Recruiting members
Recruiting members
Latest update: 29 August 2026
Contact
Please send all inquiries by email to the address below. When contacting us, please include “nepenthes” in the subject line. I may not be able to respond to emails that do not contain this keyword.
Contact: toyotak (at) hiroshima-u.ac.jp
Introduction
Our laboratory welcomes master’s and doctoral students as well as postdoctoral researchers. If you are interested in joining us, please first contact Toyota by email. If you do not receive a reply within 24 hours, your email may have been filtered as spam, so please try contacting us again. After initial contact, we will arrange an online meeting. Depending on the discussion, you may then be invited to visit the laboratory or join one of our field surveys on a trial basis. I believe that a good fit not only with me as a supervisor, but also with the other members of the laboratory, is an important part of a productive research and educational environment. I therefore encourage prospective students and researchers to experience the atmosphere of the laboratory through a lab visit or fieldwork before deciding whether to join or transfer to our group.
Our laboratory specializes in molecular physiology, particularly in crustaceans. Our facilities include upright, inverted, and stereomicroscopes; equipment for standard molecular biology experiments such as PCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR); facilities for paraffin histology; HPLC systems specialized for peptide analysis; and an animal-rearing laboratory using artificial seawater and equipped with five environmental chambers. We also have a scientific drawing system that has, somehow, remained unused since it was purchased. We therefore warmly welcome taxonomists and systematists who could make good use of both this equipment and the broad range of field sites available to our laboratory. Our current major field sites include tidal flats and rocky shores in the Seto Inland Sea, the coast of the Noto Peninsula, the Oki Islands, Sado Island, and other coastal areas along the Sea of Japan. Field-based researchers who would like to develop projects centered on these areas are also very welcome. We also encourage research using Hiroshima University’s Training and Research Vessel TOYOSHIO MARU.
The following opportunities are available in our laboratory. Beginning in the 2026 academic year, Toyota is also eligible to serve as the primary supervisor for doctoral students.
Undergraduate research: Students in the second semester of their third year in the Integrative Hydrospheric Science Program, School of Applied Biological Science, Hiroshima University
Master’s / Doctoral research: Program of Bioresource Science, Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University. Students from other universities are also welcome to apply.
Postdoctoral researchers: We can host JSPS Research Fellows (PD, RPD, etc.). Fully remote arrangements may also be possible in some cases. Please feel free to contact us if you are interested.
Internships for KOSEN Students
Hiroshima University offers several pathways for students from Colleges of Technology (KOSEN), including third-year transfer admission to undergraduate programs and admission to graduate school after completing a KOSEN Advanced Course. I am also a KOSEN graduate myself, and our laboratory can accept internship students from both regular KOSEN courses and Advanced Courses. If you are interested, please feel free to contact Toyota by email.
Choosing a Research Topic
Undergraduate Research
Please see this page for examples of current research projects in our laboratory. In the Integrative Hydrospheric Science Program of the School of Applied Biological Science, Hiroshima University, undergraduate students are not permitted to conduct field surveys on their own. Toyota therefore accompanies all fieldwork related to undergraduate research projects. Please be aware that the geographic range and frequency of field surveys must consequently be coordinated with the activities of other laboratory members.
Physiological ecology of organisms that can be collected and maintained in reasonable numbers: We begin with field observations to identify unusual or interesting biological phenomena, whether morphological, behavioral, ecological, or otherwise, and then investigate the mechanisms underlying those phenomena through field surveys and laboratory experiments. There is no strict restriction on the organisms that can be studied. Our laboratory has particular expertise in invertebrates, especially crustaceans and other arthropods. However, plants and animals outside these groups are also possible subjects, provided that they can be collected in reasonable numbers and maintained under laboratory conditions.
Population and community ecology of plants and animals in forests, rural landscapes, rivers, and coastal environments: For these projects, students are expected to take the lead in identifying the organisms they wish to study. We usually conduct several preliminary surveys first and then discuss and develop an appropriate sampling design, taking into account the spatial and temporal scale of the study as well as the statistical analyses that will ultimately be required.
Master’s and Doctoral Research
If you are considering joining our laboratory from another laboratory or university, please contact Toyota by email first. Research topics are determined through discussion between each student and Toyota, taking into account the student’s interests and expertise. There are inevitably some constraints arising from overlap with the field sites used by current laboratory members, the overall research strategy and management of the laboratory, and the research funding available during the student’s enrollment. Within those constraints, however, I would like students to retain as much freedom as possible in choosing both their field sites and research approaches.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Research topics are determined through discussion between the candidate and Toyota, taking into account the candidate’s interests and expertise. If you wish to bring an entirely new research topic to the laboratory, the preferred approach is to prepare an application for an external fellowship, such as a JSPS Research Fellowship. I will provide support in preparing and revising fellowship applications. Researchers who wish to introduce organisms or research approaches that are not currently studied in our laboratory are especially welcome. Sharing the techniques, expertise, and experience you have developed through your previous research will help broaden the capabilities of the entire laboratory.
Hiroshima University usually advertises fixed-term Assistant Professor positions around June each year. Two types of positions are typically available, with terms of two or three years. Applicants planning to apply for a JSPS Research Fellowship are also encouraged to consider these positions. Competition for these positions is strong, however, so they should probably not be regarded simply as a “backup plan” for a JSPS fellowship application. Nevertheless, such opportunities can provide an additional route for joining the university. If you are interested, please feel free to contact Toyota.