- Neural Stem Cell Research
Ryoichiro Kageyama - Kageyama has a PhD from the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University. After working for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US, the Faculty of Medicine and the Institute for Life and Medical Sciences at Kyoto University, he assumed his current position in 2021.
He loves taking walks. Lately, he explores minor streets in search of cozy cafes. According to his wife, he spaces out on the couch when he’s at home, but he claims not to be aware of it.
- Neural Computation and Adaptation
Taro Toyoizumi - Taro has a PhD from the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo. After studying at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and working as a researcher at Columbia University in the United States, he assumed his current position. He is also a professor at the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo. He is a recipient of the Young Investigator Award of the International Neural Network Society, and the Young Scientist Award commended by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Lately, he is feeling blue because his elder daughter has not been as interested in playing with him as she used to be. His other daughter, who often says that the meals he makes are full of vegetables and look like rabbit food, is a big fan of Strawberry Prince, a singing group on YouTube. She is educating him on how gorgeous the group is.
- Consciousness
Hakwan Lau - Before joining RIKEN CBS in 2021, Hakwan was a tenured full professor at UCLA. His previous research is summarized in his book.
Outside of work, he enjoys cooking. His morning routine is to wake before his wife does and prepare breakfast for her every day.
- Multi-scale Biological Psychiatry
Akiko Hayashi-Takagi - Akiko is a former psychiatrist. After serving as Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo and Professor at the Gunma University, she assumed her current position.
When not conducting research, she often cooks elaborate meals, serves them to her husband and others (He is the main guinea pig for such meals), and discusses ways to improve protocols. She also loves to sip alcohol while cuddling up to her cats and indulges in at times deep and at times shallow contemplation of various topics.
Master of Ceremonies
- Science Writer
Kaoru Takeuchi - Kaoru is a cat-loving science writer with a Ph.D. in Physics. His activities include writing scientific review articles, essays, and book reviews, appearing on TV and radio, and giving lectures. He is also the principal of YES International School, which provides education for surviving in the age of AI.
