Members

Nick is a leading computational biologist known for his work on gene regulation using bioinformatics. As head of the unit, he employs big data and computational methods to advance genomic research and understand complex biological processes.

Aki successfully established an impressive culturing facility for the long-term maintenance of Oikopleura dioica at GRSU since she began her career here in 2015. Currently, she is involved in whole genome DNA isolation/sequencing of field samples on NGS (Illumina & Nanopore) platforms and yet still manages to coordinate and conduct field work required for the population study.

Yongkai has provided his expertise in NGS, gleaned while working for Beijing Genomic Institute in Kobe, to the GRSU group since starting in 2016. Currently, he is involved in whole genome DNA & RNA isolation/sequencing of field samples on NGS (Illumina & Nanopore) platforms. He has been successful in optimizing isolation conditions of typically low total-genomic DNA yields found in Oikopleura samples for high-quality long reads from a single individual.

Charles joined in 2018 hailing from RIKEN Yokohama campus. He brought with him nearly 20 years of genomic and transcript analysis proficiency along with a strong background in bioinformatics and Linux system administration. He likes scientific challenges that can be solved with a high-throughput screen. As an enthusiastic group leader, he leads multiple projects within the unit, and promotes open-source software in OISTs bioinfo user group. He also enjoys practicing aikido on the OIST campus.

A computational biologist from Belgium, Nicolas developed the widely-used organelle assembler, NOVOPlasty during his PhD and later researched disease-causing variants in university hospitals. Passionate about nature, he is now an interdisciplinary postdoc interdisciplinary postdoc between the Marine Climate Change unit of Prof. Ravasi and the Genomics and Regulatory Systems unit.

Nico joined the unit in 2022 working on the epigenetic landscape of O. dioica. He previously worked on super-enhancer in B cell activation at Osaka University before moving to OIST for PhD. 

Ritika is a master's student at the University of Freiburg - Germany, majoring in Computer Science with a focus on Artificial Intelligence. Ritika's research interests lie in soft robotics, but is also keen on exploring the intersection of AI and bioinformatics. As a research intern at OIST since October 2024, Ritika joined to deepen my understanding of bioinformatics and investigate how AI can contribute to advancements in this field.

Estela, with a background in molecular genetics obtained at ICL, joined the unit in October 2024 for a six-month research internship focused on applying bioinformatics to comparative genomics. Her work supports ongoing projects investigating the genome scrambling of Oikopleura dioica within the tree of life.

Yuri is a biologist from Venezuela. He completed his PhD in Brazil, primarily working on molecular patterns associated with hypoxic tolerance in aquatic mammals. He has an interdisciplinary background and enjoys approaching various biological questions from a genetic and genomic perspective. Additionally, he enjoys trekking and practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.