Program Director of the Institute of Biogeosciences, Extremobiosphere Research Program at Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).
Unit Leader of Precambrian Ecosystem Laboratory at JAMSTEC.

An enthusiastic “microorganism hunter” who has been discovering unknown microorganisms in the deep sea active hydrothermal fields since the beginning of his career as a microbiologist.

He wanted to know the microorganisms' lifestyles and as he kept doing researches on their living environment, he came to know how greatly and closely the microbial activities have affected the history of the Earth. Since then, he has been considering himself as a “geobiologist”.　After a while, he came to realize the birth of life and evolution of the planet are also closely related to each other, thus he began calling himself an “astorobiologist” as well.

Currently, he is working hard to reach his research target, proving gracefully how hydrothermal fluid, life, and the Earth are all linked up together.

In DEEP HOT BIOSPHERE Expedition, he challenges to obtain a direct experimental demonstration proof for the existence of biosphere right under the hydrothermal vent.

I am a geologist by training and a geochemist by specialty.

I did my doctoral work with Heinrich Holland at Princeton and Harvard and have since worked at Stanford, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the University of Hawaii, where I have been since 1986. I am currently a member of the Dept. of Oceanography and the NASA Astrobiology Institute there. For the past 33 years I have been a practicing oceanographer, having spent three of those years at sea. This is my first expedition on Chikyu, but it is also my 30th oceanographic expedition, my 9th drilling leg, and my second time as Co-Chief Scientist on a drilling leg.

The Chikyu is the largest and most capable vessel I have sailed on. Its drilling capabilities are unique in the world and its laboratory facilities are the best I have ever seen in one place, on land or at sea. The Deep Hot Biosphere project is at the cutting edge both scientifically and technologically, and I feel privileged to be a part of it.

We look forward to exciting results as we drill into a high-temperature hydrothermal system on the seafloor in the Okinawa Trough.

Subleader of JAMSTEC The Center for Deep Earth Exploration (CDEX), Operation Department, Drilling Operation Group.
Alma mater: Waseda University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Resource Engineering.

After joining an oil company, worked as a Company Man (operation superintendent) at various oil development rig's drilling sites in Saudi Arabia, China and Vietnam.

Later, worked as a superintendent at a general electric manufacturer, for oceanic surveys and undersea cable laying construction. Participated in “The Chikyu Project” in 2004. Used to be in charge of drilling equipments (especially Subsea/BOP and Riser). Currently in charge of the drilling plan and is a operation superintendent representative on board.

Joined Chikyu Project in 2008.
Offshore Installation Manager. Manages the facilities on the sea.
‘The Captain is the representative of the “vessel”, and I am the representative of “Chikyu”. I consider myself being in charge of the whole Chikyu's operation and safety.

In this expedition, the seafloor surface is expected to be hard, and typhoons might come on our way, making our operations difficult. However, getting what we want, the targeted core samples, will certainly keep us going with passion, which will be our best pleasurable moment in the expedition.'

Captain of Chikyu, the Deep Sea Drilling Vessel
Alma mater: Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
Joined Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha as a navigation officer in 1981.
Joined Chikyu in 2002, have been attending the projects for eight years since her launch.

“The best thing about working on Chikyu, a high performance research vessel, is to share the same goal with intelligent scientists who have forefront academic purposes and ambitions.

Typhoon's effects are in this expedition, however, I would like to provide, as a master of the ship, the right information to the crew members in order to make the best cruise schedule with them.

I'm interested in the history of microbes on our planet, their impact on the geochemical cycles, and the possibility of microbial life on other planetary bodies.
I'm the director of the Penn State Astrobiology Research Center, which is part of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
As an undergraduate, I worked with origin of life chemist Stanley Miller at the UCSD while earning a degree in Biochemistry.

I then earned my Ph.D. in Geology at UCLA under Precambrian paleontologist J.W. Schopf.

My graduate work involved linking microorganisms to their carbon metabolism through carbon isotopic measurements. For the past decade, I've been at Penn State University (Associate Professor of Geosciences) where I have studied subsurface microbes and their unique metabolisms.

It was in 1988 when the large-scale undersea hydrothermal field was found around Japan.　At the time, I was a postgraduate student, participating in a research expedition with my supervisor, Dr. Hitoshi Sakai.

Sonne, a research vessel from Germany came all the way from Germany to Okinawa Trough to find the sub-seafloor hydrothermal field, sampling and analysing seawater, rocks and sediments in the area, as well as carrying out deep-sea camera monitoring researches. Only a few days before the expedition was over, a massive amount of distinctive ores, which were diagnostic to the hydrothermal activities, were collected.
I remember Dr. Sakai being so impressed and saying “So, it actually DOES exist!” It was such a memorable moment for me.

After graduating from my postgraduate course with the thesis regarding Okinawa Trough hydrothermal fluid chemistry, I have been participating in numerous hydrothermal fluid researches in different places.

Among many cruises, Middle Valley hydrothermal area drilling expedition (ODP Leg 169) was a very important one for me, in which I decided which direction I would go in my future researches.

The actual samples obtained by sub-seafloor drilling have invaluable information compared to the samples taken from above the seafloor.　The scientists from different backgrounds gathering, discussing data just obtained and analyzing on board, and that is when the new questions and ideas are born to be solved and explored.　
My research theme for DEEP HOT BIOSPHERE expedition in Okinawa is to investigate the chemical reactions of in which the ores are formed along the streams of sub-seafloor hydrothermal fluids.　This is surely a rare chance for me to see whether my ideas of chemical reactions in the mysterious and unreachable deep ocean are right or else.

I look forward to finding the proof to show from the sediments sampled, that I have been right, and say “You see, I'd guessed it right!”

I am a geologist and work on Chikyu as Staff Scientist for CDEX/JAMSTEC

I hope to get great core samples from the deep biosphere, and to have the great Science Party conduct good initial science

The ship has fantastic labs and a great work atmosphere. On top of that, we carry the equipment that can core the deep biosphere and the expertise to use it. Barring weather conditions, we should have a great time coring off Okinawa.

My travels as a geologist have brought me to work on land and at sea in the Arctic and Antarctic, and now in the subtropics of Japan. I have mostly worked on sediment cores and coastal outcrops, looking to discover what the environment was like millions of years ago.