Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) has been selected by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) as a recipient of the "COI-NEXT" program in 2022, which aims to realize a sustainable society based on mind, body, and natural environment, and will establish the "Global Bioconvergence Innovation Center" in 2023…

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) has been selected by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) as a recipient of the "COI-NEXT" program in 2022, which aims to realize a sustainable society based on mind, body, and natural environment, and will establish the "Global Bioconvergence Innovation Center" in 2023…

This is third podcast episode where DJ Nick Luscombe, OIST Podcaster in Residence, checks out OIST's Visiting Program (TSVP). In this documentary, you will experience a day in the life of visiting researchers on the OIST campus. In the TSVP office area, we will meet the people who are running the program and hear from visitors about their research.…

In this latest episode of OIST’s podcast featuring researchers from the OIST Global Bioconvergence Center of Innovation, a center dedicated to promoting mental, physical, and environmental health based on the “One World, One Health” approach, OIST Podcaster in Residence, DJ Nick Luscombe spoke with Prof. Kenji Doya, leader of the Neural Computation…

DJ Nick Luscombe, OIST Podcaster in Residence, checks out OIST's Visiting Program (TSVP). In this episode, he introduces the Thematic Programs that started last year as part of the TSVP. He talks to Dr. Samuel Ross, OIST researcher who is the scientific coordinator for the second the Thematic Program on "The Future of Response Diversity and Ecosyst…

Embark on a journey into the future of healthcare with the fifth OIST podcast episode on the Global Bioconvergence Center of Innovation. DJ Nick Luscombe dives deep into groundbreaking research with Profs. Amy Shen and Keiko Kono, who are reshaping healthcare through microfluidic devices and anti-senescence supplements. From disease detection to fo…

In the latest episode of OIST’s Global Bioconvergence Center podcast series, DJ Nick Luscombe speaks to the team managing the Global Bioconvergence Center of Innovation at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) about the highlights and challenges of pursuing the new center’s long-term objectives. The core team ensures the smooth run…

In this episode of the OIST Podcast, we introduce listeners to the latest episode of New Ratio, a podcast by OIST Podcaster in Residence DJ Nick Luscombe. In this interview and performance recorded at OIST in August of 2023, Okinawan musician ARAGAKI Mutsumi demonstrates how she combines Okinawan sanshin and traditional singing with environmental r…

In the latest episode of our Global Bioconvergence Center of Innovation podcast series, DJ Nick Luscombe speaks with researchers from the OKEON Churamori Project, who use genomics, machine learning and acoustic monitoring to gain new insights into ecosystem health. Get more information at the Global Bioconvergence Center of Innovation.…

In this second episode of the Global Bioconvergence Center of Innovation podcast series, DJ Nick Luscombe discusses coral reef research at OIST with Prof. Nori Satoh and Prof. Timothy Ravasi. From field trips to exotic places, to the valuable support of local Okinawans, it’s a fascinating journey!

Delve into the first episode of a six-part series on the innovative research conducted at the Global Bioconvergence Center of Innovation. DJ Nick Luscombe, OIST Podcaster in Residence, talks to Prof. Tom Froese, leader of the Embodied Cognitive Science Unit at OIST. They discuss the center’s research on mental health and what mental well-being mean…

DJ Nick Luscombe, OIST Podcaster in Residence, checks out OIST's Theoretical Sciences Visiting Program (TSVP). In this episode, he talks to Dr. Jonas Fischer, TSVP Academic Coordinator, and Prof. Simone Pigolotti to learn more about the program. He also interviews the guest researchers visiting OIST as part of the program and asks them about their …

In episode #9 of the Connectomics podcast, Mark sits down with neuroscientist and philosopher Andrea Hiott. In this episode they talk about Andrea's work in providing a new metaphor for understanding cognition: cognition as navigation or way-making. As well as exploring what exactly is meant by the claim that cognition is way-making, they explore h…

In episode #8 of the Connectomics podcast, Mark sits down with cognitive scientist and ethical AI researcher, Dr. Abeba Birhane. In this episode, they talk about Abeba's work auditing large image datasets, how they have discovered racial biases in these data sets, and what the implications of that are. They also talk about Abeba's work in embodied …

Prof. Paola Laurino leads the Protein Engineering and Evolution Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). Fascinated by proteins, she has spent much of her career looking at the structure, function, and evolution of enzymes, a group of proteins that facilitates vital chemical reactions for living organisms.…

In episode #6 of the Connectomics podcast, Mark speaks with philosopher of embodied cognitive science, Dr. Mog Stapleton. Mog is presently a visiting researcher at OIST, and is working on understanding the relationship between cognition and the gut-brain axis. In this episode, they talked about the role of aesthetics in the production of knowledge,…

In episode #5 of the Connectomics podcast, Mark speaks with sustainability researcher Roope Kaaronen. Roope is a postdoc at the University of Helsinki, Finland. In this episode, they talked about Roope's fortuitous introduction to ecological psychology and its value to his present work, his present work on strategic design interventions for large s…

In episode #4 of the Connectomics podcast, Mark speaks with theoretical cognitive scientist Marek McGann. Marek is a lecturer in the psychology department in Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, Ireland. In this episode they talked about Marek existing at the intersection of enaction and ecological psychology, the concept of behaviour settings and …

In episode #3 of the Connectomics podcast, Mark speaks with philosopher Laura Mojica. At the time of recording Laura was also working in the Embodied Cognitive Science Unit at OIST. Laura works on the notion of normativity from an enactive standpoint, though she brings her experience working in analytic philosophy to bear on the topic. Laura is als…

In episode #2 of the Connectomics podcast, Mark speaks with Dr. Fred Cummin, head of the Cognitive Science program at University College Dublin. Fred is a linguist and the originator of the field of study that is joint speech: where two or more people say the same thing at the same time, such as within religious rituals, at sporting events, or at p…

In episode #1 of the Connectomics podcast, Mark speaks with Dr. Tom Froese, head of the Embodied Cognitive Science Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST). The conversation touches on the central themes of embodied cognitive science and the enactive framework in particular, the methods of this approach, the mission of the uni…

Connectomics explores the intersection between embodied cognitive science, philosophy, culture, technology and design.By Mark James

In this episode Dr. Teresa Iglesias, team leader for cephalopod support in OIST’s Animal Resources Section, talks about her career working with cephalopods, that is octopus, cuttlefish, and squid, and what they can tell us about animal behavior and two-stage sleep.

The Connectomics podcast, a spin-off from the OIST podcast, explores the intersection between embodied cognitive science, philosophy, culture, technology and design. In this intro episode of Connectomics, host, Mark James, research fellow in OIST's Embodied Cognitive Science Unit, asks the question 'Where is my mind?' and introduces you to some ide…

Will robots become researchers? On this episode, Prof. Hiroaki Kitano talks about his vision for utilizing AI to move beyond human limitations in the lab and to revolutionize scientific discovery.

In this episode of the OIST podcast, Dr. Dan Warren talks about his many research projects, or ‘hobbies’, that use quantitative methods to answer questions about the natural world.By OIST

Podcast host, Lucy Dickie, speaks to four female researchers about the challenges that come with being a woman working in STEM, their own personal experiences, and what they would like to see change.

In this episode, Prof. Filip Husnik, who leads the Evolution, Cell Biology, and Symbiosis Unit, talks about his research on symbiosis. Tune in to hear about coral reefs, insects, the deep sea, and Okinawa’s star sand.By OIST

This episode, Lucy Dickie speaks to Prof. Sam Reiter about cephalopods, the emerging field of neuroethology, and how we can learn more about the brain and intelligence.By OIST

This episode is all about scientific outreach. Science Communicator Lucy Dickie speaks to a community relations staff member and two scientists about outreach and what it was like running the annual OIST science festival during the time of COVID-19.

It’s part two of our clownfish podcast! Professor Tim Ravasi uses clownfish to determine how a warmer, more acidic ocean might impact fish communities. Science Communicator Lucy Dickie caught up with him to find out more.By OIST

This episode is all about clownfish! Science Communicator Lucy Dickie speaks to Professor Vincent Laudet who leads OIST’s Marine Eco-Evo-Devo Unit and uses the well-known orange-and-white fish as his model species.By OIST

Margaret Mars Brisbin is a recent OIST graduate whose PhD focused on Acantharians – tiny, marine organisms. Science communication fellow, Lucy Dickie, spoke to Maggi about this research, marine conservation more broadly, and why it’s important for marine scientists to inspire others to care about the ocean.…

In this episode, we speak to OIST Provost Professor Mary Collins about COVID-19. We talk about the virus but also OIST’s response to the outbreak in Okinawa, and the many projects that have been started here to help contain the spread within the community.By OIST

This episode Lucy Dickie speaks to OIST adjunct researcher Professor Greg Stephens about quantifying behavior. Greg looks at systems across the biological world, from tiny wiggling worms and rowdy zebrafish to crowds of people.

In this episode of the OIST podcast, we talk with Michael Izumiyama and Billy Moore. Both are first year marine science students and have just returned from a two-week research expedition to New Caledonia. We talked about their research, their favorite dive spots and when they first became interested in the ocean.…

This episode we're I’m talking with James Higa, Okinawan raised luminary of Silicon Valley. We talk Apple, philanthropy, and the future of tech in Okinawa and beyond.

This episode, we talk with OIST Researcher Dr. Tamar Gutnick about working with animals, choosy tortoises, petting stingrays and the mysterious lives of wibbly-wobbly cephalopods.By OIST

Today we're chatting with Dr GP. Yeh - veteran of FermiLab for 30 years, and now heading up the GP Yeh Foundation as well as being a member of the advisory board fro the OIST Foundation. Dr. Yeh talks with us about his foundation's projects to develop particle therapies for cancer sufferers, sustainable energy, and his boundless enthusiasm for the …

This episode, we talk to Dr. Thomas Kornberg, professor of biochemistry and biophysics in the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco. He obtained his BA and PhD degrees at Columbia University in New York. His work on cellular communication mechanisms led to the discovery of cytonemes, the thin cellular proj…

Tadashi Tokieda is a professor in the Department of Mathematics, Stanford University. He grew up as a painter in Japan, became a classical philologist in France, and has been an applied mathematician in Europe and elsewhere. He is active in outreach in the developing world, especially via the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences. At the last…

Samaya Nissanke is an astrophysicist at the University of Amsterdam’s center of excellence for Gravitation and Astroparticle Physics (GRAPPA). She is also a joint faculty member at the Anton Pannekoek Institute and the Institute for High Energy Physics. This episode, Dr. Nissanke talks about a cosmic scavenger hunt to find evidence of merging event…

Professor Tom Froese is the head of the Embodied Cognitive Science Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). He studies the interaction between agents and their environment, and the role of these interactions in cognition. In this episode we cover the possibilities and limitations of considering brains as i…

Professor Yasha Neiman is the head of the Quantum Gravity Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST). He spends his time thinking about how gravity and quantum mechanics can coexist in a universe that is expanding at an accelerating rate. In this episode we cover the standard model of particle physics, how li…

Professor Fred Turek is the Director of the Center for Sleep & Circadian Biology and Charles & Emma Professor of Biology in the Department of Neurobiology at Northwestern University. He is also the founder and first President of the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms. In this episode, we cover the basics of the “master clock” in the brain, …

Sir Jim Smith is Head of the Wellcome Science Review and Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute’s Developmental Biology Laboratory. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society and was knighted in 2017 for services to medical research and science education. In this episode, we talk about the future of embryonic research, including the development …

In 2012, when OIST had only 200+ researchers, representing approximately 30 countries, OIST's first podcast “Crossing Frontiers, a Scientific Passport Podcast" was created to highlight the interesting backgrounds and fascinating research of five OIST researchers. This is the fifth of those episodes. Pinaki Chakraborty, a Physicist from India explai…

In 2012, when OIST had only 200+ researchers, representing approximately 30 countries, OIST's first podcast “Crossing Frontiers, a Scientific Passport Podcast" was created to highlight the interesting backgrounds and fascinating research of five OIST researchers. This is the fourth of those episodes. Masako Nakamura, Marine Biologist from Chiba, Ja…

In 2012, when OIST had only 200+ researchers, representing approximately 30 countries, OIST's first podcast “Crossing Frontiers, a Scientific Passport Podcast" was created to highlight the interesting backgrounds and fascinating research of five OIST researchers. This is the third of those episodes. Lars Goran Ofverstedt, a Swedish Structural Biolo…

In 2012, when OIST had only 200+ researchers, representing approximately 30 countries, OIST's first podcast “Crossing Frontiers, a Scientific Passport Podcast" was created to highlight the interesting backgrounds and fascinating research of five OIST researchers. This is the second of those episodes. Marianela Garcia-Munoz, Neuroscientist from Cost…