Research

Open Faculty Positions

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology is an international, interdisciplinary graduate university in Japan, operating entirely in English and committed to empowering world-class researchers with the freedom, resources, and support they need to drive transformational discoveries. We are inviting applications for tenure-track assistant professor positions in two broad areas:

Chemistry & Materials Science: broadly defined as including the physical sciences
Life Sciences & Neuroscience: including theoretical and AI approaches

APPLY

Table of Contents

World class research

To tackle critical global issues, we need extraordinary interdisciplinary collaborations. OIST breaks down traditional barriers between disciplines. We have no academic departments. Instead, our research units operate and collaborate in a multidisciplinary way, bringing a breadth of perspectives to pressing research questions, and providing a wide foundational training for future scientists. Our international and diverse community use English as a common working language.

Meet our faculty and units

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Explore by research specialty

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High-trust funding enables faculty to explore ambitious, long-term research topics, on subjects that matter. Explore the latest discoveries and innovations from our researchers, published open access within the OIST Institutional Repository.

Visit the OIST Institutional Repository

Latest research

Research Update

Fish Eyes to Help Understand Human Inherited Blindness

Discovery of a gene in zebrafish that triggers congenital blindness could lead to a suitable cure for similar disease in humans.

05 April 2017

Research Update

Into the DNA of a Coral Reef Predator

Researchers from OIST and Australia have sequenced and decoded for the first time the genome of the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish, paving the way for the biocontrol of this invasive predator responsible for the destruction of coral reefs across indo-pacific oceans.

05 April 2017

Research Update

Bursting the Bubble: Solution to the Kirchhoff-Plateau Problem

Researchers solve a mathematical problem illustrated by soap films spanning flexible loops.

31 March 2017

Browse research highlights

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How can we build quantum computers?

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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Collaborative innovation

OIST has been designed to support collaboration, with centralized research support, open style laboratories, and mixed discipline faculty offices to promote communication. Professors with specialties as diverse as mathematics, ecology, engineering, and chemistry... have offices right next to each other, rather than segregated in different buildings. This enables multidisciplinary collaboration on cross-sectional challenges, such as climate change, quantum technology, and understanding the origins of life.

Open Centers

In addition, Open Centers foster multi- and interdisciplinary research through shared scientific visions. These centers promote open science and enhance collaboration, visibility, and exchange with researchers both within OIST and from other universities and industry partners.

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Academic Partnerships

OIST collaborates strategically with academic and research universities and institutions domestically and internationally. Discover our partners, find networking opportunities, events and the latest updates.

Explore Academic Partnerships

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Visiting Scholars at OIST

OIST brings experts from all scientific disciplines to Okinawa every year to drive collaborations, outreach activity, and research output. There are opportunities for long-term visits from individual researchers and groups, from Japan and abroad.

Discover the Visiting Program

Conferences, workshops and events

Connecting leading scientists from OIST, Japan and the rest of the world, our events provide essential opportunities for OIST scientists to build and maintain international academic networks, and act as opportunities to catalyze new research ideas.

Browse conferences and workshops

Expert research support and facilities

To enable cutting edge research, OIST provides a wide range of professional support. From shared equipment facilitated by expert technicians, to help transforming ideas into patentable technology and startup companies, to personal professional development training, opportunities—OIST researchers are fully supported.

Core facilities

Enabling research and education through shared research facilities, equipment and support services for researchers and students.

Core Facilities
Professional development (C-Hub)

With C-Hub, researchers can access a range of programs spanning valuable skills such as mentorship, leadership, teaching, writing, collaboration, and communication.
Innovation support (OIST Innovation)

Facilitating technology development, intellectual property management, industry partnerships, startups and entrepreneurs.

OIST Innovation
Grants support

All full-time faculty members are eligible for OIST Workshop fiscal and logistic support, and receive high-level administrative and logistic support from professional, bilingual Research Unit Administrators (RUA).

Grants support

Grants and funding

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Explore the impact of J-PEAKS

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Discover the aims of COI-NEXT funding

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Research conduct

Through official policy and training, OIST instills in researchers and students the importance of practicing safe and responsible research, with the highest standard of research integrity.

Safe and responsible research

Research integrity at OIST

Diversity and inclusivity at OIST

To create a foundation for excellence in research, OIST aims to create an inclusive climate in which all members of the community can thrive. We aspire to be a model for inclusive academia and hope to contribute to best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion among scientific communities in Japan.

Get facts and figures about OIST

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Materials and resources

Learn more about OIST’s research in different specialties and contexts by exploring our range of available literature and digital resources.

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