Research in Priority Areas and Research on Optional Subjects

Aiming to Raise Our Presence as a Research Institution

Sophia University is working to strengthen research capabilities as a priority initiative in the research field. We have established a new grant called the “Sophia University Special Grant for Academic Research,” starting 2014 academic year. A major goal of the Sophia University Special Grant for Academic Research is to raise the presence of Sophia University as a full-fledged research institution by promoting our research activity in Japan and improving our ability to reach a wider audience internationally.

For this reason, the Sophia University Special Grant for Academic Research will distribute research funds with a focus on research that is innovative, original, and international, as well as interdisciplinary and organizational research activities that leverage Sophia University’s unique characteristics. The Sophia University Special Grant for Academic Research provides grants to fund two types of research activity: “Research in Priority Areas” and “Research on Optional Subjects”.

A research report on “Sophia University Special Grant for Academic Research” is available on “Sophia-R,” the website of the Sophia University Repository for Academic Resources

Research in Priority Areas

Taking into account the founding principles of Sophia University and our existing research system, we have established five research subjects for “Research in Priority Areas” based on our three main purposes, and we solicit and fund the research proposals that meet any of the five subject area requirements.

Development of hepatocyte specific X-ray diagnostics with reduced side effects

Yumiko SUZUKI Professor

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Research Areas	Social demography，health and aging，socio-economic transition from communism in East Central Europe and former Soviet Union
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Research Areas	Labor economics，health economics，econometrics，applied microeconomics
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Research in Priority Areas and Research on Optional Subjects

Research in Priority Areas

Development of hepatocyte specific X-ray diagnostics with reduced side effects

Yumiko SUZUKI Professor

Light-driven circulation system

Kazuhiko SHIMOMURA Professor

Interdisciplinary projects on human data science

Takayuki ARAI Professor

Research on Optional Subjects

Effects of Perceived Environmental Friendliness of Products on Consumer Behavior

Taku TOGAWA Associate Professor

A Study of Conflict Avoidance and Peace Building in Central and West African Oral Literature: The Pedagogical Applications and Construction of Networks for African Studies

Atsuko NAGAI Professor

Development And Application of The Organic Reaction Process in Water Media: Utilization of Thermo-Responsive Micelles That Have Catalyst Functions

Noriyuki SUZUKI Professor

Challenges of Peacebuilding after the Ukraine War: Roles of Japan

Daisaku HIGASHI Professor

Digitalization for Sustainable Development of SMEs: A Pilot Experiment in Emerging Vietnam

Yuki HIGUCHI Professor

Prediction and interpretation of mental health from human-generated big data

Yusuke FUKAZAWA Associate Professor

Soil and water microbiome data collection and analysis for limnological environment protection

Ikuko YAIRI Professor

Development of Innovative Magnetic Functional Materials Using Pulsed Ultra-High Magnetic Fields

Hideki KUWAHARA Professor

Elucidation of the mechanism of sports concussion onset based on case analysis

Yuelin ZHANG Associate Professor

Development of a molecular modeling tool by integrating analog molecular models and digital image processing technology

Yusuke KAMEDA Associate Professor

Examining the Validity of Japanese Privilege Scale: A Scale to Make Visible Majority Privilege

Makiko DEGUCHI Professor

The Francophone world riding the tide of the globalization era

Machiko KOJIMA Professor

A comparative study of multilateral diplomacy in the issue-areas of non-traditional international security: focusing on “Humanitarian-Peace-Development nexus” approach at the Global Refugee Forum

Midori OKABE Professor

The Individual as Driver of the Green Shift. An Analysis of Environmental Attitudes and Willingness to Support Climate Change Mitigation Measures in Japan

Carola HOMMERICH Professor

An Analysis of the Role of Family as a Determinant of Physical and Mental Health in Japan

Yuka MINAGAWA Associate Professor

Development of a method to improve heat stress tolerance in plants by utilizing their ability to memorize heat stress

Nobuhiro SUZUKI Associate Professor

Empirical analyses of impacts of changes in social and natural environments on people’s lives in developing countries

Takuya HASEBE Associate Professor

Measuring the climate policy commitments of small island developing states and territories to nature-based solutions

Anne MCDONALD Professor

Chemical Biology of Antibacterial Polyphenols of Dictyostelium discoideum

Toyonobu USUKI Professor

Rethinking World Heritage Authenticity by building Archives on Historical European religious monuments

Masanori SAKANO Professor

Piwi/piRNA-dependent Organ Size Regulation

Tetsuo YASUGI Associate Professor

Life, Work, and Mission of Juan de Jesús, OFM (†1706)

Antonio DONAS Associate Professor

Frail Prevention in the aging population in Mexico: ～Disseminating Japanese Geriatric Knowledge Adaptable to Low and Middle-Income Countries (Collaborative Research with Jesuit University)

Yae YOSHINO Associate Professor

Phased Visualization of Decarbonization Behavior Change and Policy Implications by Integrating Social Practice Theory with Big Data Analytics

Xuepeng QIAN Professor

Development And Application of The Organic Reaction Process in Water Media: Utilization of Thermo-Responsive Micelles That Have
Catalyst Functions

Frail Prevention in the aging population in Mexico:
～Disseminating Japanese Geriatric Knowledge Adaptable to Low and Middle-Income
Countries (Collaborative Research with Jesuit University)