JAIST: Where The World Scales New Frontiers of Science and Technology

Welcome to Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), a premier graduate education and research institution fostering innovation and nurturing the scientific temper of minds from Ishikawa, Japan, and the world over. We reside in the Ishikawa Science Park, where some of the finest research in Japan is conceived. JAIST is home to specialists and skilled students, and hosts visiting experts who impart their extensive knowledge to the next generation of students.

Introduction by President

At JAIST, experts from around the globe come together to discuss, discourse, and give life to the latest innovations in fields from Next-Generation Digital Infrastructure to biotechnology. Here, students and faculty can avail state-of-the-art facilities to build their research from the concept stage to fruition. Minoru Terano, the President of JAIST, has served at the institute as a researcher and faculty since 1993. He shares the origins of JAIST, and explains what it stands for.

  • admissions
  • education

Research Areas

Creative Society Design

The JAIST Creative Society Design Research Area brings together brilliant minds from diverse backgrounds, to create a gentle, attractive, and harmonious "way of life" and "society". The Research Area aims to achieve this goal through a wholesome ecosystem that invents creativity support tools as new media, to expand the scope of human expression; develops elemental and applied technologies to support and extend the various activities of individuals and groups; and designs a human-centered creative society by combining their findings and technologies. Research conducted here has led to the production of some of the most creative technology outputs, like MlioLight.

Transformative Knowledge Management

The Transformative Knowledge Management Research Area at JAIST explores the development of next-generation knowledge management theories to promote social transformation and practical problem-solving, in order to build a harmonious society. Researchers in this research area combine their expertise in humanities and sciences to study knowledge and value creation for the benefit of individuals, organizations, and societies. The students and researchers of this research area are constantly thinking of new ways of service management to promote transformative service which centered on human well-being.

Co-Creative Intelligence

At JAIST, graduate students and researchers are encouraged to foster innovation and nurture creative and novel ways to realize a society with advanced technology. The Co-Creative Intelligence Research Area at JAIST strives towards this goal by exploring new intelligence that sustainably promotes the development and evolution of the advanced knowledge society through research on the human–technology co-creation of knowledge. Here, you will find some of the best minds of Japan and the world analyzing and pondering over the concept of new intelligence.

Computing Science

Can you decode your thoughts? If you could break down the process of communication, could you use that knowledge to program human thoughts, and even use it to improve robotics? These questions, and more, have been at the forefront of researchers at JAIST. At the JAIST Computing Science Research Area, researchers strive towards constructing the core of academic excellence for computer science, artificial intelligence, and related cross-disciplinary areas. Their interdisciplinary approach focuses on advanced software engineering, as well as on mechanical/control engineering.

Next-Generation Digital Infrastructure

JAIST’s Next-Generation Digital Infrastructure Research Area aims to establish a core of excellence for digital infrastructure through information science and next-generation information technology to accelerate digital transformation and develop next-generation fundamental information processing techniques. This Research Area goes beyond basic human resource development and academic achievements, and branches into technologies that are the foundations of ICT systems, to ensure contributions to industry, standardization activities, and government policymaking.

Human Information Science

Information processing is integral in this digital era, and JAIST has made significant progress in this field, through the promotion of man-machine harmonious collaboration. The JAIST Human Information Science Research Area undertakes cross-disciplinary approaches based on information science, to translate findings from intelligent information processing and robotics into practical applications to address social needs. Research in this area aims to clarify mechanisms behind multisensory perception in human information processing

Sustainable Innovation

The Sustainable Innovation Research Area of JAIST develops new ways to address the global environmental crisis. With its advances in multidisciplinary materials and energy research, the Research Area promotes and contributes to a sustainable and balanced future. The research area is divided into four broad topics: creation of new materials to utilize renewable energy; development of elemental chemistry- & biofunction-based technology for establishing a sustainable society; conceptualization and development of environmental sensors based on nano-electro-mechanical technology; and research in materials-informatics based on data mining and quantum simulations.

Materials Chemistry Frontiers

Researchers at the JAIST Materials Chemistry Frontiers Research Area use the basic principles and applied technologies of chemistry as a guidebook to design the basic structure of all kinds of novel materials that show new functions and excellent performance. Expert researchers in this Research Area design new materials at the molecular and atomic levels using their advanced knowledge in chemistry. Research in materials sciences at JAIST is the first step to the industrial development of products and their manufacturing processes that are fundamental for a prosperous and sustainable society.

Nanomaterials and Devices

Our understanding of atoms and molecules and the forces that keep them going is still limited, and science uses many approaches to shed light on these hidden truths. Researchers at JAIST’s Research Area of Nanomaterials and Devices attempt to do this through one very direct approach: nanotechnology. Here, researchers use the tools provided by nanoscience and technology to observe how the atoms are aligned at the surfaces and interfaces of materials. They use cutting-edge science and technology to study, develop, and use nanomaterials and devices for the realization of a sustainable super-smart society.

Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biomedical Engineering

Understanding life and how it functions is one of the oldest and most established topics of research, and at JAIST, experts have come together to explore this. Researchers at JAIST’s Research Area of Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biomedical Engineering explore the biological functions of various biomolecules at the molecular and cellular levels. Their findings also guide them to design and synthesize novel artificial biomolecules and biomolecular systems through utilization of unique biotechnologies designed and developed inhouse at JAIST.

Division of Transdisciplinary Sciences

Conventional research is being rewritten in the twenty-first century. Going beyond the traditional understandings and disciplines is a key forte of JAIST, and this is proven by the commitment of the JAIST Division of Transdisciplinary Science. This division is a brave venture by JAIST in conjunction with Kanazawa University to explore “New Knowledge,” bringing together the expertise, knowledge, and skills of members of different intersecting and unrelated fields, to create a unique and enriching environment for students to pursue research that is truly without borders and beyond disciplines.

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Research Videos

■Creative Society Design Research Area
PhotoelasticTouch: The Future of Interactive Surfaces

■Transformative Knowledge Management Research Area
Enhancement of Knowledge Sharing Among Volunteers in Non-profit Organizations

■Computing Science Research Area
Novel Algorithm to Fold Polygons into Polyhedra Efficiently

■Human Information Science Research Area
New Speech Anonymization Frameworks for Protecting Voice Privacy

■Materials Chemistry Frontiers Research Area
Novel, Stable, and Reusable PVP-Capped CuPd Nanoparticles for Selective Hydrogenation of Succinic Acid

■Nanomaterials and Devices Research Area
Diamond Quantum Sensor Detects “Magnetic Flow” Excited by Heat

■Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biomedical Engineering Research Area
A Novel Actuator Built from a Bioengineered Motor

Student Interview

Kwanjira Kaewfak　　From Thailand
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Technology
Doctoral Program

“JAIST has programs of advanced research and development in science and technology.”

Ha Thanh Nguyen　　From Vietnam
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Technology
Doctoral Program

“JAIST has high-performance servers and computers to serve the research needs of students.”

Nishant Kumar　　From India
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Technology
Doctoral Program

“You can find a combination of both domestic as well as international students from various countries.”

Htun Pa Pa Aung　　From Myanmar
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Technology
Doctoral Program

“Almost every course work is delivered in English and Japanese, so students who are not good at Japanese can study using only English.”