SAVE THE DATE! October 1, 2026, 16:00, OIST Entrance Tunnel – RAM 2026 Poster Session! – Registration and call for presentations are already open! – CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

September 24, 2026 - September 25, 2026 at OIST Land neXus

Title : The Obstruction of Orientability of Real Monopole Floer Homology Abstract : The Real Seiberg-Witten theory is one of a stong tool in knot theory and surface knot theory. For example, that can detect exotic P^2-knot and Kang-Park-Taniguchi proved that any non trivial cable of figure eight knot is not slice using Real Seiberg-Witten theory. This theory is also provide interesting phenomena in index theory, since Real Seiberg-Witten theory can be seen as a "non-linear version" of Atiya's Real K-theory. For example, there is an obstruction to orient moduli space of Real Seiberg-Witten eqations on closed 4-manifolds. Recently, Bonciocat obtained a obstruction to lift the real Heegaard Floer homology from mod 2 coefficient to Z-coefficient. In this talk, we give a canonical way to obtain Z- coefficient real monopole Floer homology of double branced cover of a link in homology S^3 in the case when the obstruction vanishes. We also proved that the Bonciocat's obstruction is also obstract Z-coefficient in real monopole, however the proof is different. This is joint work with Jiakai Li.

Professor Matthew Middleton, Director of the Southampton Space Institute Deputy Head of School (Education), School of Physics and Astronomy University of Southampton

Dominik Krengel from Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology

Ryudai-OIST Joint Symposium

This symposium brings together researchers from the University of the Ryukyus School of Medicine and OIST to share their research and explore opportunities for scientific exchange. By fostering interactions across institutions and disciplines, the event aims to strengthen connections, encourage collaboration, and promote the development of new research partnerships. All researchers and students from the University of the Ryukyus and OIST are welcome to participate, and attendees are invited to present their work during the poster session.

The Scientific Computing & Data Analysis Section (SCDA) invites you to a full week of training to get your computing set up and your questions answered!

Scan the QR code for the full schedule!

Title: Mathematical analysis of generalized fractional viscoelastic models

Speaker: Prof. Hiromichi Itou (Chuo University)

Prof. Akatsuki Kimura, National Institute of Genetics & The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Japan

Title: From image generation to three-dimensional turbulence: a physically interpretable diffusion-model from the perspective of deterministic PDEs

Speaker: Prof. Tsuyoshi Yoneda (Hitotsubashi University)

Title: Strong positivity property for subdiffusion equations and applications to related inverse problems

Speaker: Prof. Yikan Liu (Kyoto University)

This training course will show you how to make best use of the high-performance computing resources at OIST. In the first session we show you how computing clusters are organized and introduce the fundamental concepts of parallel computing.

Reliable data storage is fundamental to research. In this training we will introduce the storage systems, talk about how to organise your data, do backups, handle remote data transfer, and the do’s and don’ts of using the storage systems.

TSVP Talk Language: English (no interpretation). Target audience: General audience / everyone at OIST and beyond. Freely accessible to all OIST members and guests without registration (also via Zoom).

The command line is the primary way to use the high performance computing resources at OIST. Here we quickly learn the basics we need to become comfortable and productive.

Start RAM 2026 celebration by presenting your research at the RAM Poster Session!

A beginner's introduction to using the clusters and other computing resources at OIST. This is the second, hands-on session.

This workshop is part of TSVP Thematic Program “New Frontiers in Gauge Theory, Topology, and Physics” (TP26GT) at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology .

RAM 2026 Speed-collaboration event. Details to be added later.

The OIST Mini-Workshop on Gauge Theory and Low-Dimensional Topology is a three-day research meeting bringing together researchers working in gauge theory and low-dimensional topology.

The workshop is held as part of the OIST program New Frontiers in Gauge Theory, Topology, and Physics .

Bring your own lunch and join us to make new connections and enjoy some fun conversations! This month in conjunction with RAM.

Latest research on the Darwinian evolution of RNA-protein self-replication systems, synthetic gene circuits, and mirror-image biology.

DEI Lunch Seminar: open communication across cultures. Details to be added later

Seminar by Kwabena Boahen, Stanford University

Dynamics, Fluctuations, and Entanglement in Quantum Materials and Many-Body Systems

The seminar will focus on risk management, with invited external experts discussing risk management in research laboratories and across the university as a whole.

A mini course on the application of machine learning in polymer chemistry

Professor Rong Tong is Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech

5 lectures over 5 weeks. October 16 to November 13 (Friday afternoons)

OIST Workshop | Website | Main organizer: Marco Terenzio (Molecular Neuroscience Unit) |OIST members are welcome to attend all scientific sessions. Meals are closed sessions for registered participants only.

In this workshop, OIST researcher, Dr. Tomoyuki Mano, and guest science communicator, Dr. Danna Staaf, invite participants to explore the fascinating world of the octopus mind. Octopuses may look strange, but they are smart and full of surprises! Join our two speakers and discover the secrets of the octopus! Registration Required

Language: English

Speaker : Shogo Ozaki, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University Title : Flexibility in Bacterial Replication Origins: Molecular Mechanisms and Evolutionary Implications Abstract : Chromosomal DNA replication begins at a specific genomic locus, the replication origin (oriC). While the initiator protein DnaA is highly conserved among bacteria, replication origin sequences are remarkably diverse. This raises a fundamental question: how can bacterial replication initiation remain robust despite extensive evolutionary changes in origin architecture? In this seminar, I will present our studies of DNA replication origins from evolutionarily distant bacteria, including Escherichia coli, the hyperthermophile Thermotoga maritima, and the alphaproteobacterium Caulobacter crescentus. Comparison of these species reveals striking differences in origin architecture, providing a unique opportunity to explore how replication initiation systems evolve while maintaining the same fundamental function. By combining biochemical, genetic, and comparative approaches, we uncovered unexpected flexibility in DnaA-dependent origin function. Our findings reveal that bacterial replication origins can tolerate variation in the orientation of DnaA-binding sites, the sequence of unwound DNA, and the spacing between essential origin elements. Together, these observations suggest that DnaA-dependent initiation complexes possess intrinsic flexibility that enables replication origins to diversify during evolution while preserving reliable replication initiation. These findings provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms that underlie both the robustness and the evolutionary diversification of bacterial chromosome replication. Reference : Kiyohara N, Wakasugi Y, Ihara K, Kubaru A, Maruki S, Kojima N, Yoshitomi S, Katayama T, Ozaki S. Origin flexibility governs robust ssDNA engagement by the DnaA initiator. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026 Sep 22;123(38):e2615469123. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2615469123. Lu C, Yoshida R, Katayama T, Ozaki S. Thermotoga maritima oriC involves a DNA unwinding element with distinct modules and a DnaA-oligomerizing region with a novel directional binding mode. J Biol Chem. 2023 Jul;299(7):104888. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104888.

A mini course on the application of machine learning in polymer chemistry

Professor Rong Tong is Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech

5 lectures over 5 weeks. October 16 to November 13 (Friday afternoons)

Improvised presentations “PowerPoint Karaoke” (Lab0, L4D Lounge), 20:00-22:00. Details to be provided later.

“Should I stay or should I go?” Debate on leaving the Academia (C209), 17:00-18:30. Details to be provided later.

“Beyond Academia: Startup Careers at OIST” with Pizza networking session organized with OIST Innovation (C210), 16:00-18:00. Details to be provided later.

Seminar by JSPS Fellow: Asa Conover

A mini course on the application of machine learning in polymer chemistry

Professor Rong Tong is Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech

5 lectures over 5 weeks. October 16 to November 13 (Friday afternoons)

During Blitz Talks , speakers showcase their research within 3 minutes! A panel of referees will evaluate and choose the best presentations .

A mini course on the application of machine learning in polymer chemistry

Professor Rong Tong is Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech

5 lectures over 5 weeks. October 16 to November 13 (Friday afternoons)

OIST Workshop | Website | Main organizer: Tom Froese (Embodied Cognitive Science Unit) | OIST members are welcome to attend all scientific sessions (registration required).

A mini course on the application of machine learning in polymer chemistry

Professor Rong Tong is Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech

5 lectures over 5 weeks. October 16 to November 13 (Friday afternoons)

Plant Engineering Biology: Engineering green organisms for a sustainable future

Seminar by Dr. Florian Gabriel from Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB)

[Speaker] Prof. Takahiro Tsukahara, Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Tokyo University of Science

OIST Workshop | Website | Main organizer: Shu Zhang (Collective Dynamics and Quantum Transport Unit) |OIST members are welcome to attend all scientific sessions. Meals are closed sessions for registered participants only.

The Open Center for Energy will co-host a joint symposium with I²CNER (International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research), Kyushu University, in January, 2027.

OIST Workshop | Website | Main organizer: Makoto Yamada (Machine Learning and Data Science Unit) |OIST members are welcome to attend all scientific sessions. Meals are closed sessions for registered participants only.

OIST Workshop | Website | Main organizer: Tomoyuki Arakawa (Chiral Representation Theory Unit) |OIST members are welcome to attend all scientific sessions. Meals are closed sessions for registered participants only.

OIST Workshop | Website | Main organizer: Fumiaki Yokoyama (Buribushi Fellow; Yokoyama Group) |OIST members are welcome to attend all scientific sessions. Meals are closed sessions for registered participants only.