Group Members

Jamie M. Kass

Associate Professor, PI
email: <kass (at) tohoku.ac.jp>

• PhD in Biology, City University of New York, 2019
• Master of Environmental Management, Duke University, 2007
• Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of Arts in English, SUNY Binghamton, 2004

Everton Miranda

Assistant Professor
email: <miranda (at) tohoku.ac.jp>

• PhD in Ecology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2020
• MSc in Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, Mato Grosso Federal University
• Degree in Environmental Law, Candido Mendes University
• Bachelor in Biological Sciences, Rio de Janeiro Federal University

Shiori Takeshige

Assistant Professor
email: <shiori.takeshige.e5 (at) tohoku.ac.jp>

• PhD in Arts and Sciences, The Open University of Japan, 2024
• MS in Arts and Sciences, The Open University of Japan, 2021
• Bachelor in Liberal Arts, The Open University of Japan, 2019

Gota Yajima

Specially Appointed Assistant Professor
email: <gota.yajima.e1 (at) tohoku.ac.jp>

• Ph.D. in Bioresource Science, Nihon University, 2026
• M.S. in Bioresource Science, Nihon University, 2021
• B.S. in Bioresource Science, Nihon University, 2019

Matthew Durant

Research Assistant
Focus: Marine conservation climate change
Research: Ecology and conservation of Pacific sharks and rays, potential benefits of marine protected areas

Megan Low

D1 (Graduate Program in Data Science student)
Focus: Functional diversity of pollinating insects
Research: Predicting and mapping pollinator diversity and pollination service potential

Taro Takane

D1 (Hayashi rheology scholorship student)
Focus: Ecology and evolution of monkeys
Research: Biogeography and phylogenetic patterns of the genus Macaca

Akari Sarishi (Suzuki)

M2
Focus: Plankton ecology
Research:

Tsumugi Watanabe

M2
Focus: Conservation ecology
Research: Population distribution projections based on mechanistic models of Japanese Rock Ptarmigan temperature responses

Yi Shen

M2 (Graduate Program in Data Science student)
Focus: Remote sensing
Research: Phenological synchronization between migratory birds and vegetation green-Up

Yusuke Sawada

M1
Focus: Soil ecology
Research: Community structure of soil mites in urban environments

Xintong Jiang

Research Student (China)
Focus: Pangolin protection
Research: Impact of urbanization-induced habitat fragmentation on pangolin population connectivity

Tomoyo Kobayashi

Research Student
Focus: Conservation of marine mammals
Research: Biogeography of orcas

Janik

Visiting M2 (Netherlands)
Focus:
Research:
Education:

Luca

Visiting M1 (France)
Focus: Population ecology, modeling, monitoring and conservation
Research: Interspecific interactions among sympatric carnivores shaping their occupancy and temporal activity patterns across Japan
Education: M1 in Evolutionary Biology, University of Lille, France. Bachelor in Biology, with a minor in environmental science, Université Clermont-Auvergne (UCA), France

Yoshihiro Komatsu

B4
Focus: Climate change and biodiversity
Research: How will climate change effect Japanese deer distribution?

Koki Nomura

B4
Focus: Bee ecology
Research: Potential distribution of carpenter bee in Japan

Yusuke Nito

B4
Focus: Dispersion, Community structure
Research: Urbanization of Blue Rock Thrushes

Haruto Maruyama

B4
Focus:
Research:

Sein Park

B4
Focus:
Research:

Hiromichi Suzuki

D2 (JSPS research fellow)
Focus: Limnology and ecology of zooplankton
Research: Determinants of zooplankton community structure and dynamics using field studies, experiments, and data analysis

Ryo Nishida

M2
Focus: Impacts of human activity on biodiversity
Research: Relationships between traditional land use practices and species’ distributions

Ruiqi Zhang

M2
Focus: Plant biogeography
Research: Biogeography of color morphs for the spotted bellflower (ホタルブクロ)

So Kaneko

B4
Focus: Threats from invasive fish
Research: Establishment risk and invasive distribution mapping of smallmouth bass in Japan

Kenshin Matsumoto

B4
Focus: Interactions between humans and wildlife
Research: Distribution of Japanese serow and potential shifts with climate change

Takumi Yamaguchi

B4
Focus: Fish ecology and biogeography
Research: Distribution of Japanese eel and associated human impacts