Dr. Martin Robert arrived at Tohoku University in April, and is in charge of two lectures this semester. Here is an interview with Dr. Robert.
Where are you from?
I’m originally from Montreal, Canada.
Could you tell us about your background?
R: I was studying biochemistry at undergraduate, and continued my study in the field of protein biochemistry at graduate school.
Then I found an opportunity in Japan for my postdoctoral training at a pharmaceutical company. I was doing research about cancer, aging and so on for five years. The next place was a biotech company in Brussels, Belgium for a year and half to work on novel cell receptors and their characterization.
For the last 10 years I’ve been working at the Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University in Yamagata prefecture since I’m really interested in system biology and organization in biological systems. There I’ve done research focusing on the metabolic function of bacteria cells which is about the transformation of nutrients for cellular renewal and maintenance.
In the lab, we can evolve bacteria under different environmental conditions to study how they adapt by changing their metabolic function. We are also interested in discovering new enzymes and metabolic reactions and so on. The dynamics of cellular metabolic function is another focus of research. This can help us understand how cells keep organized in time and we have found that this can also link to interactions between organisms because bacteria also form complex communities.
This semester, what kind of courses do you teach?
R: I have two courses this semester. In one course I teach the fundamentals of cell biology. It is about the cell as the unit of living systems, its cellular functions and components, and how cells are organized and connect to produce more complex living organisms.
Another course is more conceptual, and is also closely connected to my research interests: the principles of physiology and systems in living organisms. Interestingly, this is connected to principles of engineering which deal with complex systems. The larger goal is to get a better understanding the living systems and provide a more integrative perspective for biology.
Please tell us your impression of the students at Tohoku University.
R: Since the FGL Program is international one, most of the students I have met so far are from outside Japan. The number of students is relatively small which should be good and advantageous for the students. It offers more flexibility and possibility for interactions. Although I just started last month, students I met so far are mostly in their first undergraduate year, show strong interests and attention, and also sometimes ask questions. I hope this kind of interactivity keeps growing.
Could you talk about your long experience in Northern Japan?
R: As you said, I spent a lot of time in this northern part of Japan, especially in Yamagata. The physical environment shows some similarity with Canada and I can also feel the people’s ambition to live in harmony of nature. As you move to areas in higher latitude, the weather gets more distinctive, which I appreciate more because of my roots. In my opinion, winter was not real winter near Tokyo where I used to live too. I think people in this area may be a little bit more reserved, but they are very nice and proud of their heritage and environment. The lower population density in Northern Japan also make for an excellent quality of life. For all these reasons I therefore feel very comfortable here and look forward to this new experience at Tohoku University.
Where are you from?
I’m originally from Montreal, Canada.
Could you tell us about your background?
R: I was studying biochemistry at undergraduate, and continued my study in the field of protein biochemistry at graduate school.
Then I found an opportunity in Japan for my postdoctoral training at a pharmaceutical company. I was doing research about cancer, aging and so on for five years. The next place was a biotech company in Brussels, Belgium for a year and half to work on novel cell receptors and their characterization.
For the last 10 years I’ve been working at the Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University in Yamagata prefecture since I’m really interested in system biology and organization in biological systems. There I’ve done research focusing on the metabolic function of bacteria cells which is about the transformation of nutrients for cellular renewal and maintenance.
In the lab, we can evolve bacteria under different environmental conditions to study how they adapt by changing their metabolic function. We are also interested in discovering new enzymes and metabolic reactions and so on. The dynamics of cellular metabolic function is another focus of research. This can help us understand how cells keep organized in time and we have found that this can also link to interactions between organisms because bacteria also form complex communities.
This semester, what kind of courses do you teach?
R: I have two courses this semester. In one course I teach the fundamentals of cell biology. It is about the cell as the unit of living systems, its cellular functions and components, and how cells are organized and connect to produce more complex living organisms.
Another course is more conceptual, and is also closely connected to my research interests: the principles of physiology and systems in living organisms. Interestingly, this is connected to principles of engineering which deal with complex systems. The larger goal is to get a better understanding the living systems and provide a more integrative perspective for biology.
Please tell us your impression of the students at Tohoku University.
R: Since the FGL Program is international one, most of the students I have met so far are from outside Japan. The number of students is relatively small which should be good and advantageous for the students. It offers more flexibility and possibility for interactions. Although I just started last month, students I met so far are mostly in their first undergraduate year, show strong interests and attention, and also sometimes ask questions. I hope this kind of interactivity keeps growing.
Could you talk about your long experience in Northern Japan?
R: As you said, I spent a lot of time in this northern part of Japan, especially in Yamagata. The physical environment shows some similarity with Canada and I can also feel the people’s ambition to live in harmony of nature. As you move to areas in higher latitude, the weather gets more distinctive, which I appreciate more because of my roots. In my opinion, winter was not real winter near Tokyo where I used to live too. I think people in this area may be a little bit more reserved, but they are very nice and proud of their heritage and environment. The lower population density in Northern Japan also make for an excellent quality of life. For all these reasons I therefore feel very comfortable here and look forward to this new experience at Tohoku University.