About Me

I am interested in understanding how biological systems work using quantitative and engineering methods.

I completed my bachelor's and master's degrees from University of Tokyo where I majored in systems engineering. I then became interested in figuring out how the brain works at the systems level. I obtained my Ph.D. in systems neuroscience from the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. I currently work as a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School.

Education
Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, 2015
(Advisor: Michale Fee)
 
M.S. in Information Physics and Computing, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 2008
 
B.S. in Mathematical Engineering and Information Physics, The University of Tokyo, 2006
Honors & Awards
  • Warren Alpert Distinguished Scholar (2020-current)
  • HHMI Fellow of the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation (2017-2020)
  • Mahoney Postdoctoral Fellow (Department of Neurobiology, HMS, 2016-2017)
  • Capranica Prize (International Society for Neuroethology; 2016)
  • Hubert Schoemaker Fellowship (MIT; 2013 – 2014)
  • The Nakajima Foundation Scholarship (2008 – 2013)
  • Walle Nauta Award for Continuing Dedication to Teaching (Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT; 2011)
  • Angus McDonald Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT; 2010)
  • Academic Research Grant Program, University of Tokyo (2007)
  • Science Grand Prix for Junior High School Students, Tokyo Electric Power Company (1997)

Research Experience
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA                                                                   2015-present
Neural circuit mechanisms underlying wind-guided navigation in Drosophila
Advisor: Rachel Wilson

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA                          2008 – 2015
Neural mechanisms of song learning in juvenile zebra finches
Advisor: Michale Fee
 
The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan                                                                  2006 – 2008
Development of brain machine interfaces in rats
Advisors: Kunihiko Mabuchi, Takafumi Suzuki
 
The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan                                                                 2005 – 2006
Investigating relationships between reaction times and brain activities measured by MEG
Advisors: Tsunehiro Takeda, Kaoru Amano