Research Groups


Check out the GSS brochure! (includes some extra info beyond SISC)

Department of Chemistry

Laboratory Research Field Principal Investigator
Surface Chemistry Molecular functions by controlling the reactions of molecules on surfaces and in nano-sized devices. Megumi AKAI Professor
Bioinorganic Chemistry Synthetic studies on metal complexes mimicking the active metal centers of oxidoreductases catalyzing small molecule conversion. Yasuhiro FUNAHASHI Professor
Inorganic Chemistry Time-domain behavior of magnetically highly anisotropic molecular systems such as single molecule magnets (SMM). Naoto ISHIKAWA Professor
Radiochemistry Studies on chemistry and decay properties of heavy elements and chemical studies on radioisotopes for medical use. Yoshitaka KASAMATSU Professor
Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics Molecular recognition force microscopy for receptor-ligand reaction. Takuya MATSUMOTO Professor
Biophysical Chemistry Elucidation of molecular mechanism of protein by advanced spectroscopic techniques. Yasuhisa MIZUTANI Professor
Physical Chemistry of Condensed Matter Studies on physical properties of molecular conductors, superconductors, and magnets by thermodynamic, magnetic and transport measurements. Yasuhiro NAKAZAWA Professor
Quantum Chemistry The investigations depending on only theory and calculation are performed for many chemical subjects. Mitsutaka OKUMURA Professor
Analytical Chemistry Development of new analytical methods of dynamics of phenomena and reactions at the interface. Satoshi TSUKAHARA Professor
Molecular Adsorption Physical chemistry of molecules and their condensed phases confined in nanometer-sized space, using Solid-state NMR. Takahiro UEDA Professor
Computational Biology Data integration and modeling of biological systems with applications to rational drug discovery. Kenji MIZUGUCHI Professor
Research Center for Structural Thermodynamics Heat Capacity Calorimetry. Reaction Heat Calorimetry. Higher Derivatives of Gibbs Energy. Motohiro NAKANO Professor
Beam Chemistry for Surface Science Surface chemistry explored with newly developed original experimental techniques and their related apparatuses. Michio OKADA Professor
Bionanotechnology Single molecule science for detecting, identifying, and manipulating single molecules, controlling dynamics of single molecules. Masateru TANIGUCHI Professor
Isotope Chemistry Syntheses and luminescent properties of transition metal complexes. Syntheses of uranium complexes. Takashi YOSHIMURA Professor
Institute for Higher Education Research and Practice Effect of reaction field on the function of biological metal complexes as the active site of metalloenzyme. Kazuya YAMAGUCHI Professor  
Natural Product Chemistry Synthesis of glycoconjugates from bacterial cell surface and their biofunction in innate immunity. Koichi FUKASE Professor
Organic Biochemistry Chemical synthesis of glycoproteins and glycopeptides to elucidate oligosaccharide functions. Yasuhiro KAJIHARA Professor
Structural Organic Chemistry Syntheses and functional properties of novel π-electronic systems including PAH radicals, overcrowded quinones, and anthracene clusters. Takashi KUBO Professor
Protein Organic Chemistry Development of a method for protein synthesis based on the ligation chemistry and protein functional study. Hironobu HOJO Professor
Regulatory Bioorganic Chemistry Synthesis of small molecules binding to DNA and RNA, and regulation of the function of nucleic acids by these synthetic molecules. Kazuhiko NAKATANI Professor
Protein Profiling and Functional Proteomics Mass spectrometry for protein structural analysis including post-translational modifications and proteomics for biomarker discovery. Toshifumi TAKAO Professor
Complex Molecular Chemistry Drug discovery and chemical biology focusing on epigenetics using organic chemistry, biology, and artificial intelligence. Takayoshi SUZUKI Professor

Department of Biological Sciences

Laboratory Research Field Principal Investigator
Plant Development Cell type identity determination, cell patterning, intercellular communication, and environmental response. Tatsuo KAKIMOTO Professor
Organelle Biology Molecular mechanisms underlying chloroplast biogenesis; protein transport, organelle movement, assembly of photosynthetic apparatus. Masato NAKAI Associate Professor
Cell Biology Left-right asymmetric development, Cell chirality, Notch signaling Kenji MATSUNO Professor
Animal Morphology Biophysics on motor, pump, and clock proteins, and photosynthesis. Cell and developmental biology, and phylogenetics on animal and plant. Hidetaka FURUYA Professor
Molecular and Developmental Biology Transcriptional regulation of retinal development, neuronal microRNA, neuronal lincRNA, retinal circuit formation, and cilia development. Takahisa FURUKAWA Professor
Comparative Neurobiology Neurobiological mechanisms underlying seasonal and circadian timing system in invertebrates/ Chronobiology/ Neuroethology Sakiko SHIGA Professor
Advanced Brain Functions Neuronal circuit mechanisms in advanced brain functions and neuropsychiatric pathologies. Takatoshi HIKIDA Professor  
Genome-Chromosome Functions Understanding molecular mechanisms of genome stability and instability which is related to cancer and infertility. Akira SHINOHARA Professor
Genome Structure and Function Understanding molecular architecture of chromatin in mammalian cells. Chikashi OBUSE Professor
Cellular Life Science Dynamics of mitochondria in mammals, Membrane fusion and fission, GTPase proteins, mitochondrial DNA Naotada ISHIHARA Professor
RNA biofunction Functional exploration of long noncoding RNAs in mammalian cells. Tetsuro HIROSE Professor
Single Molecule Biology Our laboratory develops quantitative imaging and computational modeling methods to reveal the molecular mechanisms of intracellular signaling with single-molecule resolution. Masahiro UEDA Professor
Protein Synthesis and Expression Structural analysis of receptor-ligand interaction using X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy. Junichi TAKAGI Professor
Cell Systems Our laboratory studies signal transduction-transcription networks to identify the general regulatory rules that govern the cell fate. Mariko OKADA Professor
Nanobiology Behavior of individual protein molecules is observed in real time using a single molecule imaging microscope and elucidates the function of protein molecules. Yoshie HARADA Professor
Homeostatic Regulation The cell-cell communication supporting tissue homeostasis Mechanisms of embryonic development, regeneration, aging, and disease. Tohru ISHITANI Professor
Molecular Biophysics Structural study within intact cells, particularly for complex systems like GPCRs and amyloid fibrils, is crucial for drug design. We are working on developing novel NMR methods, including MAS NMR, to achieve this goal by connecting protein structure, dynamics, and function. Yoh MATSUKI, Yohei MIYANOIRI Associate Professor
CryoEM Structual Biology Structural and functional analysis of biological macromolecules, such as the molecular motors and receptors based on cryo-EM. Takayuki KATO Professor
Supramolecular Crystallography Structural biology of biological macromolecules / macromolecular assemblies using X-ray diffraction technique. Atsushi NAKAGAWA Professor
Physical Biology Quantitative imaging and perturbation to understand the role of heat in biological systems Madoka SUZUKI Associate Professor
Vascular Morphogenesis Cellular and mechanical mechanisms of blood vessel formation in health and disease. Endothelial cell mechanobiology in vessel morphogenesis. Li-Kun PHNG Associate Professor
Protein Organic Chemistry Development of a method for protein synthesis based on the ligation chemistry and protein functional study. Hironobu HOJO Professor
Protein Crystallography Structural studies on photosynthetic energy-transducing protein complexes and cytoskeletal motor proteins. Genji KURISU Professor
Computational Biology Data integration and modeling of protein interactions and higher-order biological systems for drug discovery. Kenji MIZUGUCHI Professor
Molecular and Structural Biology Protein crystallography, EM and Cell biology focusing on elucidation of the molecular mechanism of intracellular transport systems. Takahide KON Professor
Biomolecular Science and Reaction Bio-mimicking DDS nanocarriers, oriented immobilization of sensing molecules, single cell analysis, and quinone-containing enzymes. Shun'ichi KURODA Professor
Photosynthetic Biology Research Molecular mechanisms of photosynthetic light energy conversion systems, and biological production of hydrogen by hydrogenase. Hirozo OH-OKA Professor
Biomolecular Analysis Metabolism and function of small peptides. Analytical techniques for protein primary structure and modification. Nobuaki OKUMURA Associate Professor
Nuclear Function Cell Cycle, DNA Replication Yumiko KUBOTA Associate Professor
Molecular Genetics Chromosome rearrangements DNA recombination, repair, and replication Epigenetics and RNA biology. Takuro NAKAGAWA Associate Professor
Bioinorganic Chemistry Synthetic studies on metal complexes mimicking the active metal centers of oxidoreductases catalyzing small molecule conversion. Yasuhiro FUNAHASHI Professor
Macromolecular Structure Three dimensional structure and functional mechanism of biological macromolecular machines, such as the bacterial flagellum. Katsumi IMADA Professor
Supramolecular Functional Chemistry Creation of functionalized materials through molecular recognition and self-assembly of bio-related polymers. Hiroyasu YAMAGUCHI Professor
Macromolecular Solutions Dilute and concentrated solution properties of natural and synthetic macromolecules and their assemblies. Ken TERAO Professor

Department of Macromolecular Science

Laboratory Research Field Principal Investigator
Polymer Reaction Chemistry Development of new functional polymers using organometallic catalysts and investigation of the functions of metalloenzymes. Kiyotaka ONITSUKA Professor
Polymer Physical Chemistry Physical properties and molecular dynamics of soft matters, including polymers, surfactant micelles, liquid crystals, and supramolecules. Tadashi INOUE Professor
Macromolecular Precise Science Understanding of macromolecularity and creation of high-performance macromolecular systems utilizing precise macromolecules. Akihito HASHIDZUME Professor
Supramolecular Functional Chemistry Creation of functionalized materials through molecular recognition and self-assembly of bio-related polymers. Hiroyasu YAMAGUCHI Professor
Polymeric Materials Design Systematic polymeric materials design based on non-covalent or movable cross-linker and realizing responsive and mechano properties. Yoshinori TAKASHIMA Professor
Macromolecular Structure Three dimensional structure and functional mechanism of biological macromolecular machines, such as the bacterial flagellum. Katsumi IMADA Professor
Macromolecular Solutions Dilute and concentrated solution properties of natural and synthetic macromolecules and their assemblies. Ken TERAO Professor
CryoEM Structual Biology Structural and functional analysis of biological macromolecules, such as the molecular motors and receptors based on cryo-EM. Takayuki KATO Professor
Protein Crystallography Structural studies on photosynthetic energy-transducing protein complexes and cytoskeletal motor proteins. Genji KURISU Professor
Supramolecular Crystallography Structural biology of biological macromolecules / macromolecular assemblies using X-ray diffraction technique. Atsushi NAKAGAWA Professor