Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology OIST

OIST Campus Closed August 7-9, 2026

Due to the approach of typhoon #13 (Dolphin), the OIST campus will be closed to the general public from Friday August 7 through Sunday August 9.
Further information will be provided as it becomes available.

Open Faculty Positions

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology is an international, interdisciplinary graduate university in Japan, operating entirely in English and committed to empowering world-class researchers with the freedom, resources, and support they need to drive transformational discoveries. We are inviting applications for tenure-track assistant professor positions in two broad areas:

Chemistry & Materials Science: broadly defined as including the physical sciences
Life Sciences & Neuroscience: including theoretical and AI approaches

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News

Drawing showing a toddler and a child-like robot back-to-back investigating abstract 3D shapes with magnifying glasses.

Research Update

Curious robots mimic how children can learn to understand language

Rewarding AI for playful behavior helps them learn tasks much more efficiently than rote instruction and provides valuable insights into human language acquisition.

The arrangement of electrons is shown in the material CeTe3 at atomic resolution.

Research Update

Striped or checkered? Magnetic field influences competing electronic patterns in a graphene-like quantum material

Researchers reveal how electronic patterns emerge and can be controlled in the graphene-like quantum material CeTe₃.

Photo taken near Iriomote Island - underwater scenes with abundant fish.

Research Update

Creating a map of coral distribution with environmental DNA

New Ryukyu Islands Coral eDNA Atlas provides valuable data to support coral conservation, education and research

Institutional News

In Memory of Professor Susumu Tonegawa, Former OIST Board Member

Pioneering scientist who advanced immunology and neuroscience and helped shape OIST in its founding years leaves a profound and lasting legacy.

A 3D molecular reconstruction of three subunits within an Mfa filament, shown in grey.

Research Update

Cryo-EM helps identify the mechanisms of dental plaque formation

Near atomic resolution structures give insights into the attachment mechanisms of gum disease-related bacterium P. gingivalis, informing future drug development.

Research and Faculty

OIST has no academic departments. Researchers from more than 50 countries collaborate across and combine scientific disciplines to pioneer new approaches to discovery and problem-solving.

Research at OIST

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Faculty and Research Units

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Under the Surface

Taking a deeper look at how OIST research helps answer life’s big questions

Blueface angelfish swimming among colorful coral reefs in Okinawa, Japan's underwater paradise.

How can we keep coral reefs healthy?

The Ryukyuan islands are home to stunningly beautiful coral reefs, making OIST one of the best places in the world to study these fascinating, fragile ecosystems. By understanding the scientific foundations of coral reefs, we can inform future conservation efforts. In the latest Under the Surface, we explore the threats facing coral reefs, tactics to monitor biodiversity, and many other aspects of OIST’s coral research.

Learn more about corals

Research Events

10 Aug 2026

Lecture

【Rescheduled】TSVP Talk: The Physics of Flowing Human Crowds by Federico Toschi

17 Aug 2026

Seminar

【Seminar】"Unfolding the brain: reconstructing corticogenesis from cell maps" by Dr. Tatsuya C. Murakami

19 Aug 2026

Seminar

[Seminar] "Game-theoretic approaches to partial differential equations and related problems" by Prof. Jeongmin Han

19 Aug 2026

Research

Monthly Co-working by The Bioinformatics User Group

31 Aug - 03 Sep 2026

Symposium

Autumn School on "Gauge Theory, Topology, and Physics" (TSVP-TP26GT)

04 Sep 2026

Symposium

Workshop: “Women in Gauge Theory” (TSVP-TP26GT)

Study at OIST

Apply for our 5-year PhD program in Science. We also offer short-term Research Internships. Both programs are competitive, cross-disciplinary, fully funded, and taught entirely in English by world-class international faculty.

Science Without Boundaries

A university with no departments, OIST has no artificial barriers between people working in different fields, thus encouraging innovation. With a state-of-the-art research environment, OIST attracts outstanding students and faculty around the world.

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PhD and Research Internship Program

OIST offers an individualized, cross-disciplinary PhD program that funds students up to 5 years. The Research Internship program offers financial and travel support for 2 to 6 months of experience working in an OIST research lab under OIST faculty.

Student Life

OIST offers a first-class postgraduate experience – both inside and outside the classroom. A wide range of educational, recreational, social, and cultural activities provide many opportunities to explore your passions and master something new.

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Driving Innovation Toward Impact

OIST connects world-leading research and global business to co-create solutions to society’s most pressing challenges – attracting talent to Okinawa’s emerging innovation ecosystem.