Tomoko Soga

Associate Professor Tomoko Soga is a research faculty member at Monash University's Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Malaysia. She serves as Director of the Animal Research Platform and leads the Social Stress and Mental Health Research group. She joined Monash in 2006 after training in Japan and the USA, including a postdoctoral fellowship at The Rockefeller University.

Education:

• BSc and MSc from Kyoto Institute of Technology
• PhD from Nippon Medical School

Her research centers on the neurobiological basis of depression, especially how social stress disrupts serotonergic pathways and neuroendocrine function. She integrates animal models (zebrafish, tilapia) with human iPS cell technologies to investigate genetic and environmental interactions. Her work contributes to Sustainable Development Goals related to mental health and well-being.

Her recent publications focus on brain aging in depression, cannabinoid effects on sleep, melatonin signaling, cortisol dysregulation, and novel neuropeptides like spexin. These span neuroscience, psychiatry, endocrinology, and molecular biology, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach.

Scientific Awards:

• Narishige Award for Neuroscience
• Award from the Japan Foundation for Aging and Health

She is actively involved in mentoring, grant review (e.g., Auckland Medical Research Foundation), and academic service as associate/guest editor for Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, Frontiers in Endocrinology, and Frontiers in Neuroscience. She is a council member of the Asia and Oceania Society for the Comparative Endocrinology. She leads multiple funded research projects and participates in international workshops and conferences, demonstrating sustained academic engagement and leadership.

Her research team utilizes advanced genomics and cellular modeling to develop early diagnostics and therapies for stress-related mental disorders. Current projects explore salivary biomarkers in aging, microalgal effects on fish physiology, and neuropeptide functions in decision-making under stress.