The first message

Urban Disaster Prevention Research Core
Asst. Prof. Taku OBARA
　My name is Taku OBARA, I joined Urban Disaster Prevention Research Core, Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology in Tokyo Institute of Technology from April 1, 2019 as assistant professor in Prof. Kono group. I received doctoral degree from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2019. My research areas involve the experimental and analytical investigation of reinforced and prestressed precast concrete structural systems subjected to earthquake loadings. My interests also include performance based design and damage controlling performance of concrete. I am glad and looking forward to working and collaborating in Tokyo Institute of Technology.

LG×JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Smart Materials & Devices Collaborative Research Programs
Assoc. Prof. Sungmin KANG（Specially Appointed）
　I am Sungmin Kang, joined on APR. 1st 2019, the Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology (FIRST), as a specially appointed associate professor in LG x JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Smart Materials & Devices Collaborative Research Programs. I have been working in the field of organic and polymeric materials, especially on fundamental researches of structural and physical properties of soft matters. My current research field is to develop applications for those of functional materials. One of unique feature of our collaborative program is the framework which is an "unexpectable" co-work between two companies, JXTG N&E and LG. I am very confident of our synergy effect as a new form of collaboration in FIRST.

Komatsu Collaborative Research Cluster for Innovative Technologies
Prof. Masao KIKUCHI（Specially Appointed）

I am appointed to the Specially Appointed Professor of Komatsu Collaborative Research Cluster for Innovative Technologies on April 1, 2019.
I graduated from the graduate school of Materials Science, Tokyo Tech in1979. From 1979 to 2015, I worked for Komatsu, first as a research engineer, and then as a manager in many various R&D in the company.　During this era, I received doctor's degree from Tokyo Tech in 1990. In 2015, I was appointed to a Specially Appointed Professor of Komatsu Collaborative Research Chair in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Tokyo Tech where the research was focused on Tribology technology development in order to improve the performance of construction machinery of Komatsu. Following this collaborative activities for 4 years, both of Komatsu and Tokyo Tech agreed to establish larger scale collaborative scheme as Collaborative Research Cluster for Innovative Technology started from April 2019. Research under this new scheme is expected to develop a greater achievement.

Materials Processing Science Research Core
Prof. Chiaki SATO
　I have just been assigned to FIRST laboratory on April 1, 2019. After graduating from Tokyo Institute of Technology, I had been working in Precision and Intelligence Laboratory for a long time, so that I feel returning to the old nest, although the name of the laboratory changed to Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology. My main topic is "adhesive bonding", which is so-called "gluing" and felt so week. However, recent progress of adhesive has led to new applications that were not imagined before, such as the structures of automobiles and aircraft. Investigating adhesively bonded joints in terms of mechanical engineering, especially mechanics of materials, is the central part of my research, so that this is mainly applied science. Through the research activity, I would like to achieve the social implementation of the new technology, which is the most important mission of Institute of Innovative Research.

Industrial Mechano-System Research Core
Asst. Prof. Naohiro SUGITA
　I am Naohiro Sugita, from April 2019, appointed as Assistant Professor of Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology (FIRST). I have joined to Shinshi laboratory in Industrial Mechano-System Research Core. My research background is nonlinear dynamics of fluid and mechanical systems; cavitation and bubble dynamics in an acoustic field is especially of my interest. I completed the PhD study at Keio University in March 2017, and worked in a heavy industrial company for the following two years, engaging in blade vibration testing of turbomachinery. I am glad to work with all the members in the host laboratory and hope that our collaboration will create a great impact on Tokyo Tech.

LG×JXTGエネルギースマートマテリアル（SMG）共同研究講座
Prof. Takashi SEKI（Specially Appointed）
　My name is Takashi Seki and I have started my new work as specially appointed professor in LG×JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Smart Materials & Devices Collaborative Research Programs. My previous work in JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy was development of liquid crystalline polymer film for viewing angle compensation of LCDs and light extraction technologies applicable for OLED lightings using nanostructures transferred from self-assembled block-copolymer pattern. Since this April, I will do research and development to create soft material which lead to comfortable life and reform the social system by collaborating with academia, material manufacturer and device manufacturer. I look forward to your guidance and support.

Komatsu Collaborative Research Cluster for Innovative Technologies
Assoc. Prof. Shinji TANAKA（Specially Appointed）
　I am Shinji Tanaka, and was appointed as a specially appointed associate professor of the Komatsu Collaborative Research Cluster for Innovative Technologies, Open Innovation Platform on April 1st, 2019. After completing the doctoral course of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1999, I worked as a research associate and an assistant professor in Tokyo Tech. Since 2015, I have been working as a specially appointed associate professor of the Komatsu Collaborative Research Chair for Innovative Technologies. My specialty is tribology. I have been working on tribological problems associated with increasing the power output of hydraulic equipments together with researchers of the Komatsu. We will relocate from Ookayama to Suzukakedai from this April, and will further deepen industry-academia collaboration under new industry-academia collaboration program "Collaborative Research Cluster" and conduct research.

Quantum Nanoelectronics Research Center
Prof. Takashi TOKUDA
　I am very excited to join FIRST and work with you all. I started my research carrier in with semiconductor crystal growth. Then I extended my research area to an interdisciplinary area between circuit, material, and devices. I realized some micro-electronic devices for bioscience and implantable applications. I keep my activity to open a new field of electronics, including biomedical and IoT applications.

LG×JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Smart Materials & Devices Collaborative Research Programs
Prof. Suzushi Nishimura（Specially Appointed）
　I am Suzushi Nishimura, who joined LG×JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Smart Materials & Devices Collaborative Research Programs from this April. This is very challenging program in which TIT with two private companies try to develop new materials and devices across academic-industrial and supply-chain boundaries seamlessly. I had been working on the development of optical products that utilize the photonic effects caused by the fine structure of sub-micro size, such as the enhancement of the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells with photonic crystals and optical films using polymeric liquid crystals. After that, I moved to the marketing department, engaged in commercialization of the developed product, and returned to the basic research again. I have great expectations for the knowledge and technology possessed by TIT, one of the world's leading academia, and I would like to work on research & development aimed to social implementation, taking advantage of corporate experience.

Materials Processing Science Research Core
Asst. Prof. Yuki HIRATA
　Hello everyone, I'm Yuki Hirata. I'm the new assistant professor of the Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology (FIRST) from April 1, 2019. After acquiring the doctoral degree from the University of Tokyo in March, 2016, I worked as assistant professor at School of Engineering of Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech). My major is mechanical engineering. Particularly, I worked on carbon-based material such as the Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) film. My research topic is to develop a three-dimensional DLC film coating technique and to evaluate its mechanical properties aiming at the further industrial applicability. Not only engage in research more, I'll also exert myself to contribute to the further development of the Tokyo Tech and Institute of Innovative Research (IIR). I'm looking forward to working as a one of member of FIRST.

Komatsu Collaborative Research Cluster for Innovative Technologies
Prof. Haruo HOUJOH（Specially Appointed）
　I was involved in dealing with gear dynamics research at the P & I Lab., presently reformed to the FIRST, of the Tokyo Tech. From just after the age of retirement, I joined the KOMATSU cooperative research unit. Nowadays, basic technologies of mechanical elements are rather out of interest in Japan with contrast to the western or Chinese technical societies which are formed with tight collaboration among industry, government and academy. The up-to-date technologies in the field must grow under appropriate basis of equipment, human resources and time for practical work. May the scheme of the research unit be the one of solutions against present situation of Japan.

Komatsu Collaborative Research Cluster for Innovative Technologies
Prof. Masabumi MASUKO（Specially Appointed）

　At full-time work at Tokyo Institute of Technology, he has been engaged in education and research on tribology in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering. After retiring in March 2015, he was given a title of Professor Emeritus, and then immediately joined the Komatsu Innovation Technology Collaborative Research Program established in April 2015 as a researcher, and has been spent four years.
This research course has been conducting research on hydraulic system for construction machines with a focus on tribology, and in April 2019, the collaborative program has been expanded, and the location moved from Ookayama Campus to Suzukakedai Campus. Dr. Masuko will be working as a professor for contributing managing the program.

Applied Electronics Research Core
Prof. Masato MOTOMURA
　I've joined Tokyo Tech from April 1st, 2019, and at the same time established an "AI Computing" research unit in IIR. The new research unit will be working on computing architectures and reconfigurable hardware technologies for various intelligent computing tasks including deep neural networks. I have been working on this domain in NEC research labs until 2010, and then in graduate school of information science and technology, Hokkaido University as a professor before joining Tokyo Tech this time. Looking forward to working closely with people related to this institute for cultivating this exciting field more deeply and widely.

Advanced Loading and Real-scale Experimental Mechanics Laboratory
Asst. Prof. Kazuki WATAI（Specially Appointed）
　My name is Kazuki Watai, I was appointed as Specially Appointed Assistant Professor on April 1, 2019.

I was appointed as a researcher from April 1, 2018 at Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of science and Technology (FIRST), Advanced Loading and Real-scale Experimental Mechanics Laboratory (ALREM). Since then, my research theme is the advancement of seismic response control method. Especially, my research target is super high-rise buildings.
　Recently, there has been many earthquakes that cause serious damage to society, urban and buildings. In addition, it is said that the more large earthquakes will occur in the future. It is necessary to development of device and design for seismic response control method to enhance the safety of urban and buildings. However, there is a problem that there is no experimental equipment in Japan that can test a full-scale device. I think that the World's largest dynamic load system proposed by ALREM, contribute not only to the development of seismic engineering, but also to the realization of a safe and secure society.

LG×JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Smart Materials & Devices Collaborative Research Programs
Prof. Junji WATANABE（Specially Appointed）

　I am Junji Watanabe, specially appointed professor, who joined Smart Materials & Devices (SMD) Research Programs starting on this April. My main research focus, as a professor of TIT, has been on polymer liquid crystals. After retirement on 2014, I have continued JST research program in TIT, which was completed successfully this year.
　The SMD program will be performed in a new form of collaboration between the world's leading academia(TIT), device-set maker(LG) and material manufacturer(JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy). I will support the collaboration work from academia side, giving my special knowledge and idea on polymeric and organic materials.