TEAM

Faculty members

Professor, Graduate School of Science, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Kyoto University

角五彰

Akira KAKUGO

Born in Tokyo, Prof. Kakugo was interested in things that move beautifully like flocks of birds, schools of fish and swarm of bees. After graduating from Sakura High School in Chiba Prefecture, he entered Hokkaido University. He found biomolecular motors’ involvement in cell movement and muscle contraction, then conducted research on the mechanism of converting chemical energy into kinetic energy. In his master and doctor courses at the university, he developed the world’s smallest power unit driven by chemical energy with biomolecular motors. He was inaugurated as Associate Professor of Hokkaido University Graduate School of Science in 2011. Currently, he focuses on establishing biomolecular motors as “Active matter” and explore their emergent functions. From 2022, he was appointed as a Professor in the Graduate School of Science, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Kyoto University. As for his major awards, he received the Young Researcher Award for Science and Technology Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2012, the Academic Award for Polymer Science in 2016 and HFSP (Human Frontier Science Program) Research Grants Award in 2021.

ResearchGate researchmap

Lecturer, Graduate School of Science, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Kyoto University

市川正敏

Masatoshi ICHIKAWA

Dr. Ichikawa’s research interests lie in Softmatter Physics, Nonlinear and Non-equilibrium Physics, and Biophysics. He has been affiliated with Kyoto University since his undergraduate years and obtained his Ph.D. in Physics. Following his graduation, he became an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Sciences in Kyushu University. He moved back to Kyoto University in 2009 to become a faculty member in the Graduate School of Science, where he is currently affiliated. He now studies self-propelled motion of a living cell and a non-living object, e.g., revealing the mechanism of how simple self-propelled objects obtain diversity of movement, and revealing that living micro-swimmers such as microorganisms utilize hydrodynamics and physics for their survival strategies.

Web page (jp)ResearchGate researchmap

Program-Specific Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Kyoto University

宮崎牧人

Makito MIYAZAKI

Dr. Miyazaki has been interested in how the cell, the smallest unit of life, is created from tiny molecules. He completed a master’s degree with Prof. Kazuhiko Kinosita Jr. at Waseda University, working on single-molecule experiments to elucidate the motile mechanism of myosin molecular motor. He completed a doctoral degree in 2011 with Prof. Kenichi Yoshikawa at Kyoto University, proposing a theoretical framework for the analysis of single-molecule experimental data using non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and Bayesian inference. After graduation, he did postdoctoral work with Prof. Shin’ichi Ishiwata at Waseda University. He developed a technique for reconstituting active cytoskeleton from purified proteins. After working as Assistant Professor at Waseda University, he moved back to Kyoto University. He joined Hakubi Center for Advanced Research in 2017, followed by Department of Physics in 2022, as Program-Specific Associate Professor. He manages a subgroup aiming to understand the design principles for the self-organization of active cytoskeleton and biological functions using a combination of reconstitution experiments, live cell imaging, and theories of physics. He now holds joint appointments as PRESTO Researcher at JST and Team Leader at RIKEN BDR. He received the Young Scientists’ Award from MEXT in 2022.

ResearchGate researchmap

Postdocs

Syeda Rubaiya Nasrin

JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Mechanobiology of Cytockeletal Proteins

I investigate the mechanical properties and functions of microtubules, a cytoskeletal protein by studying the effect of mechanical stress on them.

My hobby is travelling
My home country is Bangladesh

ResearchGate

Bokusui NAKAYAMA
中山牧水

JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Nonequilibrium system

Nonequilibrium systemz.
I am interested in collective behaviors and swarm intelligences.

My hobby is eating & cooking
My home country is Japan

research-er

Kei YAMAMOTO
山本啓

JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Cell Biology

I investigate how cell surface structures and functions are precisely regulated by using live cells, in vitro reconstitution systems, and optogenetic tools.

My hobby is drinking alcohol
My home country is Japan

researchmap ORCiD