Hi!

The long-term goal of my research is to understand the diversity, ecology, and evolution of viruses, which I believe are three deeply overlapping topics. My research begins with computational data-driven analysis and field observations (also my current stage), and ultimately, I hope to progress to molecular biology experiments and model validation in my future career.

Specifically, I am currently working on giant viruses at Ogata lab (i.e., the viral phylum "Nucleocytoviricota") in the global marine ecosystem and to find evidence of how these viruses influence the evolution of their eukaryotic hosts. I also expanded the known diversity of giant viruses by discovering a new viral phylum, "Mirusviricota," which broadened my research interest to include all dsDNA viruses.