Fumiaki Yokoyama is a microbiologist whose research mostly focuses on bacterial cell and community-level microbiology. His scientific curiosity was sparked by the diversity and robustness of microbial life, even under extreme conditions, during his bachelor’s studies in peptide chemistry at Osaka Prefecture University. Working with cold-adapted bacteria isolated from the Antarctic Ocean and fish intestines, he pursued extremophile biology in his Ph.D. at Kyoto University, where he investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the production of biotic nanoparticles, extracellular vesicles. During this period, he became fascinated by the individual cell heterogeneity even within isogenic bacterial populations and by the emerging division of labor among cells. This interest led him to microfluidic engineering at ETH Zurich, where he gained expertise in single-cell analysis using microfluidics. He then expanded his research into active matter physics at the University of Tokyo, exploring the collective behaviors of nonequilibrium systems such as growing cells. He established Microbial Lifeform Dynamics (MiLD) Group under the motto “Stay unique!” at OIST, as he believes that every individual holds a unique perspective, and by integrating these diverse viewpoints, we can uncover aspects of life that no single insight could reveal alone. For him, science flourishes through teamwork, collaboration, and—most importantly—underlying mutual respect and enjoyment of nature.

Naoto is a community ecologist interested in community assembly and species coexistence. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 2020, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Tohoku University, and Kyoto University, investigating community assembly rules and species coexistence mechanisms across diverse ecosystems. At OIST, he will develop an empirical framework to quantitatively assess species coexistence in spatial systems and examine the extent to which environmental heterogeneity contributes to maintaining species diversity in nature.

Midori earned her Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo, where she studied centrosome remodeling during sexual reproduction in yeast. She then conducted postdoctoral research on centriole duplication at the National Institute of Genetics in Japan and later at the University of California, San Diego, focusing on centrosome activation crucial for cell division. Centrioles, the core structure of centrosomes, are ancient cell organelles essential for chromosome segregation during cell division and for cilia and flagella formation in differentiated cells. As a Buribushi fellow, she aims to understand how centrioles have evolved to control such divergent functions and how they are inherited during sexual reproduction. 
 

   Born in Tokyo, Satoshi was trained as an organic chemist at Waseda University, T. Shibata lab, during his B.Sc. He then moved to Canada and earned his Ph.D. at the University of Alberta, where he met organometallic chemistry (the study of molecules consisting of metals and organic parts) and studied the hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds at S. H. Bergens lab. After one year of teaching experience at Waseda University, he moved to Israel for his postdoctoral research. At the Weizmann Institute of Science, D. Milstein lab, he discovered the iron-catalyzed olefin metathesis reaction, a long-sought-after catalytic reaction. At OIST, he studies the fundamentals and applications of organometallic chemistry. His most recent discovery is a 21-electron cobaltocene complex.

Saacnicteh is a structural biochemist specialized in protein evolution and macromolecule design. She leads the Molecular Bioengineering Group at OIST as a Buribushi Fellow, focusing on the design of protein systems with electron transfer capabilities using computational and molecular biology. She earned her Ph.D. in protein engineering at the Max Planck Institute for Biology, studying how insertions and deletions (InDels) reshape protein structure and function. During her postdoctoral work at OIST, Saacnicteh studied how Nature recycles protein templates by exchanging catalytic molecules to adapt chemical processes. Her current research addresses challenges in sustainable energy, including solar energy harvesting and biofuel production.