About Our Department

Why We Study Biology?

The question “what is life” has long puzzled human beings. Biology tries to solve this puzzle by analyzing life forms at the molecular, cellular and organism levels as well as by investigating their interactions with each other and with their environment. However, we are not merely trying to satisfy our philosophical curiosities but also to solve practical issues important for achieving widespread sustainability. From the history of science, it is easy to see that basic research in biology has not only contributed to the cultural and academic progress of human society but also contributed to social change through innovations in the fields of applied disciplines, such as agricultural, medical, and environmental technologies. Thus, there is no doubt that basic biology, of which the Department studies, plays a critical role in improving the welfare of humanity on Earth.

A Brief History of the Department

The Department of Biology was founded in 1922 as the first institute intended to provide biological research and education at Tohoku University, which was founded in 1907 as the third national university in Japan. Due to its diverse curriculum and quality of the faculty, our department is currently regarded as one of the best centers for basic biological sciences in Japan. Over the past 90 years of the department, over 2000 students have earned bachelor’s degrees in biology, and most of them have gone on to earn M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees. Alumni of the department have contributed to society through their activities as professors, teachers, researchers, engineers, generalists, and so forth in private companies and public institutes.

Mission

The educational mission of the Department of Biology at Tohoku University is to support scholarly endeavors in disciplines across a broad range of biologies from molecular and cellular biology to ecology and evolutionary biology, thereby cultivating future faculty members as well as professionals and generalists, who pave the way for a new era in life sciences and other fields.

Curriculum and Student life

The Department of Biology offers undergraduates students a broad range of learning opportunities so as to provide both a strong foundation in biology and a broad liberal arts education. The quality and diversity of education that we provide in the Department have improved continually through innovations in the curriculum and by attracting outstanding faculty. Currently, the faculty consists of 40 academic staff members, including 18 professors, whose research specialties cover molecular, cellular, individual, developmental, evolutionary and environmental biology. Each of the 40 academic staff members is responsible for teaching classes of a total of 40 biology undergraduates per grade and supervises the students during their individual research programs in a personal manner. In the student’s fourth grade, they have the opportunity to attend graduate-level classes in the Graduate School of Life Sciences at Tohoku University. We hope that you will find the learning in our department exciting, enjoyable and vital to your future career.

Access

The Department of Biology at Tohoku University is located in Sendai, a beautiful historic city full of greenery with a population more than one million. The main office of the department is housed in the Biology Building (H16) on the Aobayama Campus, which will be linked to downtown by a new subway line in 2015.

Message from the Chair

April 1, 2025

Pursuing the Essence of Life

Biology is the study that challenges the fundamental question, “What is life?” In our department, we offer a curriculum that allows students to comprehensively learn about diverse life phenomena. From the intricate mechanisms at the molecular and cellular levels to individual behavior and the dynamics of entire ecosystems, we explore the essence of life across a wide range of scales.

A major feature of our department is its emphasis on basic research. Understanding biological phenomena requires a scientific approach that involves forming hypotheses and testing them through experiments. Therefore, we place great importance on experiments and fieldwork, providing students with opportunities to actively engage in research. From the third year of undergraduate studies, students join research laboratories, where they can conduct cutting-edge experiments and field investigations in natural environments. They explore various themes, including molecular biology, which uncovers the functions of the genome; neuroscience, which investigates brain functions; and field biology, which studies the ecology and evolution of plants and animals.

Our learning approach values not only “learning from textbooks” but also “confirming and thinking with your own hands.” Through experiments and observations, students develop the ability to test their own hypotheses and generate new knowledge. The accumulation of such basic research underpins the advancement of biology and contributes to the future of science and technology.

Biology is a field full of unsolved mysteries. This is what makes the pursuit of questions and discoveries so exciting. If you love living things or are fascinated by the mechanisms of life, why not take a step into the unknown with us at the Department of Biology, Tohoku University? We provide an environment where you can fully unleash your intellectual curiosity and grow. Let’s take on the challenge of unraveling the mysteries of life together.

Takashi Makino

Department Head, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Tohoku University

History