KATO Lab

KATO Lab

Associate Professor (PI)

Hideaki KATO

2005 - 2009　
B.S., Biophysics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Tokyo
2009 - 2014　
Ph.D., Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate school of science, The University of Tokyo (Osamu Nureki lab)
2014 - 2019　
Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University (Brian Kobilka lab)
2019 - present　
Associate professor, Department of Life Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo

Grants and Fellowships：
2011 - 2014 　Japan Society of Promotion for Sciences (JSPS), Research Fellowship for Young Scientists (DC1)
2014 - 2016 　Japan Society of Promotion for Sciences (JSPS), Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research Abroad
2016 - 2017 　The Uehara Memorial Foundation, Research fellowship
2017 - 2021 　Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), PRESTO
2019 - 2020 　The University of Tokyo Excellent Young Researchers
2019 - 2021 　Japan Society of Promotion for Sciences (JSPS), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
2021 - 2027 　Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), FOREST
2022 - 2026 　Japan Society of Promotion for Sciences (JSPS), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
2022 - 2024 　Japan Society of Promotion for Sciences (JSPS), Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
and others.

Awards：
2008 　Elite Science Student Abroad Program (ESSVAP), Faculty of Science, Dean’s Award
2012 　Young Scientist Award from Protein Science Society of Japan
2012 　The Merck Award for Young Biochemistry Researcher
2012 　The JSPS Ikushi Prize
2014 　The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science Research Award
2014 　The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science President's Award
2015 　Young Scientist Award of the Biophysics Society of Japan
2016 　SPRUC2016 Young Scientist Award
2016 　Inoue Research Award for Young Scientists
2019 　MEXT NISTEP Selection "The Researchers with Nice Step"
2019 　Inoue Science Research Award
2020 　Research Foundation for Opto-Science and Technology Research Award
2020 　The Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The Young Scientists’ Prize
2020 　The Frontier Salon Nagase Prize, Special Prize
2020 　The Shimadzu Prize for Young Scientists
2021 　Kao Foundation Award
2022 　Kazato Research Encouragement Prize

Assistant Professor

Masahiro FUKUDA

Masahiro received his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees in Biophysics and Biochemistry at the University of Tokyo. During his graduate studies in the laboratory of Osamu Nureki, Masahiro elucidated the molecular mechanism of nitrate recognition and transport by nitrate/nitrite antiporter NarK. After a short assistant professor at Keio University, he joined the Kato lab in 2019. In Kato lab, Masahiro is interested in the structure-function relationship of GPCR and G protein signaling molecules.

Postdoctoral fellow, Research fellow (PD) of JSPS

Suhyang KIM

Suhyang received her Ph.D. degrees at Kyoto University. During her graduate studies, Suhyang studied the photochemical properties of Photoactive Yellow Protein (PYP). As a postdoc, she is interested in the strucure-function relationship of broad photoreceptors including PYP and rhodopsins.

Graduate Student (SPRING GX fellow)

Seiya TAJIMA

Seiya obtained his M.S. degree at Yokohama National University, where he analyzed the fine structure of the Schiff base region of schizorhodopsin using NMR. Now in the Kato lab, he is studying newly discovered channel-type rhodopsin family proteins using cryo-EM.

Graduate Student (WINGS-ABC fellow)

Koichiro KISHI

Koichiro obtained his B.S. degree in pharmaceutical sciences from Keio University in 2020. He is currently a PhD student at the University of Tokyo, Department of Life Sciences. His research interests include revealing the structure and dynamics of ion-translocating rhodopsins and developing novel optogenetics tools.

Graduate Student

Toshiki MATSUI

Toshiki received his bachelor's degree at UTokyo. As a grad. student, he is interested in the selectivity and dynamics of GPCRs.

Graduate Student

Mai KUGAWA

Mai received her B.Sc. at Yokohama City University. In the Kato lab, she is interested in exploring GPCRs and GPCR-like proteins.

Graduate Student

Masaya WATANABE

Masaya received his B.Sc. at UTokyo. His research interests include exploring the dynamics of photoreceptors.

Graduate Student

Asato KOJIMA

Asato received his bachelor's degree at UTokyo. As a grad. student, he wants to explore both GPCR and microbial rhodopsin fields.

Graduate Student

Ayami FUKUNAGA

Ayami received her bachelor's degree at Gakushuin University. As a grad. student, she is interested in the structure and pharmacology of GPCRs.

Graduate Student (WINGS-LST fellow)

Kosuke KUDO

Kosuke received his bachelor's degree at UTokyo, and he is interested in the evolution of GPCR and G-protein signalings.

Graduate Student

Seiwa NAKAMURA

Seiwa received his bachelor's degree at Chiba University. As a grad. student, he wants to study both animal and microbial rhodopsins.

Graduate Student

Minori YOSHIDA

Minori received her bachelor's degree at UTokyo, and she is interested in the development and application of novel optogenetics tools.

Undergraduate

Kohei UEMOTO

Kohei is currently an undergraduate and he is interested in the relationship of GPCR and microbial rhodopsins.

Research Staff

Hisako IKEDA

Lab Manager

Kumika HASEGAWA

Lab Manager

Hisayo YASUMOTO

We are currently looking for highly motivated graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
Background in structural biology, computational biology, and/or electrophysiology is recommended.
If you are interested in joining our lab, please send your CV, a brief description of your scientific interests,
and name of 1-3 references to Hideaki (hekato[at]bio.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp).

University TOkyo Logo

map　4-6-1 Komaba, Meguroku, Tokyo, T-Bldg.　room 101-1

tell　03-5452-6483


mail　hekato[at]bio.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp

kakenhi

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