Alumni

My main research interests lie in the evolution of prokaryotes and the mechanism by which microbes with small genomes sustain their life.
The extremely small genome of endosymbionts due to host-symbiont interaction is intriguing, leading me to study at the Husnik Unit.
I also work on projects involving metagenomics and comparative genomics of the commensal mollicutes in corals, and a chromosome-level genome assembly of the 'soft' coral Palythoa tuberculosa.
Apart from the lab, I like watching football, playing basketball, and snorkelling in the beautiful ocean in Okinawa.

My research focuses on the fascinating interactions between cicadas and their obligate endosymbionts, particularly Hodgkinia, which are quite complex and mysterious. During my internship at OIST, I hope to explore the intricate and intertwined interactions within this mutualistic consortium through a combination of microscopy and metagenomic analysis.

Beyond my research, my biggest hobby is sleeping. Actually, I'm not a quiet girl; if you see me sitting quietly, don't worry, I'm just a bit shy due to the language barrier. If you're willing to include me in your activities, that would be great—I’m eager to try anything new!

I am interested in communication between mitochondria and other organelles, particularly in mammalian cells. I usually use confocal microscopy as my main method of observation, but at OIST I aim to analyze organelle interactions using electron microscopy. From the analysis of organelle communication, I would like to clarify the interests of host cells in mitochondrial symbiosis. In my free time, I often watch a soccer game, train and cook.

I am interested in the evolution of plastids. Plastid is an ancient organelle that originated thanks to the endosymbiosis with photosynthetic cyanobacteria. Some modern organisms also happen to have similar symbioses. In my project, I want to use a protist that bears a photosynthetic cyanobacterial symbiont and compare it to a heterotrophic relative from the same lineage. My goal is to expose differences in gene expression that allow this symbiosis to arise and thrive. Before coming to OIST, I worked as an Imaging Bioinformatician at Wellcome Sanger Institute and HuBMAP Consortium in the UK where I focused on the development of processing pipelines for imaging spatial omics data such as CODEX, CellDive, MIBI, and IMS. In my free time, I enjoy getting lost in new places, hiking, computer graphics, and a bit of math.

I am excited about most aspects of the evolution and biology of microbial life. I am fascinated by protists and enjoy learning everything about them, especially their diversity and phylogenetic relationships. I have a lot of fun microscoping environmental samples. Endosymbiosis and eukaryogenesis are topics that interest me a lot, which is why I started off my studies by investigating the evolution of meiotic genes. For my internship in the Husnik Unit, I intend to study tiny stramenopiles, as well as to culture and identify symbionts of various large benthic foraminifera. Outside of the lab, I am interested in science fiction and enjoy delving into a wide range of art forms, from doodling to musical theater.

My main research interests are in microbiology and cell biology. For my undergraduate degree, my dissertation was based on studying the functions of the potential mucin-degrading chitinase enzymes secreted from the pathogenic bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and how they may facilitate invasion into host cells. I have a great interest in microorganisms and would like to spend my time during this internship studying different protists and their symbiotic interactions. Apart from science I enjoy going on walks, reading, and doodling.

I have started my path toward bioinformatics with thoughts of quitting biology. As a bachelor's student, I was interested in programming and data analysis. Luckily, I was introduced to bioinformatics. Since then, I have been working and improving as a bioinformatician. I am interested in the analysis of genomes and metagenomes of protists, gene functions and their possible interactions inside one organism as well as between hosts and their symbionts. I am also interested in the ecology of protists and I use the metabarcoding approach and molecular phylogenetics to investigate freshwater and marine communities of protists. Apart from work, I do boxing and play ice hockey.

My main research interest is marine microbiology, especially the role of marine microorganisms in global cycles. During my time at OIST, I want to explore the microbiome of deep-sea foraminifera using FISH and confocal microscopy. In the past, I have worked on a modified dilution experiment to quantify the virus-induced mortality rate of phytoplankton in the Baltic Sea. I also participated in a research cruise on the RV Meteor where we sampled along the African west coast as part of the AtlanTIC project. I love exploring the outdoors, rock climbing, diving, and practicing martial arts.

I joined the unit in June 2021. My role is to provide administrative support to the unit members to ensure the smooth running of the unit. I was born and grew up in Okinawa, and after spending 4 years in Tokyo and 6 years in the U.S., I returned back to my hometown. Outside of work, I enjoy catching fish and bugs with my children.

My research interests are broad areas of cell biology, histology, and various microscopy techniques. During my undergraduate studies, I have been studying S6K1 isoforms to expand our knowledge of cellular signaling. In the Husnik Unit, I will focus on evolutionary cell biology of single-celled eukaryotes. Besides science, I enjoy studying the art of kyudo with the Kyiv archery club "真弓会". Also, I spend my free time playing computer games and learning Japanese.

My interests include many topics in evolutionary biology, especially how eukaryotic genomes evolve. As an undergraduate student, the research topics I was interested in included the chromosome evolution of Orthoptera, and the dynamics and differentiation of B- and neo-sex chromosomes. As a master candidate, I studied the repetitive DNA content in the genomes of jellyfishes and their association with genome size change. I am interested in the dynamics of transposable elements, the genomic mechanisms of repression and the de-regulation of these elements, and their impact on genome evolution. I enjoy taking photographs of nature and my friends, trekking/hiking, and snorkeling.

During my bachelor’s, I was in a molecular and computational evolution lab in which I studied protein evolution using computational tools. I used simulations to study how limitation in the space of possible phenotypic changes shapes the course of evolution. I am interested in understanding evolutionary constraints and patterns by incorporating both computational and experimental approaches. Apart from my research, I enjoy drawing and exploring new places.

My main scientific interests revolve around ecology and evolution of host-microbe interactions. In the past, I have been working on parasites and bacterial infections but the focus of my research shifted towards the evolutionary and environmental microbiology of mutualistic bacteria and viruses. In the past few years, I transitioned from molecular biology and microbiology to comparative genomics but I try to combine fields in my research. During and after my master’s, I primarily worked with insects as hosts, but following my internship at OIST, I will make my childhood dream come true and switch to marine systems for my PhD. Outside of research, I enjoy scuba diving, lacrosse, concerts, food, and video games.

I am a marine microbiologist and my research revolves around the single-celled life of the benthic ecosystem. Currently, I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) where I study the ecology and symbioses of foraminifera, deep-sea unicellular eukaryotes. Here at OIST my aim is to include single-cell genomics into that research. Previously, I have worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, where my work focused on developing eDNA-based tools for marine benthic monitoring. Besides work, I enjoy being outside as much as possible, hiking, swimming and exploring new places.

During my academic career, I have studied ciliates (Ciliophora), particularly free-living ones using morphological traits and molecular markers to unveil their diversity in freshwater and marine environments. I am currently enrolled as a Ph.D. student at Cepicka’s lab at Charles University (Czech Republic) where I am focusing on anaerobic ciliates and more specifically their relationship with methanogenic archaea. My plan at OIST is to learn and use bioinformatic tools to study the symbiont and host genomes to understand the evolution of their relationship. Apart from science, I do enjoy looking at ciliates under the microscope, but also listen to goth-rock/metal and post-punk music, attend concerts, read about bats (although I forget almost everything), and write never-ending nightmares and poems. 

My undergraduate background is in biochemistry, but I am interested in the structure and evolution of various pathogens. For my rotation, I will be studying a class of Radiolaria called Acantharea and their endosymbionts. I want to know more about the changes the endosymbionts undergo and how those changes are triggered and controlled by the hosts. While these are not pathogens, I think Acantharea are amazing and the techniques I will learn in this project will be extremely useful to me in the future. In my free time, I enjoy gardening, drawing, and trying new foods!

I am interested in the impact of climate change on host-symbiont interactions in marine ecosystems. In my undergraduate studies, I assisted in a lab tracking allometric coral growth. In the Husnik unit, I will study how ocean acidification and warming affect algal symbiosis in large benthic foraminifera. Outside of the lab, I love to bake vegan desserts, go thrift shopping, and explore new places in Okinawa.

I am an algae aficionado! I like to observe their different shapes and features and I am particularly interested in their genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships. During my career, I sampled some unusual habitats ranging from extremely acidic lakes to cold Arctic habitats and, believe me or not, I always found some new gems! Green algae will always be my first love but studies of peculiar eustigmatophytes are what gets my bills paid. I am also engaged in projects dealing with quirks of organellar genomes (from extreme expansion to high reduction) improving our knowledge of the plastid and mitochondrion evolution in protists. Recently, I got excited about algal endosymbionts – what an unexplored niche, I thought. It always takes two (or more) to tango and I am curious to know which of the partners leads the dance. Well, I won't lie, I also love fine chocolate and wine!