Michiaki Hamada is a Professor at Waseda University's Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Advanced Science and Engineering. He also serves as President of the Japanese Society for Bioinformatics (since April 2024) and holds visiting positions at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and Nippon Medical School's Graduate School of Medicine. His research laboratory focuses on bioinformatics with particular emphasis on functional RNA, epigenetics, and RNA drug discovery. Ph.D. in Science from Tokyo Institute of Technology (2009) Master's in Mathematics from Tohoku University (2002) Bachelor's in Mathematics from Tohoku University (2000) Professor Hamada's research spans multiple areas of bioinformatics, with particular focus on RNA biology, machine learning applications in sequence analysis, and computational approaches to drug discovery. His work bridges computational methodologies with biological applications, developing tools for RNA structure prediction, aptamer design, and genome analysis. His laboratory has made significant contributions to understanding RNA-protein interactions, transposable element biology, and the application of deep learning to RNA engineering problems. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on applying machine learning and deep learning techniques to RNA-related problems, including RNA aptamer generation, RNA structure prediction, and RNA therapeutic development. His research group has developed several computational tools like RaptGen for aptamer design, DeepRaccess for RNA accessibility prediction, and REPrise for repeat detection. His work shows a consistent pattern of developing computational methods with direct biological applications, particularly in the areas of RNA therapeutics and genome analysis. Okuma Memorial Academic Award (Encouragement Award) 2024.11 Waseda University Teaching Award 2023.07 Waseda University Next Generation Core Researchers 2022 Waseda University Research Award for International Research Dissemination 2021.12 MEXT Young Scientists' Award 2017.04 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology President's Award (Research) 2016.04 As Principal Investigator, Professor Hamada has led numerous competitive research projects including multiple KAKENHI grants (Young Researcher, Challenging Exploratory Research, New Academic Fields), CREST programs, and industry collaborations. He actively contributes to the bioinformatics community through leadership roles, including serving as President of the Japanese Society for Bioinformatics and organizing joint symposia between Waseda University and Nippon Medical School. His laboratory maintains strong collaborations with both computational and experimental groups, facilitating the translation of computational methods into biological applications. Professor Hamada leads the Hamada Laboratory (hamadalab.com), which focuses on developing computational tools for RNA analysis and design. His group maintains active collaborations with researchers at Nippon Medical School, AIST, and other institutions, creating a strong interdisciplinary research environment. The laboratory has developed several widely-used bioinformatics tools and maintains an active publication record in high-impact journals across computational biology, genomics, and RNA research fields.
