Explore research labs at leading universities worldwide — research fields and key papers at a glance.
Professor Jinbong Park's research lab focuses on the development of natural product-based therapeutics for metabolic disorders and cancer, with a strong emphasis on the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity, cancer progression, and immune modulation. The lab investigates bioactive compounds from plants and marine sources—such as citrus, cinnamon, black raspberry, and seaweed—to explore their anti-obesity, anti-cancer, and immunomodulatory effects through in vitro and in vivo models. A key research direction involves combining natural compounds with physical therapies like hyperthermia to enhance therapeutic efficacy and overcome resistance mechanisms.
Professor Dong Nyoung Heo's research lab specializes in advanced biomaterials and tissue engineering, focusing on the development of functional hydrogels, nanofibrous scaffolds, and bioactive implants for regenerative medicine. The lab integrates novel materials—such as gold nanoparticles, gelatin, polyurethane, and polyimide—with cutting-edge fabrication techniques like 3D bioprinting, electrospinning, and fused deposition modeling to create biomimetic constructs for bone and neural tissue repair. A key focus is on enhancing mechanical properties, controlling drug delivery, and improving long-term biocompatibility and signal stability in implantable devices. The lab also pioneers scaffold-free, spheroid-based 3D tissue engineering strategies inspired by developmental biology to overcome limitations of traditional scaffold-based approaches.
Professor Young Ju Kim's research lab specializes in advanced electromagnetic materials and biomedical applications, focusing on the design and characterization of metamaterial-based absorbers for microwave and terahertz frequencies. The lab investigates ultrathin, broadband, and polarization-insensitive absorbers using resonant structures and embedded resistors to achieve near-perfect absorption through impedance matching and magnetic field cancellation. In parallel, the lab explores the biological and clinical implications of microbial communities and oxidative stress, particularly in relation to vaginal microbiome composition and mental health screening using validated psychological tools. The integration of materials science with biomedical engineering defines the lab’s interdisciplinary approach.
Professor Akira Furusawa's research lab specializes in quantum optics and continuous-variable quantum information science, focusing on the experimental realization and application of quantum entanglement, quantum teleportation, and cluster states. The lab pioneers large-scale, two-dimensional continuous-variable cluster states and develops advanced techniques for quantum state engineering, including nonclassical light generation and quantum error correction using GKP qubits. Their work bridges theoretical concepts with experimental demonstrations, particularly in optical quantum computing and precision metrology using squeezed light. The lab is at the forefront of integrating discrete- and continuous-variable quantum technologies for scalable quantum information processing.
Professor Kohei Nakajima's research lab specializes in soft robotics, embodied intelligence, and computational dynamics, focusing on leveraging the complex, nonlinear body dynamics of soft materials for real-time computation and control. The lab explores how the intrinsic physical properties of soft materials—such as elasticity, nonlinearity, and high degrees of freedom—can serve as computational resources, enabling memory-like functions and robust control without traditional external processors. By integrating principles from biology, particularly muscular-hydrostat systems like the octopus arm, the lab develops bio-inspired soft robots that perform intelligent behaviors through passive mechanics and environmental interaction. Their work bridges robotics, machine learning, and materials science to create low-cost, adaptive sensors and autonomous systems for real-world applications such as disaster monitoring and environmental sensing.
Professor Hirokazu Kobayashi's research lab specializes in sustainable catalysis and biomass conversion, focusing on the efficient transformation of abundant renewable resources—such as cellulose, chitin, and lignocellulosic biomass—into valuable chemicals and fuels. The lab develops innovative solid-solid catalytic systems using activated carbons and base metal catalysts (e.g., Ni/C) to achieve high selectivity and yield in reactions like glucose and hexitol production, while emphasizing catalyst durability and recyclability. A key innovation involves enhancing solid–solid interfacial contact through mechanical activation (e.g., ball-milling), enabling efficient depolymerization and functionalization of recalcitrant biomass. The lab also investigates reaction mechanisms using advanced spectroscopy and DFT calculations to guide rational catalyst design.
Professor Ryo Shimano's research lab specializes in ultrafast quantum dynamics and terahertz science, focusing on the coherent control and spectroscopy of quantum materials. The lab investigates emergent quantum phenomena such as Higgs modes in superconductors, electron-hole liquids, and topological responses in correlated electron systems using advanced time-resolved terahertz and optical techniques. Key research directions include non-thermal phase control, magneto-optical effects in low-dimensional materials, and the coherent manipulation of many-body quantum states. The lab combines ultrafast spectroscopy with theoretical modeling to probe fundamental mechanisms in high-temperature superconductors, topological materials, and strongly correlated systems.
Professor Sebastián Bahamonde's research lab specializes in modified theories of gravity, with a strong focus on teleparallel gravity and its generalizations. The lab explores the mathematical and physical foundations of gravity theories based on torsion rather than curvature, investigating their cosmological implications, symmetries, and consistency with observational constraints such as those from gravitational wave events. Key research directions include the construction of second-order theories, the role of local Lorentz invariance, and the application of symmetry methods like the Noether symmetry approach to derive exact solutions and understand the dynamics of cosmological models.
Professor Takaaki Daimon's research lab focuses on insect molecular biology and functional genomics, with a central emphasis on the hormonal regulation of insect development—particularly juvenile hormones (JHs) and ecdysteroids—in model insects like the silkworm, Bombyx mori. The lab investigates the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying molting, metamorphosis, and developmental timing, using advanced genome-editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 to dissect gene function. They also explore insect metabolism, including flavonoid biosynthesis and detoxification pathways, especially in relation to host-plant interactions and the physiological impact of dietary compounds.
Professor Jiangkuan Xing's research lab specializes in computational combustion and energy conversion, focusing on the fundamental mechanisms of coal and biomass devolatilization, ammonia-based combustion, and turbulent mixing in energy systems. The lab employs advanced numerical modeling techniques—such as chemical percolation devolatilization (CPD), direct numerical simulation (DNS), and machine learning (e.g., random forest) to predict combustion behavior, volatile release, and NOx formation under complex conditions. Key research directions include multi-fuel co-firing (e.g., coal-ammonia, biomass-hydrogen), flame structure analysis, and turbulence-chemistry interactions in practical combustion environments.
Professor Kaoru Dokko's research lab specializes in advanced materials and electrochemical systems for next-generation energy storage, with a strong focus on lithium-based batteries such as Li–S and lithium iron phosphate systems. The lab investigates ion transport mechanisms, electrolyte design—including solvate ionic liquids and highly concentrated electrolytes—and the fundamental electrokinetics at the single-particle level using sophisticated electrochemical techniques. Key research directions include understanding interfacial phenomena, suppressing polysulfide shuttling, and characterizing structural and electronic changes during electrochemical reactions through in situ spectroscopy and impedance analysis.
Professor Yo Tanaka's research lab specializes in bio-integrated microsystems, focusing on harnessing the intrinsic mechanical functions of living cells—particularly cardiomyocytes—for creating autonomous, bio-powered microfluidic devices. The lab pioneers cell-driven microactuators and micropumps that convert cellular metabolic energy into controlled fluidic motion, enabling implantable and implantable-like systems without external power sources. Their work emphasizes the development of biocompatible, transparent, and flexible microfluidic platforms using advanced materials such as ultra-thin glass and PDMS, with applications in regenerative medicine, drug delivery, and lab-on-a-chip systems. A key innovation lies in the integration of living cells as functional components, blurring the line between biology and engineering for next-generation biomedical devices.
Professor Yuji Sutou's research lab specializes in the development and characterization of advanced functional materials, particularly shape memory alloys and high-entropy alloys, with a focus on martensitic and magnetic transformations. The lab investigates the microstructure-property relationships in Heusler-type, Fe-Mn-Al-C, and Cu-Al-Mn-based alloys to enable applications in biomedical devices and structural materials. Key research directions include microstructural engineering for enhanced superelasticity, shape memory effects, and mechanical properties through thermomechanical treatments and phase transformation control.
Professor Hongmin Zhu's research lab specializes in the design and synthesis of advanced semiconductor nanostructures for solar energy conversion, with a primary focus on photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting. The lab develops novel heterojunction architectures, such as core–shell, p–n, and Schottky junction systems, integrating materials like TaON, Cu₂O, Ta₃N₅, and graphene-based composites to enhance charge separation and photostability. Key research directions include the rational engineering of hierarchical nanostructures, surface passivation strategies, and the integration of plasmonic or co-catalyst nanostructures to maximize solar-to-fuel efficiency.
Professor Naoto Tsubouchi's research lab specializes in coal pyrolysis chemistry, with a focus on understanding the fundamental mechanisms of volatile release, carbon structure development, and the roles of inherent and added catalysts—particularly calcium and iron-based minerals—in influencing nitrogen, chlorine, and oxygen species evolution during thermal conversion. The lab employs advanced analytical techniques such as XPS, online gas monitoring, and XRD to investigate the behavior of heteroatoms (N, Cl, O) and catalytic effects in low-rank coals and carbonized materials. Their work also extends to applications in clean coal technology, including hot gas cleanup for IGCC systems and the development of catalytic materials for ammonia decomposition.
Professor Kiyofumi Kurumisawa's research lab specializes in the development and performance evaluation of sustainable cementitious materials, with a strong focus on alkali-activated materials (AAMs) and their durability. The lab investigates fresh and hardened properties of AAMs, including workability, drying shrinkage, and transport properties such as chloride diffusion and porosity. Using advanced experimental techniques and predictive modeling—particularly artificial neural networks—the lab aims to optimize mix designs for long-term performance and environmental sustainability. The research also extends to cement-based materials for radioactive waste containment, examining their behavior under leaching conditions and long-term stability in groundwater environments.
Professor Jun-Hyung Tak's research lab specializes in the discovery and mechanistic investigation of bioactive natural products, particularly plant-derived essential oils and their terpenoid constituents, for sustainable pest and vector control. The lab focuses on understanding the synergistic interactions between natural compounds, with an emphasis on pharmacokinetic mechanisms such as solubility, spreadability, and penetration enhancement in insect cuticles. Their work spans insecticidal, acaricidal, and fumigant activities against agricultural pests and disease vectors like mosquitoes, maize weevils, and mites, often combining chemical analysis with bioassay-driven compound identification. The lab also explores the potential of natural compounds as alternatives to synthetic pesticides, with a strong focus on structure-activity relationships and mode-of-action elucidation.
Professor Dong Ho Lee's research lab specializes in liver imaging and interventional radiology, focusing on the diagnosis, characterization, and percutaneous treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver fibrosis. The lab investigates advanced MRI techniques—particularly gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI and shear-wave elastography—for improving the non-invasive differentiation of liver tumors and assessment of liver allograft health. A key research direction involves optimizing radiofrequency ablation (RFA) techniques to enhance treatment efficacy and reduce local tumor recurrence in early-stage HCC. The lab also explores imaging biomarkers for non-invasive quantification of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, aiming to reduce reliance on invasive liver biopsy.
Professor Kyoungdoug Min's research lab specializes in advanced engine modeling and emissions prediction using deep learning and semi-physical approaches. The lab focuses on real-time, cycle-by-cycle prediction of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in diesel and gasoline engines under transient operating conditions, integrating in-cylinder measurements with engine control unit (ECU) data. Key research directions include developing accurate deep neural networks (DNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM) models for NOx prediction, as well as creating physics-informed models that incorporate fundamental combustion and emission formation mechanisms. The lab’s work supports the development of real-time feedback control systems to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations.
Professor Jeong Hoon Lee's research lab specializes in micro- and nanofluidic systems, with a focus on developing innovative, low-cost, and disposable devices for biomedical diagnostics and single-cell analysis. The lab pioneers novel fabrication techniques—such as plasma bonding, ion-selective membrane printing, and junction gap breakdown—for creating high-performance protein and enzyme preconcentrators in PDMS. Their work emphasizes enhancing sensitivity and reaction kinetics in biochemical assays, particularly for low-abundance biomolecules, enabling rapid, high-throughput detection with minimal sample volumes. The lab also explores functional materials, including PZT-based microcantilevers and metallic photonic crystals, for applications in biosensing and tailored thermal emission.
