Google scholar
http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XaqBhzMAAAAJ
Researcher ID
http://www.researcherid.com/rid/E-6300-2011
I was born in Imabari city, Ehime Prefecture. It is a towel-making and shipbuilding town located at the entrance on the Shikoku side of the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge, Imabari-Onomichi route. It might recently be most famous for Bary-san, the local mascot. I entered the Faculty of Agriculture at Tohoku University in 1984 and, after serving as an Assistant Professor, later lived in Sendai for 13 years. After seven years in Morioka, Iwate University, as an Associate Professor, I returned to Tohoku University, Sendai, as full Professor in April 2005, and am now entering my 10th year here. During this time conducting University research, I have consistently researched plant reproduction, particularly the identification, isolation, and interaction of the male and female S determinants regulating self-incompatibility (SI) in Brassica species, and have published papers in international scientific journals such as Nature and Science. From my studies in at Iwate University, I initiated global gene expression analysis, and gradually identified the specific genes of the plant reproductive organs. These specific genes should be important also in pollen-pistil interactions. As I understand the importance of collaborative research with different field laboratories, I have performed collaborative research with over 30 laboratories to date. I would like to continue to develop this research, and conduct new collaborative research as well.
In addition to dissecting SI, reproductive organ-specific genes, and pollen-pistil interactions, I would like to analyze small RNAs, quantitative trait loci (QTL), and large-scale genome analysis for understanding plant reproductive traits such as reproductive organ formation, pollen-pistil interaction, and pollen tube growth. In order to do these studies, I would like to engage in education and research from a broad perspective encompassing the research that should be done today, the research that will flower five years from now, and the research that looks likely to germinate ten years from now. Plant flowers not only have a calming effect on us, but also become seeds and fruit after pollination and are an important food supply.
I encourage those who would like to use flowers to bring forth the flowers and fruit of research; those who want to engage in world-class research; and those interested in plant flowers and reproduction, genetics, genomics, and epigenetics to visit our laboratory.