I obtained my PhD (embryology, larval biology, phylogeny, and evolutionary development of echinoderms) from the University of Toyama, Japan. Then, I started working on reproductive and larval biology of lobsters at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. While working on echinoderms and lobsters, I obtained opportunities of finding some undescribed symbiotic copepods on those animals and got interested in their modified morphology and the establishment of a symbiotic relationship between copepods and other host invertebrates.

The main theme of my research on copepods is the systematics and phylogeny of symbiotic species on marine invertebrates to examine their evolution and ecological radiation, using external morphology and molecular markers. I am currently collaborating in several projects on symbiotic copepods, including the egg-mimicking species associated with decapod eggs (Nicothoidae) and the endoparasitic species on brittle stars (Chordeumiidae).

I was a member of the local organizing committee of the 15th International Conference on Copepoda (15th ICOC) held in Hiroshima in June 2024. During the pre-conference workshop of the 15th ICOC held in Takehara, I gave a lecture on the taxonomy and the life cycle of Choniomyzon, which belongs to a group of symbionts found only on the decapods’ external eggs. Technical tips used for finding and observing those copepods were also shared with the trainees in the workshop.  
As a member of the Executive Council, I would strive to contribute to further development of WAC by supporting the organization’s objective of providing clear benefits to the WAC’s members. Since the 15th ICOC is held as a hybrid mode (both in-person and online) for the first time, our experience in preparation and organization for a hybrid mode conference will be generously shared with the future organizers for ICOCs and other WAC’s events. I am determined to direct my efforts towards promoting WAC to the younger generations in Asian countries which represent a biogeographic region with a significant level of biodiversity, by building a robust international networking using my own network.