About the Dean
Kathy Takayama brings over 20 years of experience in fostering innovation and leadership in higher education, with a focus on building engaging, inclusive, and productive academic environments across universities worldwide. She has collaborated with renowned organizations including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. Her work has been instrumental in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and she has served as an external advisor to governments and organizations on both national and international levels. In 2023 Takayama was invited to contribute OIST’s innovations in the advancement of women’s leadership in STEM in Japan at the US-Japan Women Leaders Dialogue on STEM Leadership in Washington DC. Takayama also serves as the founding executive director of the Center for Professional Development and Inclusive Excellence (C-Hub)- the first and only university center in Japan to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the courses, programs, consultations, and activities for teaching, leadership and mentorship, and career development for all members of the university (faculty, students, researchers, administrative staff, and executive leaders).
A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Takayama has held prominent positions as executive director of faculty development centers and professor of molecular biology at Brown University and Columbia University. She also served on the faculty of the University of New South Wales in Australia, where she was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s University Award for Teaching Excellence and the Australian Society for Microbiology David White Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has served as the President of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and was a National Academies Fellow of the US National Research Council.
As Dean of Faculty Affairs, Takayama oversees the recruitment and hiring of faculty, the tenure, promotion, and unit review process, and career development support for all faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff. She also oversees the university Library and OIST’s open access institutional repository. Her office ensures that all faculty members have the resources and support needed to succeed in their research, teaching, and mentorship of their research groups. Takayama has established strong collaborations with the Graduate School, OIST Innovation, the Provost’s Office, and the Office of the Dean of Research to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, cultivate mentorship, support student success, and strengthen the academic community. She has led the revision of the faculty search process toward an equitable, inclusive system to recruit cohorts of diverse, internationally top calibre candidates, and has established structures to support the ongoing advancement and success of all members of the OIST community.
Takayama’s international experience in academic development and her dedication to enhancing university climate through the alignment of institutional priorities with the needs of the university community have been pivotal in transforming universities across the world. She has served in key roles including the International Advisory Board of Fulbright University – Vietnam, as International Advisor for the Ireland National Forum for Enhancing Teaching and Learning, as International Advisor for the University of Fukui (Japan) Curriculum Reform Initiative, and on the Executive Committee of the US National Institutes of Health Division of International Training and Research, Framework Programs for Global Health.
Originally from New York City, Takayama has an unwavering loyalty and appreciation for authentic bagels. Having also lived in Sydney, Australia for 14 years, she acquired a taste for Tim Tams and lamingtons, though the rules of cricket still elude her.