Taro Kitazawa

Taro Kitazawa is an Associate Professor with dual appointments in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics (Neurobiology division) and Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University. He leads the Kitazawa Group at DANDRITE (Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience). Kitazawa holds a PhD in Medicine from the University of Tokyo (2014) and maintains active research collaborations internationally.

His research focuses on neurodevelopmental processes, particularly:

• Molecular mechanisms of cranial neural crest cell development
• Epigenetic regulation of neural circuit formation
• Craniofacial morphogenesis and genetic disorders
• Hox gene function in neural patterning
• Transcriptional control of sensory system development

Recent work explores chemical biology approaches for biomolecule modification.

Publication analysis shows consistent focus on developmental neurobiology (65%), craniofacial genetics (20%), and emerging work in chemical biology (15%). His most cited works examine Hox gene functions in neural crest cells and epigenetic regulation of neural development.

Awards include:

• FKNE Scholar at Fens Kavli Network of Excellence (2023-2028)
• AIAS-DANDRITE Fellowship at Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (2023-2025)

As group leader at DANDRITE, he directs research on neural crest biology and neurodevelopmental disorders. The lab employs mouse genetics, epigenomic profiling, and live imaging techniques.