Takashi Gojobori

Takashi Gojobori (born October 24, 1951) is a Japanese molecular biologist who serves as Vice-Director of the National Institute of Genetics (NIG) and Professor at the Center for Information Biology and DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ) in Mishima, Japan. He also holds multiple visiting positions including Special Research Consultant at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Visiting Professor at Keio University, Tokyo University, and Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Visiting Research Director at RIKEN.

His educational background includes a Ph.D. from Kyushu University (1979), followed by research positions at the University of Texas at Houston (1979-1983), Washington University in St. Louis (1985, 1986), and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London (1989).

Professor Gojobori's research spans multiple areas of molecular and evolutionary biology. His work focuses on comparative genomics, molecular evolution, viral evolution, and bioinformatics. He has made significant contributions to understanding the rates of synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions, positive selection, horizontal gene transfer, and genome evolution. More recently, he has been investigating the evolution of the brain and central nervous system.

His extensive publication record includes 389 peer-reviewed articles as of May 2012, reflecting his broad impact across multiple fields of biological research. His work shows a consistent focus on evolutionary mechanisms at the molecular level, with applications ranging from viral evolution to comparative genomics across diverse organisms including humans, plants, and model organisms like Hydra.

Scientific Awards

• 2009: The Medal with Purple Ribbon from the government of Japan
• 2007: Academician Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Vatican
• 2006: Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, USA
• 2005: Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), USA
• 2005: Society Prize (Kihara Medal), The Genetic Society of Japan
• 2004: Society Prize (Motoo Kimura Medal), The Society of Evolutionary Studies, Japan
• 2004: The Gaetano Salvatore Gold Medal, Statione Zoologica, Anton Dohrn, Italy
• 1997: Science Award from Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST), Japan
• 1995: Science Award from Hitoshi Kihara Memorial Foundation, Japan
• 1987: Promotion Award from Japanese Society of Genetics, Japan

Professor Gojobori has served in numerous editorial capacities, including as Founding Editor of Genome Biology and Evolution, Executive Editor of GENE, and Associate Editor for several major journals. He has also held significant administrative roles including Program Director of the Council for Science and Technology Policy (CSTP) of the Japanese government and Science Officer of MEXT. His contributions to international genomic databases including DDBJ/GenBank/EMBL and the H-Invitational human gene database have been instrumental in advancing global genomics research.

As Director of the Center for Information Biology and DNA Data Bank of Japan from 1994-2009, Professor Gojobori led important initiatives in biological data management and analysis. His work continues to influence the field through his leadership roles in international scientific organizations including the International Genetics Federation and CODATA/ICSU.