Tairo Hagishita

Professor, Ph.D. in Agriculture
Microorganisms possess special abilities that animals and higher plants do not. Their fermentation ability has long been used to produce useful substances such as alcohol, amino acids, and pharmaceutical intermediates. The development of genetic engineering has enabled us to manipulate these functions at the molecular level. However, we have only tried to understand the functions of just a small fraction of the microbes that exist on Earth. Let's dig deeper and shine a spotlight on the unknown functions of microbes around us.
E-Mail
hagishita.tairo
Areas of Research
Applied Microbiology, Industrial Microbiology, Fermentation Technology
  • Profile
  • Research

  • Dr. Hagishita’s research area is applied microbiology. He is searching for microbes with tremendous capabilities. Believing in the potential of microbes, he is making effort to create a sustainable society by manufacturing through “bioprocesses” that do not rely on fossil fuels. After working as a postdoctoral fellow at prefectural and foundation laboratories and corporate laboratories under a national project, he became a university professor. More than 10 years have passed since he arrived at KUAS in the year of the Great Tohoku earthquake.
    Dr. Hagishita is considering various ways to “get to know” tiny microbes that are invisible to the eye. He wishes for people to experience a joy that they have never felt by being the first to discover something that no one else knows about or something that was accomplished through ingenuity.

  • The production of fuels, plastics, textiles, chemicals, and other industrial raw materials from renewable, “carbon-neutral” biomass to replace fossil fuels that cause global warming, and the replacement of production processes with “bioprocesses”, which consume less energy, are considered to be among the most crucial technologies for realizing a sustainable society.
    Using the prominent screening technology for applied microbiology that Japan boasts to the world, Dr. Hagishita’s lab has isolated many microorganisms with special functions and properties from the natural world. They are looking for microorganisms with excellent material conversion abilities that can be used to produce useful materials.