Akira Sasaki

Akira Sasaki, Professor

Akira Sasaki joined the Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems at SOKENDAI in July 2007 as a Professor of Mathematical Biology. 

He is working on the stochastic theory of population genetics, host-parasite coevolution, species packing theory, spatially explicit models of ecology and epidemiology, intrahost dynamics of pathogen and immune system, bet-hedging in changing environment, evolution of cooperation, evolution of mutability in fitness landscapes, restriction avoidance and the evolution of word frequency in phage genome, spatial mosaic formation in Müllerian mimicry system, epidemiology and evolution of virulence in small worlds networks, and on other problems in theoretical population biology .

Dr. Sasaki received his bachelor degree in biology from Kyoto University, and his master's degree and Ph.D. in mathematical biology from Kyushu University. He has worked as assistant professor and associate professor of mathematical biology at Kyushu University.  He has been a visiting research fellow at North Carolina State University, the University of Utrecht, University College London Silwood Park, and Oxford University. He has been a member of Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, a visiting professor at Harvard University,  a research associate at International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria, and a Japan Science and Technology Agency PRESTO researcher.

The president of the Japanese Society for Mathematical Biology (2018-2019)

Co-Editor-in-Chief: Journal of Theoretical Biology (2020-Present)

Selected publications: 

Hiroshi Ito, Akira Sasaki. The adaptation front equation explains innovation-driven taxonomic turnovers and living fossilization. The American Naturalist (in press):  (2023).

Sébastien Lion, Akira Sasaki, Michael Boots. Extending eco-evolutionary theory with oligomorphic dynamics. Ecology Letters 2023:00: 1-25 (2023).

Ryuichi Kumata, Akira Sasaki. Antigenic escape accelerated by the presence of immunocompromised hosts. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 289: 20221437 (2022).

Yu Uchiumi, Masato Sato, Akira Sasaki. Evolutionary double suicide in symbiotic systems. Ecology Letters 26: 87-98 (2022).

Sébastien Lion, Mike Boots, Akira Sasaki. Multi-morph eco-evolutionary dynamics in structured populations. American Naturalist 200(3): 345-372 (2022).

Akira Sasaki, Sébastien Lion, Mike Boots. Antigenic escape selects for the evolution of higher pathogen transmission and virulence. Nature Ecology and Evolution 6: 51-62 (2022).

Masato Sato, Akira Sasaki. Evolution and maintenance of mutualism between tubeworms and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. American Naturalist 197(3): 351-365 (2021).

Yu Uchiumi, Akira Sasaki. Evolution of division of labour in mutualistic symbiosis. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 287(1930): 20200669 (2020).

Sayaki U. Suzuki, Akira Sasaki. Ecological and evolutionary stabilities of biotrophism, necrotrophism, and saprotrophism. American Naturalist 194(1): 90-103 (2019).

Yu Uchiumi, Hisashi Ohtsuki, Akira Sasaki. Evolution of self-limited cell division of symbionts. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 286(1895): 20182238 (2019年1月30日).

Yamamichi M, Yoshida T, Sasaki A (2011) Comparing the effects of rapid evolution and phenotypic plasticity on predator-prey dynamics. American Naturalist 178 (in press).

Iseki N, Sasaki A, Toju H (2011) Arms race between weevil rostrum length and camellia pericarp thickness: Geographical cline and theory. J Theor Biol 285: 1-9. 

Suzuki SU, Sasaki A (2011) How does the resistance threshold in spatially explicit epidemic dynamics depend on the basic reproductive ratio and spatial correlation of crop genotypes? J Theor Biol 276:117-125.

Sasaki A, Dieckmann U (2010) Oligomorphic dynamics for analyzing the quantitative genetics of adaptive speciation. J Math Biol, Online First, 19 November 2010.

Andreasen V, Sasaki A (2006) Shaping the phylogenetic tree of influenza by cross-immunity. Theor Pop Biol 70:164-173.

Nowak MA, Sasaki A, Taylor C, Fudenberg D (2004) Emergence of cooperation and evolutionary stability in finite populations. Nature 428: 646-650.

Boots M, Hudson PJ, Sasaki A (2004) Large shifts in pathogen virulence relate to host population structure. Science 303: 842-845.

Sasaki A, Kawaguchi I, Yoshimori A (2002) Spatial mosaic and interfacial dynamics in Müllerian mimicry system. Theor Pop Biol 61: 49-71.

Sasaki A (2000) Host-parasite coevolution in multilocus gene-for-gene system. Proc Roy Soc Lond B 267: 2183-2188.

Sasaki A, Godfray HCJ (1999) A model for the coevolution of resistance and virulence in coupled host-parasitoid interactions. Proc Roy Soc Lond B 266: 455-463.

Boots M, Sasaki A (1999) 'Small worlds' and the evolution of virulence: infection occurs locally and at a distance. Proc Roy Soc Lond B 266: 1933-1938.

Sasaki A (1997) Clumped distribution by neighborhood competition. J Theor Biol 186: 415-430.

Sasaki A, Ellner S (1995) The evolutionarily stable phenotype distribution in a random environment. Evolution 49: 337-350.

Sasaki A (1994) Evolution of antigen drift/switching - continuously evading pathogens. J Theor Biol 168: 291-308.

Sasaki A, Iwasa Y (1987) Optimal recombination rate in fluctuating environments. Genetics 115: 337-388.

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Last updated: Apr. 23, 2011