School of Human Science and Environment

Professor Mizue Ohashi

In forests, various biological activities centered around trees create flows of materials. We aim to unravel what kinds of ecosystem services (various benefits derived from ecosystems) are generated by these material cycles. Our focus is primarily on phenomena occurring underground, which are challenging to study. We are conducting research not only in Japan’s temperate forests but also in tropical and boreal forests overseas. By analyzing these data sets, we seek to understand the invisible world.

Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences

Professor Atsuko Takano

Natural history specimens of plants and insects serve as tangible evidence that these organisms existed at a specific time and place. Therefore, rapidly digitizing specimens and enhancing their accessibility is crucial for promoting biodiversity research. To this end, we have developed a device that allows individuals without specialized skills to photograph specimens at a certain level of quality, and a method to automatically extract label data such as collection date, collector, and collection location using various AI technologies.

Graduate School of Information Science

Professor Hiroyasu Inoue

When a pandemic, disaster, international conflict, or other such event causes a disruption in the flow of goods, it leads to further production halts for items that rely on those raw materials. This disruption spreads like a chain reaction, eventually causing damage to the entire economy. This phenomenon is increasing year by year and poses a major threat to the world.
In this study, we use the Fugaku supercomputer and other computational systems to simulate the activities of numerous companies. Through these simulations, we aim to explore effective countermeasures to mitigate the impact of such economic shocks.

Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences

Professor Yoichi Itoh

Planets orbiting stars other than the sun are called extrasolar planets, and since their first discovery in 1995, more than 5,000 have been found so far. The Nishi-Harima Astronomical Observatory has one of the world's largest public telescopes, Nayuta. Using this telescope, the world's first clear and cloudy exoplanets were discovered. By studying the weather of exoplanets, we hope to obtain clues to elucidate weather changes on Earth.

Graduate School of Disaster Resilience and Governance

Associate Professor Masahiro Sawada

All parts of Japan are being affected by natural disasters that are becoming increasingly severe and frequent. In the case of major damage, it is necessary not only to rebuild the lives of those affected and restore various facilities, but also to promote regional reconstruction. However, it is difficult to proceed independently in today's declining population society. We are conducting research on how we can receive support and sympathize with the victims while advancing this process, going back and forth between the field and theory.

Graduate School of Disaster Resilience and Governance

Professor Gou Urakawa

When a disaster strikes, disaster victims face a long road to recovery. We are accumulating lessons learned through research activities at disaster sites and conducting practical research on data-driven, leave-no-one behind support for disaster victims that can contribute to the early recovery of disaster-stricken areas.

Graduate School of Disaster Resilience and Governance

Associate Professor Shohei Beniya

We are researching crisis management methods to help local governments, businesses, care providers, and communities overcome crises such as disasters and infectious disease pandemics.
Because disasters and crises occur in unexpected ways, a formal manual is not useful. In order to develop people and organizations that can respond flexibly, we are also working on the development of various training and exercise methods.
Last year, we also created an experimental disaster prevention test site for international students.

School of Human Science and Environment

Associate Professor Yuichiro Oku

Local weather and climate are changing due to global warming. Global warming is now causing new meteorological phenomena to occur. Adaptation to climate change is required to bring about a sustainable society. We use numerical simulations to reproduce, predict, and analyze various spatiotemporal-scale phenomena such as typhoons, heavy rains, and heat waves, and investigate the effects of climate change on local weather and climate from the perspective of our daily lives.

Graduate School of Science

Professor Koichi Kusabe

Currently, it is possible for computers to reproduce physical phenomena at a atomic scale and at an accuracy that yields data extremely close to experimental results.

I am conducting research on this computational materials science, from its fundamental principles to its application.

I believe that these results can be used for designing and proposing new materials and electronic devices that can create technological innovations and contribute to the formation of industrial infrastructure.

There are multiple undertakings of co-development with experimental sciences that aim for countermeasures against warming, such as research into the design of reaction conditions of hydrogen-related materials in particular.

Graduate School of Disaster Resilience and Governance

Professor Michiko Baba

I am conducting research into a method in which land use aims to enrich the lives of people while reducing flood damage. The method involves comprehensive and mutual use of physical and organizational countermeasures, city planning, and social systems regarding land use.

Also, part of my research concerns the roles that various entities involved have in reducing damage and protecting the lives and living environments of people.