Arai Noriko / 新井 範子Arai Noriko

Faculty of Economics, Department of Management　Professor

Research Interests

My research focuses on value co-creation marketing, in which value is created through relationships with consumers. In recent years, I have been working on purpose-driven marketing, in which companies form brands and build communities/markets by aiming to solve social issues.
I am also researching mechanisms to generate synergy between business and social contribution and shopping spaces that are easy for the elderly and disabled to shop in.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Faculty of Economics, Department of Management　Professor

伊藤 毅 / Takeshi ItoTakeshi Ito

Faculty of Liberal Arts, Department of Liberal Arts　Professor

Research Interests

My work is informed by broad interests in agrarian and environmental change. I explore these themes through a multi-disciplinary perspective that enables me to understand the complexity and diversity of social-ecological interactions that shape human wellbeing and environmental integrity. I have conducted fieldwork in Southeast Asia and Japan. I have a background in politics, political economy, political ecology, agrarian studies, development studies, and global studies. I draw mostly on qualitative methods and relational analysis of society and environment. Since 2012, I have been on the faculty in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and the Graduate School of Global Studies at Sophia University.
I am currently engaged in three research projects that seek to advance theoretical and empirical understanding of the mutual constitution between society and ecology.

• 
• 

Faculty of Liberal Arts, Department of Liberal Arts　Professor

Yilmaz EmirYilmaz Emir

Faculty of Science and Technology Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences　Assistant Professor

Research Interests

At Yilmaz laboratory of Precision Engineering Research Group, we are working on the development of functional surfaces for various engineering applications. Our main focus is on reduction of friction coefficient between two metallic surfaces by utilizing micro-textures. In addition, we are also working on the application of Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) and Laser Surface Texturing (LST) techniques on heat transfer enhancement by altering characteristics of the heated surface, such as changing the wettability, hydrophobicity, or hydrophilicity of the heated surface. Furthermore, we are also interested in utilization of LST technique to create surfaces with superhydrophobic, superoleophobic, and superhydrophilic properties for self-cleaning and anti-fouling applications. This work is aimed at water treatment systems in order to prevent and mitigate fouling in pipelines.

• 
• 

Faculty of Science and Technology Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences　Assistant Professor

Takashi OKADA / 岡田　隆Takashi OKADA

Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Psychology　Professor

Research Interests

Takashi OKADA has engaged in research of physiological psychology, especially with electrophysiological techniques using animal brain preparations and animal behavior analysis. Focusing on the importance of synaptic transmission by glutamate, which is one of the major transmitters in the central nervous system, we have studied the roles of glutamatergic transmission and regulation in psychological functions from various aspects.
In recent years, we have been particularly focusing on the biological bases of memory such as the elucidation of substances that regulate long-term potentiation of hippocampal synaptic efficacy and their mechanisms, and the regulatory mechanisms for diurnal variation of animal memory task performance.

• 

Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Psychology　Professor

織　朱實 / Ori AkemiOri Akemi

Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Master's (Doctoral) Program in Global Environmental Studies　Professor

Research Interests

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Master's (Doctoral) Program in Global Environmental Studies　Professor

Koyama Hideyuki / 小山 英之Koyama Hideyuki

Faculty of Theology, Department of Theology　Professor

Research Interests

• 

Faculty of Theology, Department of Theology　Professor

Saito Atsuko / 齋藤 慈子Saito Atsuko

Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Psychology　Associate Professor

Research Interests

Atsuko Saito specializes in developmental psychology, evolutionary psychology, and comparative cognitive science.
Her research focuses on the relationship between humans and cats as companion animals, and human parenting from the perspective of humans as an animal species. Humans are a species of mammals and primates, but unlike the majority in these taxonomic groups, we are not capable of raising children by mothers alone. However, in Japan today, the burden of child-rearing is disproportionately placed on the mother/parent. She considers what can be done to achieve child-rearing within society.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Psychology　Associate Professor

Saito Tamao / 齊藤 玉緒Saito Tamao

Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Materials and Life Sciences　Professor

Research Interests

Natural products are the major source of therapeutic small molecules; not just for anti-bacterials and anti-fungals but also for anti-cancers where around half of existing drugs have this origin. Dictyostelium is a social amoebae living in a soil, where is known as a battle field of chemical warfare. Dicty genome analysis revealed its massive potential of the production of small molecules, secondary metabolites.
My research question is “What do these chemical compounds do in the soil?” I’m interested in the chemical communication between Dicty and its environment. Understanding the eco-chemical interactions in the soil is important not only for understanding the survival strategy of microbes but also for maintaining the health of soil environment.

• 
• 
• 

Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Materials and Life Sciences　Professor

Sakamoto Mitsuyo / 坂本 光代Sakamoto Mitsuyo

Faculty of Foreign Studies, Department of English Studies　Professor

Research Interests

Applied linguist. Mitsuyo Sakamoto specializes in bilingualism and bilingual education, in particular heritage language maintenance. Since 2007, she has been conducting fieldwork in and around the city of Sao Paulo to investigate Japanese language learning and maintenance among Japanese-Brazilians.
In 2018, she worked together with international scholars to compile Salzburg Statement for a Multilingual World.
She has been exploring why multilingual society is, while deemed desirable, not easily achieved, as well as critically examining the privileged status of English as an international language.

• 
• 
• 

Faculty of Foreign Studies, Department of English Studies　Professor

Sugiura Mikiko / 杉浦 未希子　Sugiura Mikiko

Center for Global Education and Discovery/ International Cooperation Studies (Graduate School of Global Studies)　Professor

Research Interests

Mikiko Sugiura is a professor at the Center for Global Education and Discovery, and the Graduate School of Global Studies (International Cooperation).
Her research interests include institutional frameworks for sustainable water resources management, emphasizing river water use and social distribution systems. In particular, considering the changing environmental views and relation with nature, she focuses on identifying representative socio-ecological systems of water resources development and management, adapting to diverse physical (e.g., climate) and non-physical (e.g., culture) conditions in hot and humid Asian monsoon regions.
Within the overall framework of her research, "water rights systems" are one of the main themes. She is also passionate about related issues such as drought management, environmental water rights, and biodiversity conservation.

• 
• 
• 
• 

Center for Global Education and Discovery/ International Cooperation Studies (Graduate School of Global Studies)　Professor

Takashi Suzuki / 鈴木　隆Takashi Suzuki

Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences　Professor

Research Interests

The Sophisticated Energy Research Center is researching engines that do not emit carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, by using ammonia (NH3), a compound of hydrogen and nitrogen, as fuel. Ammonia is attracting attention as an energy carrier because its transportation cost is lower than hydrogen. We are also researching to improve the thermal efficiency of engines by utilizing the heat transfer of cooling water by nucleate boiling. This year, we have started research on deep learning using AI to investigate the instability of ammonia combustion and the instability of boiling.

• 
• 

Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences　Professor

Suzuki Noriyuki / 鈴木 教之Suzuki Noriyuki

Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Materials and Life Sciences　Professor

Research Interests

The goal of our research includes development of environmental-benign organic synthetic reactions and reaction processes on the basis of organometallic chemistry and catalysis chemistry. We have been studying synthesis and reactivity of novel organometallic compounds, as well as their application for organic synthesis and polymerization catalysts. Our present study focuses on novel metal complexes and their immobilization onto thermoresponsive polymers to achieve highly functionalized transition metal catalysts.

• 
• 
• 

Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Materials and Life Sciences　Professor

Suzuki Masachika / 鈴木 政史Suzuki Masachika

Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Master's (Doctoral) Program in Global Environmental Studies　Professor

Research Interests

My areas of research include 1) corporate environmental and energy strategy, 2) technology innovation and transfer of clean energy technologies (such as wind and solar power generation technologies), 3) inter-linkages between climate change and SDGs, 4) ESG investing, and 5) sustainable community development and sustainable tourism.
I am also interested in examining new sustainable business models that may bring both social benefits for society and profit for a company, which are sometimes discussed in the context of the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) and Creating Shared Values (CSVs) business models.

• 
• 
• 
• 

Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Master's (Doctoral) Program in Global Environmental Studies　Professor

Takaoka Eiko / 高岡 詠子　Takaoka Eiko

Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Information and Communication Sciences　Professor

Research Interests

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Information and Communication Sciences　Professor

Takeoka Yuko / 竹岡 裕子Takeoka Yuko

Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Materials and Life Sciences　Professor

Research Interests

Specializing in polymer chemistry and material chemistry, we are conducting research about organic-inorganic hybrid materials and functional polymers such as conducting polymers and biocompatible polymers for various applications.
In particular, we aim to apply them to the fields of light, energy, biotechnology, and the environment. Our motto is to design, synthesize, evaluate the resulting compounds, and conduct research with a firm image of the process to be applied.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Materials and Life Sciences　Professor

Tsuge Takahiro / 柘植 隆宏　Tsuge Takahiro

Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Master's (Doctoral) Program in Global Environmental Studies　Professor

Research Interests

My research field is environmental economics which employs economics analysis techniques to consider the causes of environmental problems and to explore effective countermeasures.
Especially, I have been working on the economic valuation of the environment. Economic valuation of the environment enables the estimation of the benefits of environmental protection and the costs of environmental destruction, therefore economic analysis such as cost-benefit analysis of environmental policies becomes possible.
Since solving environmental problems requires knowledge in various fields, I participate in interdisciplinary research projects composed of researchers from various fields and conduct joint research.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Master's (Doctoral) Program in Global Environmental Studies　Professor