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

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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.
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Franz Meitinger

Assistant Professor

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Cognitive Neurorobotics Research Unit

The Cognitive Neurorobotics Research Unit is dedicated to investigating the principles of embodied cognition by conducting experimental studies in synthetic neurorobotics. The primary goals of our research are to understand:on how innate structures can be leveraged to develop cognitive constructs through iterative but limited behavioral experiences; how primary intersubjectivity in social cognition can be formed through enactive and contextual interactions with others; and how subjective experiences such as consciousness and free will can be scientifically and phenomenologically explained. In addition, our developmental neurorobotics approach is intended to uncover the underlying mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism. Through these researches, we can expect to deepen our ontological understanding of human beings, rather than simply creating another smart machine-learning robot.
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Jun Tani

Professor

Annual Reports
A yearly report from each research unit