Yuya Tokuta

Research Overview

Clarification of species differences through genome analysis using optimal transport theory

I am interested in the macroscopic pattern formation that appears in natural phenomena, especially biological phenomena, and the mathematical structure behind them. Using mathematical models and data science, I investigate what principles, hopefully something easy to understand and describe, govern seemingly complex phenomena. By understanding the mathematical structure behind a phenomenon, I wish to have control of the phenomenon or confront real-world problems related to that phenomenon. Currently, I am working on the clarification of properties unique to species such as humans and monkeys through genome analysis using optimal transport theory, as well as those shared across species, and analysis and comparison of gene regulatory networks of various species. I wish to discover the mathematical structure hidden behind the vast amounts of data and clarify the similarities and differences in the gene functions and epigenomes of humans and non-human primates. I believe that the process of working on problems in applied mathematics can broaden the scope of application of the underlying mathematical theory or lead to the development of a new theory, and I would like to conduct research with both fields of study in mind. I’m open to interdisciplinary collaborative research with researchers from various fields, wishing to learn new things and expanding my expertise.

Biography

Yuya Tokuta obtained his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the Free University of Berlin in 2019. He spent 3.5 years in the private sector, working in offices in Japan and the U.S., before joining ASHBi in 2023.

Publications

Y. Tokuta, "Negative Phototaxis of Euglena Gracilis and Resulting Bioconvection Patterns under Stationary or Rapidly Periodic Illumination," REFUBIUM – Freie Universität Berlin Repository, 2020. https://doi.org/10.17169/refubium-28134

Awards

Gödel Foundation Prize (2014)