Fumiko Kasuga

Global Hub Director, Japan: Executive Team

Fumiko Kasuga is Senior Fellow at the National Institute for Environmental Studies and a Visiting Professor at The University of Tokyo. She is also former Vice-President of the Science Council of Japan and a member of ICSU’s Committee on Scientific Planning and Review. Fumiko has worked as a government researcher in the field of public health, in particular on microbiological food safety in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. Internationally she has worked with the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods. She has been engaged in Future Earth since she was in charge of international activities of Science Council of Japan.

Ayako Nagasawa

Executive Assistant, Japan

Ayako Nagasawa works in the University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science as an executive assistant. She has several years of experience in administrative work in National Institute of Health Sciences. She was involved in food service business and restaurant management while she worked for Kyusyu Japan Railway Company. She has Bachelor’ s degree in Food Science. Ayako will support the Future Earth Global Hub Director for Japan.

Giles Bruno Sioen

Science Officer

Giles is next to his position as Science Officer, a Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Tokyo. He obtained a bachelor's degree in landscape from University College Ghent and master's degree in urban design and spatial planning from KU Leuven Luca-Arts before obtaining his Ph.D. in Sustainability Science at The University of Tokyo. He developed design concepts and academic papers within the fields of sustainability science, urban engineering, ecosystem services, and public health. He received professional training by international design companies (Turenscape, B2Ai) and organizations (UN-Habitat). Before joining Future Earth, Giles worked as a project researcher at The Graduate School of Frontier Sciences of The University of Tokyo on applying sustainability science concepts using a systems approach in the fields of urban planning and public health.

Junya Tani

Senior Adviser

Junya is a senior advisor to Future Earth, Tokyo Hub on a pro-bono basis applying his knowledge and experiences from his business career. After graduation from University of Tokyo (Bachelor of Laws), he worked for a several global financial institutions (Bank of Tokyo (currently MUFG), Citigroup, UBS, Credit Suisse, and DBS) for years. After retirement from the business, he has been engaged in various social activities including employment support for persons with mental and intellectual disabilities, education, and revitalization of local communities. In 2018, he together with Naoko Ishii and Institution for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) translated and introduced “Big World Small Planet” (by Johan Rockstrom and Mattias Klum) in Japan, which has opened his eyes to the clear and present crisis of the earth.

Kyoko Shiota MacAulay

Program Coordinator, Japan

Kyoko Shiota MacAulay is a Program Coordinator at the Future Earth Global Hub in Japan. She previously worked for the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) as a Principal Programme Associate in the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Programme. Her responsibilities included managing two major ESD networks called the Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE), and the Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research Network (ProSPER.Net). She was the lead for program management, donor relations, and coordinating capacity building events for RCEs and ProSPER.Net members. In addition, she has worked at an international NGO in Tokyo as an advocacy officer working with parliamentarians, government officials, media, and the general public to advocate for sexual reproductive health and rights. She was also one of the representatives for the Tokyo Liaison Office of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), and she represented the NGO at various UN conferences to advance global policies. She holds Master of Arts in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Bachelors of International and Cultural Studies from Tsuda College.

Marcin Jarzebski

Science Officer

Yuki Hashimoto

Communications Officer

Yuki is a communications officer for Future Earth and a communicator at the National Institute of Environmental Studies (NIES) in Japan. Previously, she has worked for the University of Tokyo and Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), appointed to the Future Earth secretariat as a communications officer. She also worked at an environmental consulting company in Japan as a researcher for overseas projects. Her projects spanned a wide range of topics, including environmental and social considerations of major infrastructure projects, network creation to promote bilateral carbon trading projects and monitoring methods of microplastics in the marine environment. Yuki holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s in Urban Engineering from the University of Tokyo. She has lived in Japan, the United States, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam and identifies as a Third Culture Kid.