Associate Professor 

Principal Investigator

Kenichiro Kamei is a stem cell engineer and a visiting associate professor in biology and bioengineering. He completed his BA (1998) and MS (2000) and obtained his Ph. D. from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2003.

His research goal is to recreate a whole body within a single and tiny device, named the “Body on a Chip,” to mimic the physiological and pathological conditions of living systems in vitro. To accomplish this goal, he is taking an interdisciplinary approach integrating stem cell biology, chemical biology, physics, micro/nanotechnology, and materials science. He is now applying his research strategy for regenerative medicine and drug discovery for humans and endangered animals to achieve proper global healthcare.

He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Molecular Biology Institute, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a staff research associate at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, an assistant professor, and then an associate professor at iCeMS, Kyoto University.

Educations

2000-2003 Ph.D. Department of Biological Information, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

1998-2000 MS. Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

1994-1998 BS. Department of Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

Professional experiences

2022. 9 – current Associate Professor (with tenure), Programs of Biology and Bioengineering, Divisions of Science and Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE

2023. 2 – current Visiting Associate Professor, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

2018. 3 – 2023. 1 Associate Professor (with tenure), Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

2015. 10 – 2020. 3 Adjunct Lecturer, School of Medicine, Doshisha University

2015. 7 – 2018. 3 Program Specific Research Center Associate Professor, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

2015. 7 – 2018. 3 Program Specific Research Center Associate Professor, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

2010. 5 – 2015. 6 Assistant Professor, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

2009. 7 – 2010. 5 Staff Research Associate, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

2006. 5 – 2009. 7 Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

2003. 4 – 2006. 4 Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

2000. 4 – 2003. 3 Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Department of Biological Information, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

Awards

2016 iCeMS Director’s Special Award, WPI-iCeMS, Kyoto University

2015 Young Investigator Award, The 88th annual meeting of The Japanese Tissue Culture Association

2010 Global Education Seminar Presentation Award 2010, The Academy of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Japan

2010 The Best Poster Award, The 2nd iCeMS Retreat, Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University

2009 BSCRC (Broad Stem Cell Research Center) Travel Award – ISSCR (International Society of Stem Cell Research) Annual Meeting, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA