Japan's second-oldest university and a fountainhead of Nobel and Abel laureates, celebrated for iPS-cell medicine, physics, chemistry, mathematics, informatics, and primatology.
24 professors and academic leaders celebrated so far, cited on every card. In pursuit of every professor, everywhere.
27th President of Kyoto University
University Administration
An immunologist by training, he has led Kyoto University with a steady, scholar-first hand through his term ending in 2026.
Vice-President; President-designate (from October 2026)
University Administration
A hydrologist and former dean of engineering, he was chosen to guide Kyoto University into its next chapter as president.
Professor
Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics (YITP)
Co-author of the Ryu-Takayanagi formula, he revealed how the fabric of spacetime is woven from quantum entanglement.
Project Professor, RIMS
Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences (RIMS)
Founder of algebraic analysis and the theory of D-modules, he became the first Japanese mathematician to win the Abel Prize in 2025.
Professor
Institute for Chemical Research (ICR)
He designs small molecules that read and rewrite the language of cells, an award-winning bridge between chemistry and biology.
Professor
Institute for Chemical Research (ICR)
His careful spectroscopy of semiconductors and perovskites deepens the science behind the solar cells and light-emitters of tomorrow.
Director and Professor, Wildlife Research Center
Wildlife Research Center (WRC)
He studies the minds of chimpanzees and other animals with deep respect, pairing curiosity with a commitment to conservation.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Primate and Wildlife Research
Through the beloved chimpanzee Ai, he opened a window onto the primate mind and inspired a generation of primatologists.
Executive Vice-President for Research Promotion; Distinguished Professor
Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS)
His pioneering porous coordination polymers earned the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and he now stewards research across the whole university.
Director Emeritus and Professor, CiRA
Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA)
His discovery that adult cells can be reprogrammed into iPS cells, honored with the 2012 Nobel Prize, gave regenerative medicine a whole new beginning.
Director, CiRA
Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA)
A leader in growing platelets from iPS cells, he now directs CiRA and carries its clinical promise forward with candor and care.
Professor, CiRA
Department of Clinical Application, CiRA
A neurosurgeon who led the world's first iPS-cell trial for Parkinson's disease, translating stem-cell science into real hope for patients.
Distinguished Professor; Director, Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology
Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology
His discovery of PD-1, recognized by the 2018 Nobel Prize, opened the era of cancer immunotherapy that saves lives worldwide.
Professor
Division of Physics and Astronomy
He bridges string theory and machine learning with rare creativity, showing how deep learning can illuminate the laws of nature.
Professor
Division of Chemistry
His inventive work on nanomaterials and hydrogen storage, honored by the Chemical Society of Japan, points toward a cleaner energy future.
Professor
Department of Biophysics
His discovery of the unfolded protein response, recognized by the Lasker Award, reshaped how we understand cellular stress and disease.
Distinguished Professor
Department of Electronic Science and Engineering
The inventor of the photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser, he spent decades turning a bold idea into a technology now winning global prizes.
Professor
Department of Electronic Science and Engineering
He builds quantum networks and sensors from single photons, patiently engineering the strange rules of quantum mechanics into real devices.
Professor
Department of Informatics
A pioneer of social robotics, he designs robots that live gently alongside people in shops, streets, and everyday life.
Professor
Department of Informatics
A pioneer of brain decoding, he combines neuroimaging and machine learning to read dreams and mental images from neural signals.
Professor
Management and Economics
He studies how people and organizations thrive together, bringing a humane, evidence-based lens to management and work.
Professor
Legal and Political Studies
A constitutional scholar of the internet age, he thinks carefully about how our rights hold up in a world of data and AI.
Professor
Institute for the Future of Human Society
He weaves East and West together through his 'self-as-we' philosophy, asking how humans and AI might share a wiser future.
Professor
Department of Aesthetics and Art History
An art historian of the Northern Renaissance, she helps students read centuries of European painting with a patient, attentive eye.
This directory is unbounded, in pursuit of every professor at every university, everywhere. Every person is real, public, and cited; anyone featured can ask to be updated or removed.
A celebration of the faculty and academic leaders of Kyoto University, assembled entirely from public information as an act of credit and gratitude. It is not a claim of endorsement, affiliation, sponsorship, or partnership by anyone featured or by the university. Every person is real and publicly documented, with a cited source of truth on their card; we never invent a person or a claim, and we prize accuracy over speed. Anyone featured can ask to be updated or removed at any time. Names and marks belong to their owners.