The research method for predicting protein production like this is a field that combines bioscience and information science and is called bioinformatics, which analyzes biological phenomena by using computers. Did the research environment at NAIST, which actively promotes the integration of different fields, have any influence on you?

It had a big impact because it determined the direction of my research. Since I was originally interested in biology, I enrolled in NAIST after attending a technical college with a biology department and then the Faculty of Agriculture, Kobe University. I had conducted wet research (research based on experiments) until my master’s degree. However, my encounter with bioinformatics, a type of dry research (research based on computer analysis), during my doctorate degree marked a major turning point. At that time, I was conducting research on plant mRNA translational control under Professor Ko Kato at the Laboratory of Plant Metabolic Regulation (currently a professor at the Laboratory of Bioengineering). During that research, I learned that Prof. Kato had previously collaborated with Professor Shigehiko Kanaya at the Laboratory of Computational Systems Biology in the Division of Information Science to work on data analysis of gene expression regulation. This was the trigger that led me to take an interest in a field in which I had no prior experience.
Prof. Kanaya taught me the basic techniques of information science. I became convinced that data analysis methods and concepts could be applied to my own research, which then led me to become fully absorbed in dry research. I acquired the theory in the field of information science and its various research methods almost entirely on my own while I studied for my doctoral degree and as a postdoctoral researcher. Now, my main research field is bioinformatics. I built the background of new research while remaining devoted to interdisciplinary research at university, which is still helping me today.
Even from a faculty member’s perspective, having students like me, who are accepting the challenge of interdisciplinary research, would bring positive stimulation to the research environment. If I’m not being conceited, I believe that during my studies at my university, I had a mutually stimulating relationship with my supervisor, Prof. Kato, and influenced his research approach.
From my experience, I realize that our university’s projects promoting next-generation interdisciplinary research will create a great opportunity for both students and faculty members. Currently, our university offers the NAIST Granite Program and the Digital Green Innovation Program. Students have more opportunities to study interdisciplinary fields than we did when I studied at university. I also encourage the students I supervise to actively participate. Furthermore, NAIST provides such programs as the Next-Generation Interdisciplinary Research Promotion Project, which supports interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty members. These kinds of support allow the matching of researchers with mutual interests, which enable them to acquire high-quality data and conduct thorough validations and which leads to mutually beneficial research. If researchers aim to advance research through interdisciplinary approaches, I will say that NAIST is in an extremely favorable environment.