About GFD

Isabelle Giraudou is an associate professor at the University of Tokyo, the Organization for Programs on Environmental Sciences, where she teaches Environmental Legal Studies. In this position, she seeks to implement student-centered teaching methods based on complementary learning styles (including case studies and project-based learning). She is especially interested in designing learning frameworks addressing regulation in emerging fields of transnational expertise, with a focus on Earth system governance and law. Moreover, each of her university position has sharpened her scholarly interest in interdisciplinary approaches to the curriculum and global skills education as an object of research. Focusing on East Asia, her current research project examines how the ‘Anthropocene’ scientific proposal and its narratives are progressively permeating legal studies, and explores the possibility to develop interdisciplinary case-based education in the environmental field of knowledge.

Hiro Saito is a Project Associate Professor of Global Faculty Development at the University of Tokyo. Trained as a sociologist, he is generally interested in the intersection of power and knowledge. He specifically studies how interactions between government, experts, and citizens shape policymaking in highly technical issues. As a mindfulness and design thinking practitioner, he has also been pursuing educational innovations to promote the holistic growth and collective well-being. Currently, he focuses his time and energy on innovating the GFD program and creating a new university in Hida, Japan, to champion higher education institutions as facilitators of transformative learning and positive social change.

Cecilia Grandi-Nagashiro is a Ph.D. (c) in Sustainability Science from The University of Tokyo. She holds a double bachelor’s in Natural sciences and Biology and a master’s degree in International Forestry. She has conducted research on marine conservation, forest policy and, indigenous communities. Currently, her research focuses on environmental psychology in the context of the adoption of sustainable lifestyles.

Richard Shefferson is an American evolutionary biologist who earned his PhD at the University of California at Berkeley, and previously worked as assistant professor at the University of Georgia’s Odum school of Ecology. He currently teaches evolution, ecology, statistics, and field and molecular methods in evolution and ecology. His primary interest in teaching is to find innovative ways of training the next generation of biologists, with applications at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He also retains an interest in teaching cutting edge perspectives on evolution to the general public.

Jonny Woodward was born in the United Kingdom and studied for his undergraduate and doctoral degrees in chemistry at the University of Oxford. Throughout his career he has shared two passions; chemistry research and chemistry education. While working as an academic in the UK, he was responsible for introducing a number of important educational developments, including the national ‘Chemistry: The Next Generation’ program, managed by the Royal Society of Chemistry and helping develop the first Interdisciplinary Science degree in the UK taught entirely by Problem Based Learning. In 2007 he was awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Higher Education Teaching Award. Since 2011, Jonny has been an associate professor at the University of Tokyo. He has devoted himself to constantly find new ways to improve the learning experiences of his students, with a recent focus on ‘Flipped Classroom’ approaches. He is also focused on sharing ideas about pedagogy and teaching and learning throughout the University of Tokyo and in the wider Japanese educational and chemistry communities.

Tito was born in London but grew up in Nigeria, where he had his elementary and secondary
school education. He obtained a BSc in chemistry and an MSc in cancer cell and molecular biology
from the University of Leicester, UK. His undergraduate education involved a study abroad year
at the State University of New York at Buffalo. After Ph.D. studies (organic chemistry) at the Imperial
College London and the University of Leeds, he worked at Kyoto University, Pfizer (Sandwich),
RIKEN (Wako), and the University of Tsukuba. His research interests focus on the development
of small-molecule modulators and probes of the protein-protein interactions involved in oncogenic,
neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular diseases. He is also interested in the development of
personalised teaching as a means of motivating students. At the University of Tokyo, he is
affiliated with the ALESS/ALESA/FLOW program and the Center for Global Education.

Paul is a Project Professor in Critical Thinking and Technical Writing. He strives to apply his more than 30 years of multicultural business experience and passion for instructional design to deliver learning experiences for the science community on topics such as critical thinking, design thinking, systems thinking, project management for writing projects, and cross-culture communications. Furthermore, he has been sharing his experience as a trainer for over 20 years. He designs and delivers action learning and project-based learning programs which enable businesses to think strategically, deal with uncertainty, ambiguity, and paradox, and have more confidence to handle risk and make changes.

Midori currently coordinates the Global Praxis courses at the University of Tokyo at the Globalization Office and is a former UNICEF staff member who worked for children and women’s health issues for 20 years. She holds a Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) degree from the University of London, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and has a strong passion for supporting vulnerable women and children.

Arai san has many years of experience working at UTokyo and supports GFD activities with accounting and budget management.

Sakura Ueki is a fourth-year PEAK student at the University of Tokyo. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in the International Program on Japan in East Asia. Her current interests include media studies and digital marketing.

Seiji Matsumura is a third-year PEAK student at the University of Tokyo. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in the International Programme on Japan in East Asia. His interests are in the field of diplomacy and geopolitics. Outside of the university curriculum, he is very passionate and experienced with travel logistics.