Keisuke Kubota, who is a 2nd year doctoral student at ELSI (School of Life Science and Technology, Department of Life Science and Technology, Life Science and Technology Course of Science Tokyo), won the Poster Award at the 15th International Congress on Extremophiles, held from September 13 to 17, 2026 at the Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea. He is supervised by ELSI’s Associate Professor Shawn Erin McGlynn.
 
Kubota’s poster presentation title was ‘Isolation and Characterization of Dominant Chemosynthetic Bacteria from Microbial Mats in Sulfide-rich Hot Spring*.’
 
‘I am truly honoured to have received the Poster Award. Microorganisms inhabit every corner of the Earth and are found in extreme environments—such as temperatures, pH levels, and oxygen concentrations that are completely uninhabitable for humans. The terrestrial hot springs investigated by our research group reach temperatures as high as 85°C, yet microorganisms thrive even in such extreme environments.
 
A familiar example of utilising functions unique to these organisms is the thermostable DNA polymerase used in PCR testing. Furthermore, in research on extraterrestrial life and the origin of life, as exploration of other planets and moons progresses, discovering microbes or signs of life might reveal metabolisms and life cycles beyond our imagination. Comparing them with Earth’s life to see what is shared and what differs could bring us closer to uncovering the universal rules required for life to emerge. Although it may not happen immediately, imagining the scientific advancements and achievements 100 years into the future fills me with excitement.
 
Moving forward, I hope that our research on microorganisms inhabiting terrestrial hot springs will contribute, even in a small way, to deepening our understanding of extremophiles.
 
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisors, collaborators, and everyone at the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) for their patient, meticulous guidance and daily support. I will continue to dedicate myself to driving our research forward,’ commented Kubota.
 

*This poster presentation was co-authored by Shigeru Kawai, Specially Appointed Assistant Professor (Toyohashi University of Technology); Katsumi Matsuura, Research Fellow (Institute of Science Tokyo); and Associate Professor Shawn Erin McGlynn.