Message from the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Naoto Ohtake
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)Institute of Science Tokyo
At the Institute of Science Tokyo, we are immensely proud of the pioneering research conducted at the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI). Selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) as a World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) Center in 2012 and recognised as a WPI Academy member in 2022, ELSI exemplifies the global excellence and collaborative ethos that define our university.
As President, my vision is to strengthen the relationship between ELSI and the broader university community, fostering an environment where transformative ideas flourish. By deepening our global partnerships and advancing interdisciplinary research, we aim to ensure that ELSI remains at the forefront of scientific discovery, contributing not only to fundamental science but also to solutions for the challenges humanity faces today and tomorrow.
Let us continue to build on ELSI’s legacy of excellence and innovation, inspiring a new generation of scholars and pushing the boundaries of knowledge to new horizons.
*MEXT: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Message from the President and Chief Academic Officer (CAO)
Yujiro Tanaka
President and Chief Academic Officer (CAO)Institute of Science Tokyo
ELSI embodies the spirit of discovery and curiosity that lies at the heart of the Institute of Science Tokyo. By addressing profound questions about the origins and future of life and the Earth, ELSI serves as a beacon of interdisciplinary research and intellectual creativity.
As President, I am committed to supporting ELSI’s endeavours to integrate education and research. Enhancing educational programmes that draw upon ELSI’s scientific achievements will empower students and young researchers to engage with the most pressing scientific challenges of our time. Together, we will cultivate a vibrant academic environment that nurtures innovation and inspires future leaders in science.
Through collaboration and dedication, let us work to sustain and expand ELSI’s vital role in shaping the future of science and society.
Message from the Director
Yasuhito Sekine
Director, Earth-Life Science Institute
In the first ten years, ELSI provided the view of the sequence of diversifications and selection mechanisms that gave rise to the current Earth-life system. While keeping existing approaches at ELSI to understand key transitions toward the emergence of our Earth-life system, we will explore new approaches to understanding and predicting the possibilities of alternative planet-life systems which may exist anywhere in the Universe. We will work in close cooperation with space exploration missions by extending the research scope from the Origins and Evolution of the Earth and life to include searching for evidence of extra-terrestrial life.
As a World Premier International Research Center (WPI Center) based at Institute of Science Tokyo, our mission is to facilitate breakthroughs at the frontier of science by attracting and interacting with the best minds from around the world, to promote interdisciplinary research in origins of Earth and life, and to play a leading role in implementing and promoting administrative innovation and organisational excellence among universities in Japan. ELSI has cultivated a multidisciplinary international community of researchers, integrating disciplines to study the origins of life within the context of the origin of the Earth and other planets. ELSI hosts dozens of short-and long-term visitors to develop innovative ideas. With the implementation of Earth-Life Science graduate programme at ELSI, we are paving the path for future researchers. We are committed to science education and sharing our research with the general public. All are welcome to visit ELSI and join our quest to understand the origins of Earth and the life it supports.
Message from the Former Director
Exploring the origins of the Earth and life
Kei Hirose
Former Director, Earth-Life Science Institute
How did the Earth form and what was the early Earth like, how did life emerge and evolve in its early environment, and what does the answer imply for the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe? The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) is a one-of-a-kind, internationally recognized, world-class research institute established in 2012 to address these questions.
As a World Premier International Research Center (WPI Center) based at Tokyo Institute of Technology (*currently Institute of Science Tokyo), our mission is to facilitate breakthroughs at the frontier of science by attracting and interacting with the best minds from around the world, to promote interdisciplinary research in Origins of Earth and Life Science, and to play a leading role in implementing and promoting administrative innovation and organizational excellence among universities in Japan.
ELSI has cultivated a multidisciplinary international community of researchers, integrating disciplines to study the Origins of Life within the context of the Origin of the Earth and other planets. ELSI hosts dozens of short- and long-term visitors to develop innovative ideas. We are committed to science education and also sharing our research with the general public. All are welcome to visit ELSI and join our quest to understand the origins of Earth and the life it supports.