October 26, 2023
Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI-Kavli IPMU)
A changing of directors ceremony was held at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI-Kavli IPMU) on October 26, as Hirosi Ooguri, who served as the institute's second director for the past five years, handed the baton over to Jun'ichi Yokoyama, who will be welcomed as the institute's third director from November 1.
Jun'ichi Yokoyama is a world-renowned expert in theoretical physics, and will become the third Director of the Kavli IPMU on November 1, 2023. He has been a central figure in the research community in Japan, leading international research efforts into cosmology of the early Universe, large-scale structure evolution, and gravitational wave physics.
He received his PhD in Physics from The University of Tokyo, and has held positions at the Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics in Kyoto University, Osaka University, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, before becoming Professor at the Research Center for the Early Universe (RESCEU), The University of Tokyo in 2005, and later its Director since 2023. Yokoyama has also been a Visiting Senior Scientist at the Kavli IPMU since its establishment.
Yokoyama has also served on several academic societies, including President of the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Sciences, Executive Board member of the Physical Society of Japan, President of the Asia Pacific Organization for Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics, and Chair of the Japanese Association of Theoretical Astronomers and Astrophysicists as well as the Japan Gravitational Wave Community. He also served as Chairperson of KAGRA Scientific Congress Board, the equivalent of a spokesperson of the KAGRA project, for two years until September 2023.
"I am much excited to begin my new role as Director of Kavli IPMU and look forward to exploring the mysteries of the universe with wonderful colleagues there," said new director Yokoyama.
"I am delighted that Professor Jun'ichi Yokoyama has accepted the role of Director, and I look forward to the future development of the Kavli IPMU under his leadership," said former Director Hirosi Ooguri.
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About Jun'ichi Yokoyama