Profile

Since coming to AIU more than a decade ago, I have strived to improve myself both as an instructor and as a published researcher in the field of Plant Cell Biology. AIU students play a crucial role in my research, lending their hands, their minds, and their energy to my laboratory projects.

My Undergraduate Degree included a one year Industrial Placement with Glaxo R&D, (now GlaxoSmithKline) and it was during this time, working in the Image Analysis laboratory of the Molecular Science Department, that I developed my deep and enduring interest in Cell Biology and Microscopy. After graduating with a degree in Biochemistry from the University of York in 1996, I obtained my PhD in the laboratory of Jürgen Denecke using both Cell and Molecular Biology techniques to characterise a novel protein complex formed between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident chaperones BiP and calreticulin.

In April 2001 I left the UK for the US and entered the laboratory of Prof. Tom Okita in the Institute of Biological Chemistry at Washington State University. In the Okita lab I worked in a closely related field, - RNA localization of rice seed storage proteins, and was very fortunate to be able to work on many interesting and wide-ranging projects, and to explore and develop experience in a very broad range of experimental techniques. The majority of my efforts were focused on the identification and characterisation of a large number of novel prolamine mRNA binding proteins.

I came to Akita International University in 2009 and since that time I have continued to pursue my research interests. At the same time, I have also greatly enjoyed the challenge of developing and offering Introductory lecture and laboratory courses for both Biology and Chemistry to meet the unique demands of liberal arts students studying at AIU.

Research Field

Historically, my research has been focused on building a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying protein and RNA sorting within plant cells. This work was performed as a PhD student in the UK (my home country), and subsequently as a long-term post-doctoral reseacher in the US. I was attracted to this area by the technical and intellectual challenges it posed, by its relevance to human health, as well as by the infectious enthusiasm of my undergraduate research project supervisor, Prof. Jürgen Denecke, who subsequently became my PhD supervisor.

Although I continued to pursue this research theme after I came to Japan in 2009, and received two rounds of funding from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), my growing administrative responsibilities at AIU have required me to re-consider the scope and nature of my ongoing research.

Since 2019, my laboratory-based research has been focused on science education, and specifically on the incorporation of 3D computer-aided design (CAD) and 3D printing in order to support students’ effective use of the scientific method. This interdisciplinary approach, which has recently embraced the use of microcontrollers and AI-assisted coding, allows students to ask and (hopefully) answer biological questions that might otherwise prove intractable.

In my role as Director of the Center for Collaborative Research and Outreach, I am also directly involved with projects which aim to build productive productive collaboration between AIU and members of the local community. Most-notably, we are currently in the middle of a two-year project (the Mame-no-wa project) which aims to support healthy aging in rural communities through student-community interactions.

Recent Activities

Considering AIU’s broad liberal arts curriculum, I felt that it was important to give interested students the opportunity to see that the process of scientific discovery is fundamentally a creative one. Although we must always be rigorous in interpreting results in an open and unbiased way, I wanted to develop a course, and tools, which would allow students to focus on the iterative process of experimental design and the careful analysis of their results, without being overwhelmed with and distracted by technical details.

To this end, 3D design and printing have playing an important and growing role in the Science Research Project course (BIO205) which I have taught every year since 2014. Although this course serves as an excellent opportunity for AIU students to collaboratively engage in bench science, it has also given me the opportunity to build a novel framework for hands-on science education which I have recently begun to share within the broader science community. This framework, which I call “Design, Print, Discover!”, unites the scientific method (experiment, observation, hypothesis), with the design cycle (design, build, test, learn), allowing students to build new knowledge whilst also gaining exposure to, and expertise in, important fields such as additive manufacturing, automation, and AI-assisted programming.

One key element in the success (in terms of student outcomes) of this initiative has been the use of the unicellular algae Euglena as the experimental system under investigation. Since this organism is highly motile (it moves fast!), is easily visible, and displays a variety of interesting movement patterns (tropisms) in response to light, gravity, and oxygen, it lends itself well to simple observational analysis, provided that the conditions used are tightly controlled.

Our current research is focused on expanding our existing 3D printed infrastructure to incorporate the use of AI-generated code to allow the the easy control (through inexpensive microcontrollers) of lighting and image capture for both algae and plants. We hope that these tools will be useful in the field of science education and in research laboratories studying phototropism. Please see the latest video in this YouTube playlist for further details.

https://youtu.be/Lv5L2vPNxcQ

Message to Students

Science is a hands-on subject and I firmly believe that performing scientific research can help students to develop the logical and critical thinking skills which are key elements of a liberal arts education. Science, especially lab work and field trips, can also be a lot of fun!

In addition to the introductory level natural science lecture and lab courses I give at AIU, I also offer a Science Research Project course (BIO205) in which students spend at least 5 hours per week in the lab and gain first-hand experience of real-world experimental scientific research. The main focus of my current research project is to investigate the mechanism of protein biosynthesis in rice seeds. Working on this project allows students to learn both the theory and application of biochemical and molecular biology techniques that are used in research labs throughout the world.

In scientific research, many small failures are a big part of any major success. Never underestimate the power of trial and error and realise that every mistake you make, in life as well as in science, is a learning opportunity. Just don't make the same mistake too many times!