Faculty and Research Units
OIST research units take a cross-disciplinary approach to research, and the PhD program encourages students to explore the intersections of disparate fields of science and technology. Find the research unit of your interest below.
Faculty and Research Units
Find a Faculty Member or Research Unit
- Biochemistry
- Bioinformatics
- Biology
- Biophysics
- Biotechnology
- Botany
- Cell biology
- Complex systems
- Developmental biology
- Evolutionary biology
- Genetics
- Genomics
- Health sciences
- Immunology
- Medicine
- (-) Molecular biology
- Nanoscience
- Physiology
- Structural biology
- Synthetic biology
- Theoretical sciences
- Virology
Algorithms for Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics
The Algorithms for Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics Unit develops computer algorithms for core problems in genomics to study the genomes of every extant species on our planet.
Gene Myers
Professor (Adjunct)
Cell Division Dynamics Unit
The Cell Division Dynamics Unit studies the mechanisms of chromosome segregation and cell fate determination during mitosis with a focus on mitotic spindle assembly and positioning in cultured human cells and Medaka embryos.
Tomomi Kiyomitsu
Assistant Professor
Cell Proliferation and Gene Editing Unit
Every day, millions of cells in our body divide to maintain essential tissue functions. Errors in cell division can lead to developmental disorders or cancer. The research of the unit is focused on molecular mechanisms of cell divison and quality control in normal and cancer cells to understand tumor-suppressive mechanisms and identify biomarkers that confer a cancer-specific vulnerability to chemical drugs. The unit combines high throughput imaging, gene editing and genome wide screens to open new avenues for therapeutic development.
Franz Meitinger
Assistant Professor
Cell Signal Unit
Using a mouse model, the Cell Signal Unit explores the cause of various diseases that include cancer, neuronal disorders, immunological diseases, and diabetes/obesity at the molecular level....
Tadashi Yamamoto
Professor
Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit
Research projects of the Evolutionary Neurobiology Unit include (1) anatomical and physiological dissections of the nervous systems of basal metazoans, mainly on diffused and regionally cond...
Hiroshi Watanabe
Associate Professor
Genomics and Regulatory Systems Unit
To function normally, organisms must ensure that genes are switched on and off at the right times and locations. Gene expression control is a complex process that requires the coordinated ac...
Nicholas M. Luscombe
Professor
Human Evolutionary Genomics Unit
We use the genomes of Neandertals and Denisovans, the closest evolutionary relatives of present-day humans, to identify genomic variants that are unique to modern humans.
Svante Pääbo
Professor (Adjunct)
Immune Signal Unit
All animals and plants have an innate, or non-specific, immune system to fight infection and disease. Unlike innate immune cells, cells in the adaptive immune system remember pathogens they ...
Hiroki Ishikawa
Associate Professor
Marine Structural Biology Unit
The Marine Structural Biology Unit uses cryoelectron tomography and single particle cryoelectron microscopy to understand various aspects of coral biology in unprecedented detail.
Oleg Sitsel
Transitional Assistant Professor
Membranology Unit
The human body is composed of ~37 trillion cells, all of which are surrounded by a plasma membrane. We aim to understand the relationship between plasma membrane damage and multiple pathophysiological processes including aging.
Keiko Kono
Assistant Professor
Molecular Cryo-Electron Microscopy Unit
The Molecular Cryo-Electron Microscopy Unit investigates the structure of macromolecular complexes with an emphasis on viruses, ion channels, and membrane proteins. The unit seeks better und...
Matthias Wolf
Professor
Molecular Neuroscience Unit
The Molecular Neuroscience Unit investigates the mechanisms and consequences of the transport of information from the neuronal periphery to the center in health and disease.
Marco Terenzio
Assistant Professor
Nucleic Acid Chemistry and Engineering Unit
Nucleic acids DNA and RNA are fundamental building blocks of life. These biomolecules display remarkable chemical functions such as information storage, catalysis, and molecular recognition....
Yohei Yokobayashi
Professor
Plant Epigenetics Unit
The major goal of our research is to understand biological significance of epigenetic regulation of genes and transposons for environmental adaptation and genome evolution in plants.
Hidetoshi Saze
Professor