Research Units
View by Faculty Member, Research Unit, or Research Specialties
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
Assistant Professor
Mechanics and Materials Unit
Research in the Mechanics and Materials Unit is focused on the formulation and analysis of mathematical models for novel systems in the mechanical and material sciences. To derive physically...
Eliot Fried
Professor
Membrane Cooperativity Unit
We develop methods for single-molecule imaging and analysis, and apply them to unravel the mechanisms by which the cellular plasma membrane perform signaling and synaptic transmission.
Akihiro Kusumi
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
Associate Professor
Memory Research Unit
Memory Research Unit aims to know how memories are formed and used in the brain. However, the hippocampal contribution remains unclear. Our goal is to understand its role in memory.
Kazumasa Tanaka
Assistant Professor
Micro/ Bio/ Nanofluidics Unit
Micro/Bio/Nanofluidic Unit develops lab-on-a-chip devices to probe fluid flows and discover new flow phenomena in microscopic worlds, with applications in biotechnology.
Amy Shen
Provost, Professor, and Vice CEO, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)
Microbial and Ecosystem Ecology Unit
Our unit focuses on understanding how environmental changes impact soil microbes, particularly those that are symbiotic with or pathogenic to plants, and drive biogeochemical cycling.
Chikae Tatsumi
Assistant Professor
Model-Based Evolutionary Genomics Unit
The Model-Based Evolutionary Genomics Unit works at the crossroads of computational and evolutionary biology. Our long-term goal is to achieve an integrative understanding of the evolution of Life on Earth and the origins and emergence of complexity across different biological scales, from individual proteins to ecosystems. To move towards this goal, we develop and apply model-driven evolutionary genomics methods to reconstruct the Tree of Life and the major evolutionary transitions that have occurred along its branches.
Gergely János Szöllősi
Associate 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 Genetics Unit
Work in the Molecular Genetics Unit combines comparative genomics, population genetic modeling, and genetic mapping. The unit uses new approaches for sequencing and analyzing genomes to inve...
Daniel Rokhsar
Professor (Adjunct)
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
Nano-mechanics, Kinetics, and Sustainable Manufacturing Unit
Bridging nano to continuum scales, we develop advanced computational & imaging techniques for designing scalable processes for sustainable materials production and manufacturing.
Yifan Wang
Assistant Professor (Transitional)
Networked Quantum Devices Unit
The ambition of NetQ, the Networked Quantum Devices unit, is to develop the necessary theoretical tools such as novel error correction mechanisms, cryptographic protocols, and simulation alg...
David Elkouss
Associate Professor
Neural Circuit Unit
Neural Circuit Unit studies motor circuits using various techniques such as molecular biology, mouse genetics, trans-synaptic viruses, optogenetic, and chemogenetic tools.
Yutaka Yoshida
Professor
Neural Coding and Brain Computing Unit
Cognitive functions of the brain, such as sensory perception, learning and memory, and decision-making emerge from computations by neural networks. The advantages of biological neural comput...
Tomoki Fukai
Professor
Neural Computation Unit
The OIST Neural Computation Unit aims to develop novel algorithms and to reveal brain mechanisms for reinforcement learning and Bayesian inference by combining top-down theoretical and bottom-up experimental approaches.
Kenji Doya
Professor
Neurobiology Research Unit
The goal of the Neurobiology Research Unit is to understand neural mechanisms of learning in the brain. The unit studies physical changes that take place in synapses due to learning experien...
Jeff Wickens
Professor
Neuronal Mechanism for Critical Period Unit
Songbirds learn to sing by communicating with adults as humans learn to speak during developmental ’critical period’. We explore how the brain is shaped with experiences during development.
Yoko Yazaki-Sugiyama
Professor