【8th Oct.】DLab⁺ Symposium “Intelligence In Between：Rhythm, Emotion, and Symbiosis”

Click here to register for the event
https://dlab-aida.peatix.com

Overview:

Intelligence is generally understood as an ability possessed by an individual. Yet any ability can change depending on the people, tools, and environments with which that individual interacts. In this symposium, rather than viewing intelligence as something confined within a particular individual, we will explore it as something that emerges “in between”: between the body and microorganisms, between the body and devices, and between one body and another. Crossing disciplinary boundaries among engineering, biology, medicine, the humanities, and the social sciences, we will discuss the dynamic nature of intelligence and how it emerges through these relationships. We are delighted to welcome three guests who, while pursuing their work as researchers, have also founded companies to put their ideas into practice in society.

Date and Time:

Thursday 8 October, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Languages:

Japanese and English (interpretation provided)

Venue:

Science Tokyo Ōokayama Campus, Digital Multipurpose Hall (West 9)
Google Maps link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/cWkEu9AFL9xqj6hW9

Accessibility:

The venue is wheelchair accessible.

Audience:

University faculty and staff, students, and members of the public

Capacity:

250 participants

Admission:

Free of charge

Speaker:

Fotini Markopoulou-Kalamara (Visiting Professor, DLab⁺, Institute of Future Science, Institute of Science Tokyo)
Takuji Yamada (Professor, School of Life Science and Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo)
Junichi Ushiba (Professor, Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University)

Facilitator:

Asa Ito (Director / Professor, DLab⁺, Institute of Future Science, Institute of Science Tokyo)

Profile:

Fotini Markopoulou-Kalamara
Fotini Markopoulou is a quantum gravity physicist and innovation engineering designer, working on the evolution and interaction of our physical, social, and narrative technologies — the artificial world we inhabit and through which we perceive reality. She earned her physics PhD from Imperial College London and a double Master's in design and engineering from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. She was founding faculty at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada, and CEO of Empathic Technologies, applying embodied cognition research to technologies that shape emotion and attention. Since 2025, she has been a Visiting Professor at DLab⁺, Institute of Future Science, Institute of Science Tokyo.

Takuji Yamada
Takuji Yamada is a Professor at the School of Life Science and Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo. His research focuses on the human and environmental microbiome, particularly the gut microbiome, using bioinformatics and multi-omics approaches to understand microbial functions and their roles in health and disease. He is also committed to translating scientific discoveries into practical applications through industry–academia collaboration and has co-founded and advised several biotechnology startups. In addition to research and entrepreneurship, he actively promotes interdisciplinary education, supports the development of young scientists, and leads outreach programs that introduce children and the wider public to the fascinating world of microorganisms.

Junichi Ushiba
Received a Ph.D. in Engineering from the Graduate School of Science and Technology at Keio University in 2004 and was appointed as a Research Associate at the university in the same year, becoming a Professor in 2022. In 2018, Junichi Ushiba founded LIFESCAPES Inc. to commercialize research outcomes, serving as President and Representative Director before becoming Chairman of the Board in 2026.
Focusing on neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to rewire its functions—Ushiba researches the potential of Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) technology to assist and restore physical movement, while working to implement these innovations in society as medical devices.

Asa Ito
Professor Asa Ito is Director of DLab⁺ at the Institute of Science Tokyo’s Institute of Future Science, specializing in aesthetics. She obtained her PhD in Literature in 2010 at the University of Tokyo. As author, Dr. Ito’s major works include Me no mienai hito wa sekai wo do miteiru no ka (How Do People Without Sight See the World?), Domoru karada (The Stuttering Body), and Te no Rinri（Ethics of hands). Her work was recognized with the 42nd Suntory Prize in 2020 and 19th Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Prize in FY2022. She is also a Visiting Scholar at MIT (2019).

Contact:

riad.ifs.ga@adm.isct.ac.jp

Organised by:

DLab⁺, Institute of Future Science, Institute of Science Tokyo