Get to know the newest addition to the College of Forestry, Dr. Takuya Iwamura. His research focuses on clarifying the mechanisms of the conflicts between human and nature – the issues often appear as Biodiversity conservation, Human health, and Food security. He approaches these issues through big (spatial) data, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), computer modeling and quantitative analyses, with the strong emphasis on biological evidence and social-ecological analyses through field data collection.
His projects are diverse, including: migratory flyways in Africa, Land use change in arid regions, Zoonotic disease infections and animal distributions, Invasion of agricultural pest modeling under climate change.
You can check out more of his work on Google Scholar.
What brought you to OSU? What is your role in the College of Forestry? I was really attracted to the nature, surroundings, and environment of OSU. I love outdoor activities like hiking! I feel very fortunate to be a part of FES. I like the combination of social science, wildlife, and forestry. My role with the CoF is as an Assistant Professor.
What do you like most about your job? In general, I enjoy my job as a scientist because I have the privilege of working with other interdisciplinary scientists from all over the world and have friends from around the world, too. I like creating an original story and then investigating that story to see if it’s correct, especially with land change issues. A new realization I had more recently was the fact that I like to help young people think and problem solve. I like helping them to grow as scientists themselves.
You grew up in Japan. What are some of your favorite childhood memories? The food! In Japan there are many summer festivals filled with food stalls and it was always fun to experience. One of my favorite foods is tofu, especially with all the different ways it can be prepared.
What do you like to do outside of work? Hobbies, volunteer work, family, etc.
Mountain biking and tinkering with bikes, painting (especially with my 6-year-old daughter), cooking, spending time outdoors, and trail running.
If you could travel anywhere in the world for a dream vacation, where would it be and why?
At this point, anywhere would be good! But if I had to choose, I’d say Iceland or Patagonia because of their beautiful landscapes.
Is there a skill or talent you’ve always wanted to learn?
Carpentry! Anything I do ends up crooked so I’d like to learn!
Are you a morning person or a night person? I used to be a night person, but more recently I’ve been a morning person.
Have you read any good books lately? Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss. It’s a really fun book to read!
