
MembersMetabolic and Behavioral Physiology
RIKEN ECL Research Team

Chisako SakumaRIKEN ECL Team Leader
After spending about the same amount of time in Kyushu and the Kanto region, I eventually landed in Kobe. I love good food, and I cannot help but smile whenever I see something delicious. Maybe it is that side of me which led to my fascination with the blood-feeding behavior of mosquitoes, and I’ve been completely drawn into their fascinating world.
- chisako.sakuma@riken.jp
- researchmap

Yusuke KatoPhD student, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University / JSPS Research Fellow
I came to Kobe from Saitama. As a child, I often found myself battling mosquitoes that lived among the bamboo forests, and I never imagined I would end up studying them one day. Now, in this wonderful research environment, I spend my days carefully observing mosquitoes—especially the pupae!

Okiko HabaraResearch Part-time Worker I
This is my 13th year working at RIKEN Kobe, and my fourth lab here, but it’s my first time being involved from the initial set up, which is really exciting. Outside the lab, I play the violin and viola with the BDR Ensemble Club.

Chika KobayashiAssistant
I was born in Hyogo (right here in Kobe), but I have also lived in Hiroshima, Chiba, and Tokyo, so I have picked up three dialects: Kansai-ben, Hiroshima-ben, and Kanto-ben. I hope to be the kind of assistant who quietly and steadily supports everyone in the lab.