Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology OIST

News

A yellow and black wasp walks inside the pitcher-shaped modified leaf of a carnivorous pitcher plant.

Carnivorous plants and wasps blur the line between friend and food

A new study on the chemical composition of pitcher plants and their wasp neighbors suggests that what was thought to be a purely predatory-prey relationship might benefit both sides.

A close-up photo of a water droplet, shaped in an elongated oval, pumping out a spray of tiny microdroplets from one end.

Research Update

Explosive evaporation unlocks new possibilities in 3D printing and chemical analysis

144-year-old theory expanded in water droplet evaporation experiments

A macroshot of two termites, one with a long nasal horn posturing in front of the camera, the other walking away. Both are standing on leaf litter.

Research Update

Innovation and ecological collapse gave rise to the tropics’ most important decomposers

Thousands of newly sequenced termite samples reveal how new traits and global extinctions paved the way for their evolutionary success.

A scientist stands next to a giant water tank and looks at waves on the water’s surface.

Research Update

Making waves: water simulation of famous quantum effect reveals unexpected patterns

A new study reveals how a spinning vortex causes system-wide, counter-rotating wave patterns, mimicking effects that occur, but cannot be seen, in the quantum realm.

Research Update

Medieval Japanese poetry and buried trees help elucidate volatile space weather

Combining carbon-14 measurements taken at the highest level of precision with historical literature lays a new foundation for studying unpredictable and hazardous solar proton events.

Research and Faculty

OIST has no academic departments. Researchers from more than 50 countries collaborate across and combine scientific disciplines to pioneer new approaches to discovery and problem-solving.

Research at OIST

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Faculty and Research Units

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How to build a quantum computer

A beautiful gold machine with lots of wires in the foreground, at which a man in the background stares intently.

Quantum technology holds the potential to tackle complex problems across a wide range of applications. Yet today’s systems still face major limitations. Explore the fundamentals of quantum computing, the challenges for practical, large-scale quantum computing, and hear directly from the OIST experts developing the future of this field.

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Research Events

13 May - 03 Jun 2026

Lecture

Mini Course: Biophysical Principles of Regulation in Bacteria

13 May 2026

Seminar

Seminar "Off with their heads: the tragic double temptation of severe but rare punishment" by Prof. Kalle Parvinen (University of Turku)

13 May 2026

Seminar

Refeyn Massphotometry Seminar

13 May 2026

Seminar

QG Seminar: A Universal Variational Principle for Point Particle Classical Mechanics (Will Horowitz, University of Cape Town)

14 May 2026

Seminar

2026 Analysis on Metric Space Seminar: "The p-elastic flows of inextensible planar closed curves for p ∈ (1, ∞)" by Prof.Chun-Chi Lin, National Taiwan Normal University

14 May 2026

Workshop

International Day of Light Celebrations

Study at OIST

Apply for our 5-year PhD program in Science. We also offer short-term Research Internships. Both programs are competitive, cross-disciplinary, fully funded, and taught entirely in English by world-class international faculty.

Science Without Boundaries

A university with no departments, OIST has no artificial barriers between people working in different fields, thus encouraging innovation. With a state-of-the-art research environment, OIST attracts outstanding students and faculty around the world.

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PhD and Research Internship Program

OIST offers an individualized, cross-disciplinary PhD program that funds students up to 5 years. The Research Internship program offers financial and travel support for 2 to 6 months of experience working in an OIST research lab under OIST faculty.

Student Life

OIST offers a first-class postgraduate experience – both inside and outside the classroom. A wide range of educational, recreational, social, and cultural activities provide many opportunities to explore your passions and master something new.

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Driving Innovation Toward Impact

OIST connects world-leading research and global business to co-create solutions to society’s most pressing challenges – attracting talent to Okinawa’s emerging innovation ecosystem.