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181 news
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2025-04-23
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iTHEMS x academist online event was held on April 19, 2025
iTHEMS held an online lecture event for the general public with the help of Academist Inc., on April 19, 2025. This year’s speakers were Yuuka Kanakubo, Kan Kitamura, Leo Speidel, and Yuki Yokokura, who delivered clear and easy-to-understand lectures that even middle school students could comprehend. Each speaker also served as a commentator for other lectures and facilitated Q&A sessions based on audience questions. During the lunch break, as part of the lunch program, Director Iso, a physicist, and Prof. Fumiharu Kato, a mathematician, engaged in a discussion about the future possibilities of mathematics, moderated by Ms. Shinozaki. The event was organized and hosted by Ms. Michibayashi and Mr. Katada from Academist, who helped make the event a success. The event was attended by 414 people, and at one point there were over 250 in the audience.
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2025-04-09
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Greeting from the Director, Satoshi Iso
This April, iTHEMS entered a new phase with a renewed and expanded structure. While we continue to grow and evolve, the spirit of iTHEMS remains unchanged.
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2025-04-08
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iTHEMS Starter Meeting for FY 2025 on April 4, 2025
On Friday, April 4, 2025, the annual iTHEMS Starter Meeting was held at 12:30 PM in Suzuki Umetaro Hall. Unlike the regular Coffee Meetings that take place every Friday at the same time, the Starter Meeting marks the beginning of the academic year and serves as a special occasion to introduce new members, allow existing members to reintroduce themselves, and share the outlook for the year ahead. This year’s meeting was held on a larger scale than usual to commemorate a major organizational milestone—the transformation of iTHEMS from a program into the newly established RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences. The meeting opened with a commemorative talk by Tetsuo Hatsuda, former Program Director, who reflected on the history of interdisciplinary mathematical science research at RIKEN, beginning with the iTHES program and leading up to the evolution of iTHEMS. He also expressed heartfelt appreciation for the contributions of former Deputy Program Directors Takashi Tsuboi and Takemasa Miyoshi. Following his talk, the new Center Director, Satoshi Iso, provided an overview of the structure and vision for the newly reorganized iTHEMS, including the establishment of new research units and teams designed to further expand and deepen the center’s interdisciplinary mission. Flower bouquets were then presented to Hatsuda-san and Tsuboi-san as a gesture of gratitude, while Miyoshi-san, who was absent, was also acknowledged for his contributions. After a brief intermission, Tsukasa Tada, Deputy Director, introduced the newly adopted iTHEMS Code of Conduct. He emphasized its core principles—mutual respect, scientific integrity, inclusivity, and responsibility—and explained how the Code reflects the ethical foundation that each member is encouraged to uphold and shape as the community evolves. This was followed by a series of one-minute self-introductions by all members, each using a single slide, continuing the tradition of fostering familiarity and collaboration across disciplines. The meeting concluded slightly before 5:00 PM, after which participants returned to the Main Research Building to attend a reception in the open space on the third floor. The reception provided an opportunity for further discussion and networking among iTHEMS members and affiliated researchers, marking a warm and promising start to the new academic year under the expanded vision of the iTHEMS Center.
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2025-04-08
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Takashi Tsuboi Appointed Honorary Research Fellow at RIKEN
The former Deputy Program Director of iTHEMS, Takashi Tsuboi, has been appointed "Honorary Research Fellow" at RIKEN by President Makoto Gonokami, effective April 1, 2025.This honor recognizes Takashi’s many years of distinguished service as Deputy Program Director of iTHEMS (FY2017–FY2024), as well as his outstanding achievements and dedicated contributions. He will continue to support iTHEMS as a Senior Visiting Scientist. Congratulations, Takashi!
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2025-04-01
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Farewell message from Daiki Kumakura
Our colleague, Daiki Kumakura, joins R&D Division at Daiichi Sankyo Co. as Translational Scientist after receiving PhD last week from Hokkaido University. We wish him the best of luck in this new endeavor. Here is a message from Daiki: I joined iTHEMS as a Junior Research Associate (JRA) in April 2022, and since then I have been fortunate to experience a wealth of opportunities and engaging discussions that go far beyond what I encountered at university. When I started as a JRA, I set myself the dual goals of advancing both research and education. In research, I pursued mathematical and computational analyses with a focus on microbial themes. In education, I established a Young Researchers in Mathematical Biology group for students and organized a summer school. Additionally, I participated in public outreach by designing a “one poster per family” project, and through appearances on FM radio and our university’s YouTube channel, I helped spread the excitement of mathematical science and the unique identity of iTHEMS to students throughout Japan. I am deeply grateful to the many individuals at iTHEMS whose support made all of these endeavors possible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Starting in April 2025, I will be embarking on a new chapter as a Translational Scientist at Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. In this role, I will analyze and interpret clinical trial data across various disease areas, including cancer, with the aim of enabling faster and more appropriate drug prescriptions for patients. I look forward to applying the invaluable experiences I gained at iTHEMS to establish a strong position for mathematical science in industrial applications. My career has flourished thanks to iTHEMS, and I sincerely wish for the continued growth and success of the iTHEMS community. I hope to maintain close ties with all of you in the future. Thank you very much for everything.
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2025-03-24
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Farewell message from Akihisa Yamamoto
Our colleague, Akihosa Yamamoto, will be joining Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Faculty of Systems Design at Tokyo Metropolitan University as an Associate Professor starting April 1st, 2025. We will all miss him and wish him the best of luck in this new endeavor. Here is a message from Akihisa: I joined RIKEN iTHEMS as a research scientist in April 2024. Although it has only been a year, I truly enjoyed my time here. I have encountered many exciting and diverse research topics that have significantly expanded my scientific horizons and thoroughly enjoyed attending seminars across various fields. Due to the great diversity and high quality of the presentations, it has not always been easy to grasp the key take-home messages and formulate relevant questions. Nonetheless, I have always enjoyed the opportunity to immerse myself in these stimulating discussions. I am also very grateful for the positive atmosphere of iTHEMS, fostered by talented and considerate colleagues. It has been a great pleasure to be a part of this fantastic institute, and I sincerely thank the Program Director Hatsuda-san and every member of iTHEMS including all the assistants for collectively maintaining such a supportive environment. I will be appointed as an Associate Professor in the Biomechanical Engineering Area in the Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Faculty of Systems Design at Tokyo Metropolitan University on April 1st, 2025. I plan to continue my exploration of the mechanistic understanding of homeostasis and the dynamics of living systems. I am sure that the scientific perspective and thought processes I have developed during my time at iTHEMS will remain with me throughout my scientific career. I sincerely wish for the continuous and even greater success of iTHEMS, and I look forward to staying in touch with iTHEMS members.
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2025-03-23
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Farewell message from Rongyang Sun
Our colleague, Rongyang Sun, will be joining Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University Northridge, as a postdoctoral researcher, starting April 2025. We will all miss him and wish him the best of luck in this new endeavor. Here is a message from Rongyang: I joined iTHEMS in April 2023 as part of RIKEN Quantum, and you may not even meet me on campus as my base is at R-CCS in Kobe. Although my time in iTHEMS has been short, formally only half a year, and I participated in the events remotely most of the time, I learned so much, far more than I expected, from this active research institute, which owns the best diversity and productivity. I would like to thank all the members of iTHEMS, including the directors, researchers, and assistants. Thank you for giving me such a unique experience in my research career! While I am moving to the US, a physically very far away place, I will continue to follow the development of iTHEMS and share in its success. Starting in April 2025, iTHEMS will be upgraded to a research center. I sincerely wish all the members and the institute greater success in this new era!
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2025-03-18
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Farewell message from Steffen Backes
Our colleague, Steffen Backes, will be joining the RIKEN TRIP Research DX Team as an Expert Technician, starting April 1, 2025. We will all miss him and wish him the best of luck in this new endeavor. Here is a message from Steffen: I joined iTHEMS and RIKEN in August 2023, so only about 1.5 years ago, but this time had a lasting impression on my personal life and scientific career. It is hard to overstate how much I enjoyed being part of iTHEMS, as it has been an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding time. Being able to meet so many knowledgeable and kind people from different fields and parts of the world, and coming up with new and unconventional ideas due to different backgrounds, was truly amazing. I am very grateful for having been accepted to iTHEMS, which I think is a very special and outstanding place due to this diversity and scientific freedom, that is hard to be found elsewhere. In FY2025 (April 1st) I will change to an Expert Technician position in the RIKEN TRIP Research DX Team, Wako Campus, so I will still stay close to iTHEMS! As far as time allows, I will make sure to drop by and say hello :) Thank you everyone for this great time, and let's meet again soon!
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2025-03-12
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Farewell message from Jizhou Li
Our colleague, Jizhou Li, will be joining Professor Akira Shudo's group in the Department of Physics at Tokyo Metropolitan University as a postdoctoral researcher, starting April 1, 2025. We will all miss him and wish him the best of luck in this new endeavor. Here is a message from Jizhou: As I move on to my next position at Tokyo Metropolitan University, I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you. I’ve really enjoyed the discussions, collaborations, and all the insightful talks at iTHEMS. The biology seminars and coffee meetings, in particular, have been a fantastic learning experience for me. Luckily, since I live just 1 km from RIKEN, I’m not going too far! I still plan to drop by for the biology seminar every Thursday, so I’m looking forward to more chats and discussions with you all. Thanks again, and see you around!
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2025-03-06
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RIKEN-Nara Women's University Joint Diversity Promotion Workshop 2025 on March 3, 2025
On March 3 and 4, a total of 19 students from various courses at Nara Women's University—including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biological sciences, and environmental sciences (comprising first-year, second-year, and third-year undergraduate students, as well as first-year master's students)—visited RIKEN. During their visit, they toured several research facilities, including the RIBF Facility at the RIKEN Nishina Center (RNC), the RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS), the Laboratory for Sensorimotor Integration at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS), the Photonics Control Technology Team at the RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics (RAP), and the Molecular Bioregulation Research Team at the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS). At each laboratory, the students had the opportunity to engage with cutting-edge research up close, observe experimental equipment, and ask researchers about their work. In the evening, they participated in a networking session with RIKEN researchers, where they explored research topics in depth through iTHEMS members' poster presentations. This interactive session also provided insights into the daily lives and career paths of researchers, offering students valuable inspiration from the research environment. This diversity promotion initiative is a collaborative project between the Faculty of Science at Nara Women's University and the RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS), conducted under the auspices of the RIKEN Diversity Promotion Office. It is organized alongside a series of lectures at Nara Women's University and is planned to continue in the coming years.
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2025-02-25
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Farewell message from Jeffrey Fawcett
Our colleague, Jeffrey Fawcett will move on to a new career as a Chief Scientist at Regional Fish Institute, Ltd. as of March 1st, 2025. We all will miss him and wish him the best of luck in his latest endeavor. Here is a message from Jeffrey Fawcett: I will be moving to Kyoto to work at a company called Regional Fish from March. I will also most likely have a joint position at Kyoto University at a lab funded by the company. The company was started a few years ago mostly be people from Kyoto University, Graduate School of Agriculture, where I did my study, and specializes in breeding and developing fish and aquatic species using genome editing and various other techniques. My task will mainly be to perform genomic data analysis for the company, although I will also have some freedom to pursue my own research. I am looking forward to the new challenge to utilize my expertise and work for a company whose I mission I can identify with. I have been in iTHEMS for exactly 7 years, which say how much I enjoyed and appreciated the setup of iTHEMS. I remember some people telling me its their first time meeting a biologist, whereas I never imagined I would ever have the opportunity to enjoy talks on pure mathematics and theoretical physics. I would like to thank all the people involved in iTHEMS and hopefully I will be able to visit iTHEMS from time to time and keep up the connection.
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2025-02-10
Hot TopicFarewell message from Nozomi Kakinuma
Our administrative staff member, Nozomi Kakinuma, will be leaving RIKEN on February 14 to return to academic research. We will greatly miss her and wish her all the best in her future endeavors. Here is a message from Nozomi: Since April last year, I have been part of iTHEMS as a staff member in the iTHEMS Promotion Office. However, I have recently decided to pursue a career in research. Through coffee meetings, where researchers passionately discussed their work and explained it in an accessible way, I came to deeply appreciate both the excitement and significance of fundamental research. Inspired by these experiences, I am now committed to dedicating myself to research. I am truly grateful for all the support and guidance I have received. Thank you very much.
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2025-01-24
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Farewell message from Liang Zhang
Our colleague, Liang Zhang, has returned to the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences to complete his PhD thesis. We will all miss him and wish him the very best of luck in successfully defending his thesis ! Here is a message from Liang Zhang: I joined iTHEMS in January 2023 as a joint student and completed my two-year journey here in January 2025. I initially joined iTHEMS to study lattice QCD and the HAL QCD method, and I am deeply grateful to Hatsuda-san and Doi-san for guiding me into this fascinating field. However, I soon realized that my experience at iTHEMS extended far beyond my original purpose. For example I had a discussion with Namba san on chiral symmetry breaking which is studied in both particle physics and cosmology. It left an immediate impression that physics is so universal other than reading such sentences in textbooks. And the interdisciplinary energy at iTHEMS constantly amazed me. When I first came here I always struggled to pinpoint people’s major. In some seminars, theoretical physicists gave a biology talk (like Christy)! I vaguely feel like there is a group theory for nature which can be expressed to different representations, biological, mathematical, physical, etc. Is this what the “i” in iTHEMS means? At last I would like to thank everyone in iTHEMS again for my two-year experience here. This experience gives me a great impulse to expand the possibilities of my future research life. iTHEMS’s uniqueness lies in its boundless possibilities. And I dearly hope our paths will cross again!
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2025-01-17
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Farewell message from Lucy McNeill
Our colleague Lucy McNeill has moved on to a new career as a Hakubi Assistant Professor at The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University as of January 16, 2025. We all will miss her and wish her the best of luck in her latest endeavor. Here is a message from Lucy McNeill: During my 1 year at iTHEMS as a postdoctoral researcher, I was presented with opportunities to further both my own research and professional development at every turn. I am especially grateful for iTHEMS directors and colleagues' support in starting the "asymptotics in astrophysics" iTHEMS study group, ample chances to travel abroad to share my work, and the frequent international workshops organised at iTHEMS. In particular, workshops co-hosted with RIKEN-Berkeley left this lasting impression on me; that new stellar astrophysics and supernova physics paradigms are creatively and efficiently conceived when physicists, mathematicians and data scientists join forces to solve longstanding astrophysical puzzles. iTHEMS is such a special place where those necessary first interactions are regularly facilitated, and I am sad to leave. But... "I'll be back"!
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2025-01-10
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Farewell message from Yantao Wu
Our colleague Yantao Wu will move on to a new career as a faculty member at Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences as of January 10, 2025. We all will miss him and wish him the best of luck in his latest endeavor. Here is a message from Yantao Wu: I joined iTHEMS in June 2021 as a RIKEN-Berkeley fellow, and have stayed here for three years and a half now. iTHEMS is a precious rare place in the academic world, where there seems to be no responsibility, no one telling you what to do, and infinite space for travel; where there seems to be a curious mind on every subject and every question ought to be asked. The interdisciplinary nature of the group has forever left an imprint on me, and I will always remember the vivid biological facts and mathematical tricks that I have learned here. Entering as a condensed matter physicist and leaving as a condensed matter physicist, my heart will always have a spot for the particle theory which I have learned from here. It has been an unexpected, yet very pleasant mix. Sadly, it appears that every gathering ends somewhere, and I need to leave this warm and protective bubble to a new place, to really enter the grown world of independent research and start my own group. iTHEMS will always remain as a source of lasting encouragement. I will move to the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing to start a faculty position. If you ever want to visit, please let me know you are from iTHEMS and I will make you a cup of tea (amidst taking you to the great wall and covering your travel costs.)
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2024-12-24
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iTHEMS Science Outreach Workshop 2024 was held on November 15-17, 2024
On November 15-17, we had Meeting on Outreach of RIKEN iTHEMS 2024 @Sendai & Zoom. This year as the last year the meeting was held at TOKYO ELECTRON House of Creativity 3F, Lecture Theater, Katahira Campus, Tohoku University. It was organized by RIKEN iTHEMS and Mathematical Science Center for Co-creative Society of Tohoku University and co-organised by Tohoku Forum for Creativity, Organization for Research Promotion, Tohoku University and RIKEN CPR, Prediction Science Laboratory. There were 39 people participated at TOKYO ELECTRON House of Creativity and 16 more by zoom. There were 20 talks at the venue and 2 talks by zoom. There were 2 posters, one photo exhibition. There were really a variety of thought around the past and the future of mathematics. Some of highlights are: talks concerning about causality from designers and physisists; about teaching mathematics in Art University; about the preparation of "Mathematics Connecting to the World: One S&T poster for Every Household"; etc. 7 talks were given by journalists and 1 by MEXT. The on-site participants consist of 10+1 members from RIKEN, 14+3 from universities and institutes, and 12+5 journalists (at venue + by zoom). We organized a social gathering on the first evening which was successful. We thank very much for the help of Tohoku University for the warm hospitality. By the success of this meeting, we hope the continuation of Journalist in residence program and this workshop next year. Reported by Takashi Tsuboi
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2024-12-17
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Hadrons and Hadron Interactions in QCD -- Experiments, Effective theories, and Lattice -- (HHIQCD2024) was held from Oct. 14 to Nov. 15, 2024
On Oct. 14 (Mon) - Nov. 15 (Fri), a long-term workshop "Hadrons and Hadron Interactions in QCD -- Experiments, Effective theories, and Lattice -- (HHIQCD2024)" was held at Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics (YITP), Kyoto University. The week of Oct. 28 (Mon) - Nov. 2 (Fri) was held as "Nishinomiya-Yukawa symposium". The workshop was sponsored by YITP and supported by RIKEN-iTHEMS and several JSPS/JST programs. We had 193 participants from all over the world, with most of them attending in-person. There were 64 invited talks and 49 contributed talks. The international school, "Introduction to QCD and related topics", was also held and 5 lectures were given. The purpose of this HHIQCD2024 workshop was to bring researchers in lattice QCD, various effective field theories and also experimentalists together and make extensive discussions on hadron physics. Furthermore, the workshop also focused on formal developments of quantum field theories and frontiers of first-principle calculations (quantum computation and tensor network methods). The workshop expected to bring a new direction of researches to understand the nature of QCD. This long-term workshop was a "stay-and-discuss" style workshop in a relaxed atmosphere, where each participant was encouraged to stay long. With this style, participants had intensive discussions with other participants, and even started new collaborations during the workshop. Presentation slides can be downloaded from the HHIQCD2024 web page.
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2024-12-16
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The second internal meeting of RIKEN Quantum on December 6, 2024
On Dec. 6 (Fri), the second internal meeting of RIKEN Quantum was held at Room 359, Main Research Building, RIKEN (Wako), attended by over 40 RIKEN Quantum members and related researchers. At this meeting, Yantao Wu, Himadri Pathak, and Xiaoyang Wang who have become RIKEN Quantum researchers this fall gave presentations on their recent research. In addition, 8 researchers from outside RIKEN who have become RIKEN visiting scientists in September to conduct collaborative research proposals also gave short talks to introduce themselves. They had a very lively discussion that will deepen understanding of their research. During the banquet following the meeting, participants deepened exchanges in a relaxed atmosphere and engaged in various conversations that will lead to the future development of RIKEN Quantum's activities.
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2024-11-26
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Farewell message from Shingo Gibo
Our colleague Shingo Gibo will move on to a new career as senior researcher at Institute for Basic Science (IBS), South Korea as of December 1, 2024. We all will miss him and wish him the best of luck in his latest endeavor. Here is a message from Shingo Gibo: I joined iTHEMS in September 2018 and spent six years as a postdoctoral researcher at iTHEMS. During this time, I have theoretically studied biological oscillations with Kurosawa-san. Additionally, I collaborated on interdisciplinary research on waveforms in circadian clocks with physicists, Hatsuda-san and Kunihiro-san. I would like to thank all the members for the valuable discussions and support. I have learned a lot and truly enjoyed my time at iTHEMS. From December, I will be moving to Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea as a senior researcher. Thank you for the great six years and see you again!
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2024-11-12
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Farewell message from Yaokun Lei
Our colleague Yaokun Lei will move on to a new career as associate research fellow at Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, China as of November. 11, 2024. We all will miss him and wish him the best of luck in his latest endeavor. Here is a message from Yaokun Lei: I joined iTHEMS last August. Although it’s a short time, it has been a truly enriching experience to be a part of iTHEMS. The support and collaborative spirit here have been invaluable, and I am especially grateful for the guidance and help from Hatsuda-san and Sugita-san, whose encouragement has greatly impacted this journey. I am thankful for the friendships and knowledge shared, and as I step forward, I carry with me not only the insights from my research but also the inspiration from our exchanges. I hope our paths cross again in future collaborations. Thank you all for everything, and wishing you continued success and discoveries.
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2024-10-16
Hot TopicRIKEN Quantum Workshop on “Quantum-Like Modeling in Cognitive & Social Sciences" on October 11, 2024
On Oct. 11 (Fri), RIKEN Quantum Workshop on “Quantum-Like Modeling in Cognitive & Social Sciences” was held at Room 359, Main Research Building, RIKEN (Wako). The workshop was hosted by RIKEN Quantum and had 30 participants from a variety of fields, including cognitive and social sciences as well as life sciences, mathematics, and physics. This was the first workshop at RIKEN to discuss “Quantum-Like Modeling” for various phenomena in cognitive and social sciences. “Quantum-Like Modeling” suggests that using quantum probability calculus and its applications could be useful to rationalize cognitive and social phenomena as open quantum systems and expand previous understandings, obtained through simple linear algebra, by applying quantum formalizations. After Atsushi Iriki, one of the organizers, explained the purpose of the workshop, there were four invited talks. Andrei Khrennikov gave a comprehensive talk on applications of the methodology and formalism of quantum theory outside of physics, in cognition, psychology, decision making, social and political sciences, economics and finance, genetics and evolutionary biology. Masanao Ozawa gave an introduction to his proposed quantum instrument theory, which unifies quantum measurement and quantum cognition through quantum simulation. Haruki Emori talked about applications of quantum computers to cognitive sciences based on the quantum instrument theory. Finally, Miho Fuyama introduced her empirical research on subjective experiences and superposition states of quantum probability theory in narrative reading. These invited talks were followed by a general discussion and networking mixer, which deepened understanding of “Quantum-Like Modeling” in cognitive and social sciences from various perspectives and promoted new networking among the participants.
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2024-10-09
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Report on the induction ceremony of American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Tetsuo Hatsuda attended the induction ceremony of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences [1], held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from September 29 to October 1, 2024, as a newly elected International Honorary Member (HIM). This year, 250 new members were inducted, including 25 HIMs [2], across various fields such as Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Humanities and Arts, and Leadership, Policy and Communications. The ceremony began with a gathering of new members at the House of the Academy [3]. The formal induction took place on September 30 at Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall at Harvard University [4], starting at 3 p.m. During the ceremony, each inductee was called to the stage individually to sign the Academy members’ book. In addition to the induction ceremony, there were receptions on September 29 and 30. The event concluded with a special lecture titled "Memory is about your future – what we think we become," delivered by André Fenton. In the photograph, Tetsuo Hatsuda is seen on the left signing the Academy's book. On the right, he is pictured conversing with Bonnie Fleming [5], a fellow inductee in physics and a neutrino experimentalist from Fermilab. Throughout the meeting, Tetsuo enjoyed engaging in conversations not only with fellow physicists but also with researchers from the social sciences and humanities.
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2024-10-08
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Presentation of iTHEMS outreach at NuFACT conference
iTHEMS is a fantastic environment in which we conduct interdisciplinary research daily. Along with our research activity, a variety of outreach activities have been conducted so far. Tomoya Nagai (Coordinator, iTHEMS) presented this special environment and its outreach activity at the NuFACT 2024 conference. At the conference, a session for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Education, and Outreach (IDEEO) was composed. The session itself was organized so that we could visualize diversity in terms of speaker's and convener's properties. It provided us with a good opportunity to know IDEEO-related activities all over the world, which can be a chance to recognize and reconsider the issue around to achieve "good environments for everyone". One special example of the iTHEMS outreach was the "Journalist in residence" program. The uniqueness of the activity caught significant attention from the participants of the conference. Also, "Mathematics Connecting to the World: One S&T poster for Every Household" seemed to be intriguing. Although we had only a limited time for this exhibition and discussion, Nagai's attendance brought the conference a fresh view of the outreach activity as well as the achievements of the interdisciplinary and diverse environments. iTHEMS can be so influential to our community in multiple contexts!
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2024-10-02
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RIKEN - LBNL Workshop on Quantum Information Science on September 3-6, 2024
On Sep. 3 (Tue) - 6 (Fri), RIKEN - LBNL Workshop on Quantum Information Science was held at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The workshop was co-hosted by RIKEN-iTHEMS and LBNL and sponsored by RIKEN Quantum, with 32 and 40 participants from Japan and USA, respectively. This was the second in-person workshop by RIKEN and LBNL on quantum information science since the first was held at LBNL in January 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together researchers worldwide to discuss and collaborate on the latest developments in quantum technologies and quantum computing including algorithms, hybrid quantum-classical computing, error mitigation, and applications in physics and chemistry. There were 36 talks and 4 poster presentations during the entire four days. In the afternoons of the second and third days, in addition to tours of LBNL's Advanced Quantum Testbed (AQT) and National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) facilities, special sessions delved into discussions on several focus areas and provided networking opportunities for future collaborations.
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2024-09-27
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Farewell message from Eiji Inoue
Our colleague Eiji Inoue will move on to a new career as an assistant professor at Kyoto University as of Oct. 1, 2024. We all will miss him and wish him the best of luck in his latest endeavor. Here is a message from Eiji Inoue: I spent three and a half years in iTHEMS as an SPDR on math. I would like to thank the program director and assistants for their mindful support over these three and a half years. I also wish to thank iTHEMS members for discussion on many occasions. These years I spent in iTHEMS were invaluable for me. Among all, the best experience for me was that I could gradually get a feeling on "physics in the real world" not only mathematical structure of physics, from the choice of words physicists use in daily discussion. In these casual discussions, I could also try if my understanding of physics are correct. I also enjoyed playing quantum computers. I think it was impossible to experience without this tolerant environment of iTHEMS; indeed, it just started from a casual conversation with the director. It was the first time I experienced quantum phenomena, especially quantum entanglement, in the real world where I exist. This may sound a little strange, but I feel like I haven't had that feeling of interest in how the real world works in a long time. While I was going through these experiences like a newborn child, as a mathematician, I could finally achieve my original project on Perelman entropy in the last half year during my visits to Cambridge, Montreal and Aarhus. There are still many thigs to do, but this is certainly the foundation of this new theory. One regret is that I could not finish writing a paper on this result while enrolled at iTHEMS. I'll be an assistant professor at Kyoto University (Department of Math) from October. I welcome people from iTHEMS to come to Kyoto and discuss. I will also ask iTHEMS for help. See you again!
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2024-09-24
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Farewell message from Kazuki Kannaka
Our colleague Kazuki Kannaka will move on to a new career as an assistant professor at Kanazawa University as of Oct. 1, 2024. We all will miss him and wish him the best of luck in his latest endeavor. Here is a message from Kazuki Kannaka: At iTHEMS, thanks to the support from Hatsuda-san, Tada-san, Tsuboi-sensei, and all the assistants, I was able to focus on my research in a wonderful environment. During this period, I made several discoveries that were interesting at least to me. Also, discussing with researchers from other fields at iTHEMS was exciting. I am especially grateful to Namba-san and Iritani-san for providing the opportunity for such discussions. I look forward to continuing our research exchanges. Thank you!
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2024-09-10
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Farewell message from Keita Mikami
Our colleague Keita Mikami will move on to a new career as an assistant professor at University of Hyogo as of Oct. 1, 2024. We all will miss him and wish him the best of luck in his latest endeavor. Here is a message from Keita Mikami: My five and a half years at iTHEMS have been truly outstanding. The environment here has been exceptional, significantly enriching my research in many different ways. One of the key highlights has been the stimulating and insightful discussions with researchers from diverse fields. Furthermore, my experiences working on MACS, organizing math seminars, and coordinating other events such as SSP have been invaluable. My research visit to UCB was also an incredible experience. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the researchers and assistants at iTHEMS. I am especially grateful to the director, Hatsuda-san, for his unwavering support.As I move forward, I hope to continue interacting with the iTHEMS community, albeit in a new capacity. Once again, thank you for these five wonderful years.
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2024-08-27
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Farewell message from Takeru Yokota
Our colleague Takeru Yokota will move to RIKEN Quantum Computer Center (RQC) starting from September 1, 2024, and will then be posted to a University as a faculty member as of April 1, 2025. We all will miss him and wish him the best of luck in his latest endeavor. Here is a message from Takeru Yokota: I am grateful for having spent the past three and a half years in an environment where I could focus on research at iTHEMS. Engaging in discussions with researchers from various fields of mathematical sciences has been a valuable experience. I would like to express my deep appreciation to the director, Hatsuda-san, the staff, and the assistants who created such a wonderful environment, as well as to the members who engaged in these valuable discussions. I look forward to continuing my interactions with the members of iTHEMS in the future.
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2024-07-26
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SLMath Summer Graduate School "h-principle" on July 1, 2024
The SLMath Summer Graduate School "h-principle" Sendai 2024 was held from July 1 to July 12, 2024 at TOKYO ELECTRON House of Creativity (Chi no Yakata) in Katahira Campus of Tohoku University. This two weeks lomg summer graduate school was organized by Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath) and RIKEN iTHEMS, and coorganized by Mathematical Science Center for Co-creative Society (MathCCS) and Tohoku Forum for Creativity (TFC) of Tohoku University. There were 18 graduate students from the supporting institutions of SLMath and 12 graduate students from Japanese universities. There were four courses consisting of five 90 mintes lectures given by Emmy Murphy (Toront University), Dominik Inauen (Leipzig University) and Takashi Tsuboi (RIKEN iTHEMS / Tohoku University). The titles of lectures were "h-principles in smooth topology" by Emmy Murphy and "Riemannian geometry and applications to fluid dynamics" by Dominik Inauen in the first week, and "Contact and symplectic flexibility" by Emmy Murphy and "Foliation theory and diffeomorphism groups" by Takashi Tsuboi in the second week. We took video of the lectures and it can be seen later from the website of SLMath. There were 4 teaching assistants, Toru Yoshiyasu (Kyoto University of Education), Noboru Ogawa (Tokai University), Masato Ogawa (Tohoku University) and Sonia Mahmoudi (SUURI-COOL Sendai, Tohoku University) who took care of the 30 graduate students. Some details can be seen at SLMath website. The staffs of RIKEN iTHEMS, SUURI-COOL Sendai and MathCCS supported this summer graduate school for all the time, and all the participants are realy grateful for their help. TOKYO ELECTRON House of Creativity is really a nice place for the discussions in front of blackboards, and the house was filled with the discussions among the participants for 9:00 - 17:30 and some of the discussions continued in the meeting room in the hotel. The welcome party and the farewell party of Summer Graduate School were held jointy with the participants of G-RIPS Sendai 2024 which went on at MathCCS and which iTHEMS is cohosting. Reported by Takashi Tsuboi
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2024-06-26
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Professor, how many dimensions does "space" have!? ── Asking Theoretical Physicist Yasunori Nomura about the Nature of "Space" from Subatomic to Cosmic Scale
In VOL.53 of the Japanese edition of the magazine 'WIRED,' we delve deeply into the potential of "space" × "computing." However, how should we define the very essence of "space"? A superficial exploration would undoubtedly result in a half-baked understanding. Therefore, we sought the wisdom of one of the foremost theoretical physicists of our time. We visited the office of Yasunori Nomura on the 4th floor of the Physics Department building at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). Professor Nomura, what exactly is "space"? What is space? This question is directly related to the progress of modern physics. It can be said that modern physics is a discipline that seeks to understand "space and time." So, before delving into the perspective of quantum gravity theory, which is my specialty, I would like to briefly explain the relationship between physics and space. For the continuation, please visit the WIRED website through the related link.
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2024-06-12
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Faculty of Science 2023 Year in Review: Catherine Beauchemin
Catherine Beauchemin(Deputy Program Director, iTHEMS) was interviewed by the Toronto Metropolitan University about her interdisciplinary research and its impact. For a physics professor, Catherine Beauchemin certainly gets involved in biology research more than you might expect. Her embrace of interdisciplinarity has taken her to many places, currently to Japan, where she is serving as Deputy Program Director of the Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS) programme at RIKEN, Japan's largest research institute. One of the best aspects? “My position allows me to host TMU trainees in Japan and expand their research and life horizons.” Please see the related links for more details.
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2024-05-29
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Event report: OIST x iTHEMS Workshop Series 1
Renowned globally for its eminent scientists and cutting-edge infrastructures, RIKEN is the largest Japanese research organization in basic natural sciences. This distinction renders RIKEN a very attractive partner for OIST, a burgeoning research-oriented university. Cementing their collaborative endeavorsm, both institutes signed bilateral agreements including a MoU in 2020-2021, triggering and facilitating ambitious projects and fostering new collaborations. Among these, RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS) has emerged as a dynamic hub for active collaboration with OIST. The workshop “OIST x iTHEMS Exploring the Mysteries of the Universe and Life - Series 1 | Cosmic ray and Life project” held at OIST on March 4-6 may be one best example of the type of brainstorming needed for addressing the most challenging questions. To read more, please visit the related link.
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2024-04-28
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Program Director Tetsuo Hatsuda has been elected a new International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
On 24 April 2024, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences announced the election of 250 new members (25 new International Honorary Members) and Tetsuo Hatsuda, Program Director of the RIKEN iTHEMS, was elected as a new International Honorary Member. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is the oldest academy in the United States, founded in 1780, and the Academy's mission is stated as follows: Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences honors excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world, and work together “to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.” "We honor these artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public, non-profit, and private sectors for their accomplishments and for the curiosity, creativity, and courage required to reach new heights,” said David Oxtoby, President of the Academy. “We invite these exceptional individuals to join in the Academy’s work to address serious challenges and advance the common good." From RIKEN, Akito Arima (former President of RIKEN), Ryoji Noyori (former President of RIKEN), Masatoshi Takeichi (former Director of the Center for Developmental Biology) and Shigeyuki Yokoyama (former Director of the RIKEN Systems and Structural Biology Center) have been selected. This year, two Japanese have been selected: Tetsuo Hatsuda (Director of the RIKEN iTHEMS) and Isao Kumakura (Professor Emeritus, National Museum of Ethnology). Induction ceremonies for new members will take place on 21 September in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Comment from Tetsuo Hatada, Program Director: "I feel very honoured to be appointed as a foreign honorary member of the Academy. I hope to contribute to the well-being of humanity and the development of science in cooperation with my seniors in various fields."
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2024-04-28
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Introducing the annual S&T poster for everyone titlled “Mathematics Connecting to the World: One S&T poster for Every Household” at the 'RIKEN DAY: Let’s Talk with Researchers!'
Tomoya Nagai (iTHEMS Coordinator), Daiki Kumakura (iTHEMS Junior Research Associate), and Nahoko Shinozaki (freelance announcer / mathematics communicator) on behalf of the production team of the annual S&T poster for everyone titlled “Mathematics Connecting to the World: One S&T poster for Every Household”, appeared at the monthly online event ’RIKEN DAY: Let's talk with researchers!’ organised by the RIKEN Public Relations Office to talk about the poster and their usual work and research. A total of 144 people participated, with a maximum of 78 on ZOOM and 66 on YouTube, and ZOOM participants consisted of 37% each of elementary and junior high school students and over 50s in general. The event was very enjoyable, with many sharp questions from the primary schools students, such as "Can everything in the world be expressed mathematically?”.
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2024-04-17
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The commemorative lecture for "Science and Technology Week” was held at the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Headquarters
The Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS), which planned and supervised the annual S&T poster for everyone titlled “Mathematics Connecting to the World: One S&T poster for Every Household”, was invited to the commemorative lecture for "Science and Technology Week” held on April 11 at the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Headquarters and introduced the related research of iTHEMS young researchers. The lecture was moderated by Kenji Yamada, Director of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Division, and opened with greetings from Kisaburo Tokai, Chairperson of the Policy Research Council, Keitaro Ohno, Chairperson of the Research Commission on Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy, and Soichiro Imaeda, State Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The lecture was also attended by members of the LDP Student Division. Program: Report: The annual S&T poster for everyone titlled “Mathematics Connecting to the World: One S&T poster for Every Household” Makiko Naka, Executive Director, RIKEN Tomoya Nagai, Representative of the “Mathematics: One S&T poster for Every Household" Production Team, iTHEMS Coordinator Memorial Lecture: Introduction of related research by young RIKEN iTHEMS researchers (Coordinator) Tetsuo Hatsuda, Program Director of iTHEMS "Elucidating the Quantum World: Observational and AI Approaches" Shunji Matsuura, Senior Researcher "Mathematics of Biodiversity" Ryosuke Iritani, Senior Researcher "The Universe Observed with X-rays" Naomi Tsuji, Visiting Researcher "Mathematical Basis for Digital Health Mapping of Bacterial Diseases" Daiki Kumakura, Graduate Student Research Associate
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2024-04-11
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Kyoto University SACRA-RIKEN iTHEMS Special Lecture by Prof. Tadashi Tokieda by Tadashi Tokieda on March 28, 2024
On March 28, 2024, Tadashi Tokieda (Professor, Dept. of Math., Stanford University) gave a public lecture on "Dynamics of Rubbing the Wrong Way (逆撫での力学)" at the Tokyo office of Kyoto Univ. in front of the Tokyo station. This was a Special Lecture co-organized by SACRA Kyoto U. and RIKEN iTHEMS. The lecture was attended by a diverse audience of more than 50 people, including students from the MasaSon Foundation, academic institutions and companies, who enjoyed Tokieda's introduction to the fascinating world of dissipative and non-linear dynamics with numerous demonstrations and lively questions/discussions after the lecture. An English version of the same lecture given by Tokieda at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University on February9, 2024 is available at the related link below. If you missed the SACRA-iTHEMS Lecture, please take a look at it.
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2024-04-11
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TadaFest 2024: Toward understanding of the Origin of Spacetime by Dr. Tsukasa Tada on April 2, 2024
On April 2, 2024, TadaFest2024: Toward Understanding of the Origin of Spacetime, was held at the Okochi Hall. Following an inspiring keynote lecture by Tsukasa Tada (iTHEMS deputy program director) on the past and future research into the emergence of spacetime, four frontline researchers gave special talks on the holographic principle, the uncertainty principle, the spintronics, and the matrix model for spacetime. The meeting was well attended face-to-face and led to a lively discussion on the fundamental principles of physics.
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2024-04-11
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iTHEMS Starter Meeting for FY 2024 on April 5, 2024
On April 5, 2024, the annual iTHEMS Starter Meeting was held in the iTHEMS Common Room. More than 80 people attended, including face-to-face and via Zoom. iTHEMS Programme Director Hatsuda gave an overview of iTHEMS, followed by self-introductions by new and current members. As the new academic year begins, we are looking forward to further interactions across disciplines and the development of great science.
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2024-04-02
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The annual S&T poster for everyone titlled “Mathematics: One S&T poster for Every Household” has been published
The theme for the 2024 edition of the annual S&T poster for everyone “One S&T poster for Every Household” produced by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for Science and Technology Week in April each year, is "Mathematics Connecting to the World”, planned by the RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS). The image for downloading was published on the Science and Technology Week page of the MEXT on March 25, 2024. The poster has been distributed to elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, and universities nationwide. The posters will also be distributed at science museums and museums in the future. A special website with more in-depth coverage of the poster's contents will also be made available. The theme is “mathematics", which is used as a tool to understand and answer questions about things in the world, and the paper introduces how mathematics is used in our daily lives based on various examples.
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2024-03-27
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Farewell message from Mizuki Oikawa
Our colleague Mizuki Oikawa will move on to a new carrier (JSPS Research fellow (PD)) at University of Tokyo as of April 1st. We all will miss him and wish him the best of luck in his latest endeavor. Here is a message from Mizuki Oikawa: I spent three years at iTHEMS as a Junior Research Associate (JRA) for the first two years and a student trainee for the whole three years. It was a great experience that I could communicate with researchers with various backgrounds. Moreover, it was wonderful that iTHEMS gave me chances not only to talk about my research but also host some seminars. I am fortunately going to be a visiting researcher and looking forward to seeing you again soon.
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2024-03-23
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Farewell message from Akira Harada
Our colleague Akira Harada will move to National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Ibaraki College as an Assistant Professor, starting from April 1, 2024. We all will miss him and wish him success in his new affiliation! Here is a message from Akira Harada: For these three years, I have had a very happy time as an SPDR in iTHEMS. It was an invaluable experience to talk with various people and diverse fields and topics. Events like public outreach and Super Smash Problem have been my good memories, and I feel they have provided me a good nourishment. Thanks to such opportunities and the environment for unrestricted research, I feel I have taken a step forward as a researcher. iTHEMS is very comfortable and hard to leave, but I will take further steps in my new workplace. I express my gratitude to the program coordinators, colleagues, and assistants who have engaged in various discussions and provided support. I would be grateful to keep in touch with iTHEMS members in the future.
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2024-03-13
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Farewell message from Hidetoshi Taya
Our colleague Hidetoshi Taya will move to Department of Physics, Hiyoshi Campus, Keio University as an Assistant Professor, starting from April 1, 2024. We all will miss him and wish him success in his new affiliation! Here is a message from Hidetoshi Taya: It was truly one of the greatest experiences in my whole life to be able to enjoy science at iTHEMS for four years (including the one year in 2017 as a JSPS posdoc, before joining as an SPDR from 2021). All iTHEMS researchers are so talented and have a broad interest in science, covering almost all topics of science, not only physics, but also mathematics, biology, computational science, etc. The scientific discussions in iTHEMS, therefore, have always been extremely interesting and useful. iTHEMS also gave me a unique opportunity to enhance collaborations through the Working/Study Group program, which I used with NEW (Non-Equilibrium Working Group) and the Theoretical Physics Study Group, and I have learned and enjoyed a lot through their activities. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the director, Hatsuda-san, the deputy directors, and the assistants, who did/do/are making enormous efforts to achieve the great environment of iTHEMS. Finally, I sincerely hope that iTHEMS will continue to develop and expand its presence, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate and enjoy science with iTHEMS researchers. Thanks for the great four years!
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2024-03-07
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RIKEN-Nara Women's University Joint Diversity Promotion Workshop 2024 was held
On February 29th and March 1st, a total of 23 students from various courses including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental science at Nara Women's University (2nd to 4th year undergraduates, 1st and 2nd year master's students) visited different laboratories at RIKEN: the Azuma Laboratory (CPR), the Takeishi Laboratory (CBS), iTHEMS, the RIBF facility, and the Sako Laboratory (CPR). At each laboratory, they had the opportunity to glimpse cutting-edge research, and during the evening exchange sessions with RIKEN researchers, they were able to ask deeper questions about the research topics and learn about the researchers' daily lives. This diversity promotion activity is part of a joint initiative between the Faculty of Science at Nara Women's University and RIKEN iTHEMS, conducted in conjunction with a series of lectures at Nara Women's University, and is planned to continue in the coming years.
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2024-01-30
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iTHEMS held exchange event with members of the Masason Foundation
RIKEN Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences Program (iTHEMS) held its first exchange event with members of the Masason Foundation on Thursday, December 7th, 2023, as part of its efforts to nurture young talent for the future. Thirteen Foundation members, ranging in age from 9 to 26 years old, with interests in mathematics, physics, biology, AI, etc., and ten iTHEMS researchers participated in the event, engaging in high-level discussions and stimulating exchanges. For more details, please see the main text below.
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2024-01-30
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“Quantum-like Modeling” in Biology, Cognitive & Social Sciences on January 26, 2024
A workshop titled "Quantum-like modeling in biology, cognitive & social sciences", jointly organized by iTHEMS, RIKEN Quantum, and JST-CREST "Multi-sensing" area, was held on Jan. 26 (Fri), 2024 from 9:30 to 17:00 in Okochi Memorial Hall and Zoom. At the beginning of the workshop, Atsushi Iriki (RIKEN), research supervisor of JST-CREST "Multi-sensing" area, explained the purpose of the workshop, followed by Tetsuo Hatsuda (RIKEN) introducing the several quantum computers available in RIKEN Quantum. After that, Hayato Saigo (Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology) gave a talk on "Overview of open quantum systems focusing on JST-CREST projects", and there was a discussion on the possibilities and expectations for modeling and interpretation of general phenomena using quantum theoretical mathematics. Then, Masanao Ozawa (Chubu Univ.) gave a talk on "Theory of non-commutative ordering effects and new mathematical theory in breakthroughs", and there was a discussion on the design of complementary collaboration between experimentalists and mathematicians, and the creation of "new mathematics”. After a lunch break, Takuya Isomura (RIKEN) gave a talk on "Path integral methods in Bayesian inference variational free energy principle", and there was a discussion on the quantum interpretation in biochemistry, neuroscience, cognitive science, and psychiatry. Following this, Shogo Tanaka (Tokai Univ.) gave a talk on "From an atomistic view of humanity to understanding human beings and society through quantum metaphors", and there was a discussion on the possibilities of social implementation of quantum phenomena and quantum computations in the humanities and social sciences. Finally, there was a general discussion on “quantum-like modeling” and the path integral/quantum interpretation of the evolution/history of "human phenomena". About 70 participants, both onsite and online, had an enthusiastic discussion on the quantum interpretation of various phenomena in the humanities and social sciences, and on the possibilities of quantum computation.
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2024-01-26
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Seoul National University student group visited iTHEMS on January 10, 2024
On Wednesday, January 10, a group of 22 undergraduate students part of a student group called GLEAP from Seoul National University (SNU) came to visit iTHEMS, accompanied by Professor Ji-Young Lee, Associate Dean of the College of Natural Sciences in the School of Biological Sciences at SNU. The students were from various years (2nd to 4th year undergraduates) and a wide range of scientific fields, including mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, and statistics. Their visit to iTHEMS was part of a several days' tour of various Japanese universities and research institutes, to consider their future career opportunities and research directions. Upon arriving at RIKEN, the group was greeted by iTHEMS members Dongwook Ghim and Catherine Beauchemin, and were first taken on a tour of the Nishina Center ion beam accelerators. They then enjoyed very brief, casual conversation in the iTHEMS common rooms with some snacks. Catherine Beauchemin gave a 5-min introduction of the various opportunities for SNU students to become iTHEMS members in the future (e.g., JRA, IPA, SPDR, RS/SRS). Then 6 different iTHEMS researchers (Dongwook Ghim, Misako Tatsuuma, Akinori Tanaka, Catherine Beauchemin, Steffen Backes, Ryo Namba) gave great 12 min talks about their research, and some additional iTHEMS members also joined. After that, several additional iTHEMS members joined and each of the students and iTHEMS members briefly introduced themselves and their research interests. This was followed by interesting, casual discussions between iTHEMS members and the SNU students over light food. The students told me they thoroughly enjoyed their visit to iTHEMS and learning about the wide range of research our members conduct. Overall, this provided a great opportunity to showcase iTHEMS members' research to young researchers considering their future academic career. Many thanks for the amazing support provided by all the iTHEMS assistants without whom this event would not have been possible, to the iTHEMS researchers who took their time to take part in this event and make it so interesting for the students, and with special thanks to Dongwook Ghim, himself is a graduate of SNU, for all his help and for being such an inspiring role model for these students of his alma mater. Reported by Catherine Beauchemin
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2024-01-22
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Black Hole Recorder was exhibited at the art event DIG SHIBUYA from January 12th to 14th, 2024
iTHEMS exhibited "Black Hole Recorder”, a science art work based on quantum black hole theory created in 2021 with outside creators, as a program within the art event "DIG SHIBUYA” at the Shibuya Workers’ Welfare Hall for three days from January 12 (Fri.) to 14 (Sun.). The entire event was organized by the SHIBUYA CREATIVE TECH Executive Committee in cooperation with the Shibuya City, and "Black Hole Recorder” was selected as a collaborative project through an open call for proposals. The exhibition was held in a dark room with the "Black Hole Recorder” set up in the middle of the room, and visitors were invited to enter with a flashlight to illuminate their feet and view the works with explanations. The entire venue was an experimental space, and the "Black Hole Recorder” constantly recorded all the sounds in the venue. For the first time, a booth was set up to allow visitors to listen to environmental sound data recorded from the very experimental space where the "Black Hole Recorder” was exhibited in the past, allowing them to enjoy the experience of listening to the past. The exhibition was held at a facility located in the city of Shibuya, where many people (close to 300 in total) gather, and many visitors were able to view and experience the exhibition on a holiday day. Depending on the time of day, the venue was sometimes quite crowded. Through the artworks, many visitors became interested in black holes and their theories, and I believe that many of them left with an image of a black hole. Detailed explanations of the theory using a blackboard by researcher Yuki Yokokura and program director Tetsuo Hatsuda were also well received. The response was also positive due to the sense of time and scale regarding the plan to send recorded sounds to a black hole via radio waves in the future in order to deliver the sounds of humanity far into the future. Exhibiting at an art event in the city provided an opportunity to bring the results of our research to people who are not usually interested in science, and we felt that this was a good opportunity to make progress in the future.
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2023-12-25
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Farewell message from Yalong Cao
Our colleague Yalong CAO will move to the Morningside Center of Mathematics and the Institute of Mathematics at the Chinese Academy of Science in Beijing as an Associate Professor, starting from Jan. 9, 2024. We all wish him success in his new affiliation! Here is a message from Yalong: I am deeply in debt of gratitude to Hatsuda san and all iTHEMS assistants for their generous support over the two and a half years which I spent in iTHEMS. To mathematicians, maybe the most important thing is to have an environment where we can freely develop things that fascinate us, which might not be useful for something else immediately. It is a great fortune to me that iTHEMS provides such an environment. Besides that, I have been enjoying discussing with our lovely members and also wandering in the beautiful Wako campus (especially during Spring and Autumn), which helps to refresh me all the time. I will move to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing to work and become a visiting scientist of iTHEMS. I hope to come back to visit regularly and continue to enjoy everything here. Everyone is surely very welcome to visit me in Beijing. Let's keep in touch and keep enjoying our life and career.
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2023-08-27
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3rd Summer School of Mathematical Biology
From the 23rd to the 25th of August 2023, the 3rd Summer School of Mathematical Biology took place at Sokendai University (Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture). It was a lecture camp organized primarily by our iTHEMS colleagues, Daiki Kumakura and Keiichi Morita. The topics included virus evolution, immune response, coexistence theories in biology and rapid evolution, human migration and its processes, optimization strategies in marine organism reproduction, and modeling biological metabolism. At the summer school, Tetsuo Hatsuda (iTHEMS Director) also participated as an attendee. In the end, there was a fruitful event, including an introduction to iTHEMS. The summer school will be held again next year.
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2023-07-21
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The Discovery Evening was held on June 22 at Wako Campus
The second on-site Discovery Evening since the COVID-19 pandemic was held on June 22 at Wako Campus. 35 people attended the event, which was organized by the Research Personnel Affairs Section, RIKEN. José Said Gutiérrez-Ortega (Special Postdoctoral Researcher, iTHEMS) was one of the two speakers in the event. He gave a presentation titled "Natural history of cycads: Deciphering the Rosetta Stone of plant evolution." He explained that cycads existed from the time of the dinosaurs, but they were able to live on despite the dinosaurs going extinct. For more details, please visit the RIKENETIC website through the related link below. To access RIKENETIC, you will need to use the intranet.
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