeople(re)constructplacesandrecords?IhavebeenconductingfieldworktoinvestigatethisinBangladesh’sRohingyarefugeecampsandRikuzentakata,acityinIwateseverelydamagedbytheGreatEastJapanEarthquake.Itbecameclearthatnewplaceswerenotnecessarilycreatedandtheirnarrativeswerenotnecessarilyrecordedinthewaythesepeoplewanted.Iengageinmyresearchwhileconsideringhowresearcherscancontributetotheseendeavorsratherthantakingawaypeople’sownershipofplace-makingandnarratives.139

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EmbeddingpeopleandcitiesintheearthecosystemShuichiOyamaGraduateSchoolofAsianandAfricanAreaStudiesAroundtheworld,citiesandtheirpopulationscontinuetogrow.Whilelargeamountsoffoodandenergyareconcentratedincities,thewasteisnoteffectivelyutilized.Meanwhile,landdegradationissevereintheworld’sbreadbaskets,raisingseriousconcernsaboutthesustainabilityoffoodproduction.Theirsoilbecomesdegradedastheircropsareconsumed,largelyincities.Intheotherwords,theexistenceofcitiesdivergesfromthenaturalcycleoftheearthecosystem.IamworkingincountriessuchasRepublicofNigerintheSahelregionofWestAfrica,ZambiainSouthernAfrica,DjiboutiinEastAfrica,andinKyoto,Japan,toimproveruralfoodproductionandrestoredegradedlandusingurbanorganicwastesuchasfoodscrapsandsewagesludge.Throughincreasedfoodproductionandenvironmentalrestoration,Iamtacklingregionalissues,suchashunger,poverty,terrorism,andconflict,tobuildprosperoussocieties.140

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columnResearchinAsiaandAfricaOneofKyotoUniversity’suniquestrengthsisfieldresearch.Thisinvolvesvisitingactuallocations̶mountains,seas,andlocalcommunities̶walkingtheland,observing,experiencingfirsthand,andsometimeslivingwithlocalpeopletoobtainvaluableinsightsimpossibletogainfromdeskorlabworkalone.TheuniversityhaspioneeredfieldresearchinAsiaandAfrica,establishingastrongtraditionintheseregions.In1965,Japan’sfirstresearchorganizationincorporating“SoutheastAsia”initsnamewasestablishedatKyotoU.Fieldresearchtherebeganwithstudiesoflocalcommunities,tropicalforests,andagriculturaltechnologies,laterexpandingtodisasterprevention,energy,andenvironmentalfields.Sincethen,theuniversityhasmaintainedlong-termconnectionswithASEANcountries,includinginstituteanduniversitypartnershipsinallmembernations.FieldresearchinAfrica,ledbyecologistKinjiImanishi̶consideredthefounderofJapaneseprimatology̶andotherseventuallyledtostudiesinculturalanthropologyandtheestablishmentofJapan’sfirstAfrica-specificresearchinstitutionin1986.Drivenbythedesireto“understandwhatmakeshumanshuman,”theuniversityhasbuiltahistoryofoverseasresearch,earningitthenickname“exploreruniversity.”KyotoUniversity’sfieldresearchischaracterizedbyaninterdisciplinaryapproach,leadingtonewresearchfieldssuchas“ecologicalanthropology,”usingnaturalsciencetechniquestostudytopicssuchasnutritionalintakeinhunter-gatherersocieties.141

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AAlev,Cantas80Amano,Kyoko118Arai,Yasuyuki100Arizono,Misa86BBhagat,Shruti77CCatt,AdamAlvah117Chabchoub,Amin29Collins,BenoitVincentPierre14Colpan,AsliM.126DDeZoysa,Menaka23EEiraku,Mototsugu83Enoto,Teruaki5FFeuer,HartNadav138Fujihara,Tatsushi137Fujimori,Shinichiro48Fukazawa,Aiko36Fukuda,Hidemi15Fukutani,Akira116Furukawa,Shuhei37GGuo,Jia28HHamazaki,Yoko84Hasegawa,Emi95Hashimoto,Koji7Hattori,Yukako64Hirakata,Hiroyuki18HHiraoka,Yasuaki12Hirayama,Tomoko19Horike,Satoshi40Hotta,Akitsu76IInaba,Masafumi82Inatani,Tatsuhiko132Inoue,Kosuke113Inoue,Yasuhiro72Irie,Kei10Iwasaki,Mio74KKabashima,Kenji109Kadowaki,Komei59Kakiuchi,Nobuyuki101Kakugo,Akira71Kamitani,Yukiyasu94Kantoush,SamehAhmed30Kawahara,Jun13Kawanishi,Sakiko20Kevkhishvili,Rusudan133Kimura,Ikuo67Kimura,SatokoSoen70Kin,Fumiyoshi6Kozuki,Haruka112Koziol,Gabriele131Kumagai,Seiji115LLandenberger,KiraBeth50Lin,Peng55MMatsumoto,Masayuki85Mclellan,BenjaminC.39142

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MMcNAMEE,CathyE.22Mine,Akira58Mogami,Haruta110Morimoto,Daichi73Murata,Jun127Myowa,Masako90NNagao,Miki105Nakayama,Yu16Namasivayam,GaneshPandian97Namura,Kyoko21Naniwa,Shimpei56Nishino,Hiroto108Nishiyama,Tomoko75Noda,Takeshi102Numata,Keiji46OOgata,Yoshiko8Ohmiya,Hirohisa52Ohtani,Makiko27Okumura,Yoshimi125Okuno,Yasushi99Ono,Masahiro107Onoda,Yusuke66Oya,Yoko11Oyama,Shuichi140RdelosReyes,JulieAnn135SSaito,Kei45Saito,Hirohide81Saitou,Mitinori79Sakai,Tomoko136Sakamoto,Takuya54Sato,Takuya69Sawayama,Kazuki41Schmöcker,Jan-Dirk31Sekiyama,Takashi44Shiose,Takayuki91Sowa,Keisei51Sugie,Ai139SSugino,Mina26Sugiyama,Yoriko62TTabata,Ami111Taguchi,Kaori122Takahashi,Yusuke124Takai,Atsushi25Takamiya,Koichi38Takata,Takumi98Takeuchi,Osamu103Taki,Mana106Tanaka,Takayuki35Taniguchi,Tadahiro92Tazuru,Suyako121Thuermer,Stephan34Tojima,Sayaka68Trencher,GregoryPatrick42Tsuda,Kenji120Tsuji,Satsuki61Tsukiura,Takashi88UUchida,Yukiko128Ueda,Ryuhei89VVeale,Richard93WWakamiya,Atsushi53Watanabe,Makoto130YYamada,Masumi32Yamamoto,Akira43Yamane,Hisayo60Yamashita,Mayuko9Yamauchi,Yutaka123Yanagi,Takahide134Yasui,Yukiko65Yoshimitsu,Nana24Yoshinaga,Masanori104ZZheng,Linjie47asof2024.8143

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YoursupportcanhelpbringadiversityofresearcherstogetherhereinKyotoandsustaintheirpursuitofknowledge.Thankstothegenerousbackingwehavesofarreceived,groundbreakingscholarshipdrivingtechnologicalinnovationnurturesanewgenerationofresearch.WeinviteyoutobecomepartoftheKyotoUniversitycommunityandwitnessfirsthandournewfrontiersofdiscoveryasweworktogethertobuildabrighterfuture.https://www.kikin.kyoto-u.ac.jp/KyotoUFutureCommons125SolutionsforOurGlobalSocietyFebruary2025PublishedbytheKyotoUniversityofficesofPublicRelationsandResearchAcceleration(KURA)Kyoto,Japanhttps://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en144

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