Why Do You Do Science?

We believe science not only helps you understand the world, but also provides a way to understand yourself. Through scientific training and research, you gain more than knowledge:

• You learn how to learn.

• You learn what you want to do.

• You learn why you do what you do.

Science enables you to learn beyond science itself. It shapes how you see the world and how you guide your life, giving you a clearer sense of yourself. With this clarity, you can achieve anything you imagine—go beyond science.

Research Vision

What is Life? Specifically, how do lifeless molecules come together to create something as dynamic and purposeful as living things? In our lab, we seek to answer this fundamental question by investigating how complex life-like behaviors can emerge from the coordinated action of nanoscale biomolecules. We take a bottom-up approach: instead of studying living cells as they are, we rebuild key aspects of life in the lab, piece by piece, using building blocks of life. This enables us to elucidate the core principles of the self-organization of life.

Biomolecular Self-Organization

We are especially fascinated by self-organization—how molecules spontaneously assemble into larger functional structures without any blueprint. A striking example is the cytoskeleton, a dynamic filament network that gives cells their shape, helps them move, and enables them to divide. By rebuilding such systems in vitro, we aim to understand how cells generate force, coordinate movement, and respond to surrounding environments (Research Direction 1, see below).

Engineering Life

Once we understand fundamental principles, we go one step further: designing and building life-like systems that not only mimic but could potentially outperform natural cells. This could open up exciting opportunities in biotechnology, synthetic biology, and sustainable material development (Research Direction 2, see below).

In essence, our lab unites physics, biology, chemistry, and engineering to reveal the beauty and mysteries of life—and to explore how we can harness its principles to create something entirely new.

How We Reveal the Principles of Life

Understanding complex living systems requires perspectives that cross traditional boundaries. Our lab brings together physics, biology, chemistry, and engineering (Fig. 1), integrating cutting-edge nanotechnology, biochemical techniques, advanced microscopy with photo-manipulation, quantitative image analysis, and physics-based theoretical modeling. Many of our discoveries arise from the unexpected synergy of these diverse approaches.

We welcome people from all disciplines who are motivated to uncover the fundamental principles of life and to drive technological innovation. We aim to cultivate an inclusive, collaborative, and inspiring research environment—one we believe is essential not only for scientific breakthroughs, but also for a meaningful and fulfilling life.