ELSI Annual Public Lecture FY2025 will be held on Friday, 23 January 2026. The theme of the lecture is ‘MMX: Unlocking the Martian Moons’, and the event will feature ELSI’s Professor Hidenori Genda, and Emma Caminiti, Aerospace Project Research Associate, ISAS, JAXA. The first lecture will be in Japanese, and the second is in English. There will be a simultaneous interpretation. This event is on-site event and there will be no live streaming.
Date and time: Friday, 23 January 2026, 19:00-20:50 (Doors open at 18:30)
Theme: MMX: Unlocking the Martian Moons
Venue: Multi-Purpose Digital Hall, Ookayama West Bldg. 9, Institute of Science Tokyo (Ookayama station, Tokyu Line, 3 min. walk)
Organiser: Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), Institute of Science Tokyo
Lectures and lecturers:
Hidenori Genda (Professor, ELSI)
Emma Caminiti (Aerospace Project Research Associate, ISAS, JAXA)
Moderator: Kosuke Fujishima (Associate Professor, ELSI)
Language: English/Japanese (Simultaneous interpretation)
Fee: Free
Registration: Prior registration is required. Capacity at 300 people.
https://elsi-public-lecture-20260123.peatix.com
Registration deadline: Thursday, 22 January 2026 noon (*The application will be closed when the number of applicants reaches 300)
Contact: pr@elsi.jp
Lecture 1
Why Explore Martian Moons?
Hidenori Genda, Professor, ELSI
Abstract:
Mars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. Their nature and origins are not yet well understood. Under JAXA’s leadership, the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission—much like Hayabusa2—plans to return samples from Phobos to Earth. In this presentation, I will consider why JAXA explores Martian moons, and from samples what kind of big picture about the Solar System we might be able to draw.
Bio:
Hidenori Genda is a Professor at the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), Science Tokyo. After receiving his Ph.D. in Science from the University of Tokyo in 2004 and holding positions at Tokyo Institute of Technology and the University of Tokyo, he joined ELSI in 2013 as a founding member. His research uses computer simulations and space mission data to investigate how the characteristics of Solar System bodies, including Earth, were shaped.
Lecture 2:
What Can Martian Moons Reveal?
Emma Caminiti (Aerospace Project Research Associate, ISAS, JAXA)
Abstract:
The moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, preserve key evidence of the evolution of the Martian system. The JAXA MMX mission will investigate their surface properties and return samples from Phobos. This talk will focus on recent advances in the characterisation of Phobos’ surface, spectral properties, and geology, and discuss how these studies, combined with MMX observations and samples, will shed light on the moons’ geological history and origin.
Bio:
Emma Caminiti is a Research Associate at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), working on the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission since 2025. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences from the University of Grenoble Alpes, followed by a master’s in Planetary Sciences and Space Exploration at Paris Observatory in 2021. She completed her Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrophysics at PSL University in 2024.
Moderator
Kosuke Fujishima (Associate Professor, ELSI)
ELSI Annual Public Lecture 2026 Flyer
(Credit for Kosuke Fujishima’s photo： Nerissa Escanlar / ELSI)