About

Koji Noshita

Research Interests

I am broadly interested in evolutionary morphology and morphometrics.

• Morphometrics of animals
  • gastropod shells
• Morphometrics of plants
  • cassava
  • soybean
  • sorghum
  • wheat
• Morphometrics of artifacts
  • Earthenware

Keywords

• Theoretical morphology
• Morphometrics
• Mathematical biology
• Plant phenotyping
• 3D image analysis

Affiliations

• Kyushu University
  • Faculty of Science Department of Biology Mathematical Biology Laboratory
  • Plant Frontier Research Center

• [Mathematical Biology Lab.] +81-92-802-4316
• noshita at morphometrics.jp

Education

• 2010 - 2015 Kyushu University
  • March 25, 2015 Ph.D., Mathematical Biology
    • Thesis: Theoretical morphology of gastropod shells https://doi.org/10.15017/1500536
• 2010 - 2012 Kyushu University
  • March 27, 2012 M.S., Mathematical Biology
• 2006 - 2010 Shizuoka University
  • March 21, 2010 B.S., Geoscience
• 2003 - 2006 Kasuga High School, Fukuoka

Professional Experience

• Apr 2018 - present Assistant Professor (Faculty of Sciences, Kyushu University)
• Apr 2018 - present Plant Frontier Research Center, Kyushu University
• Apr 2021 - present Faculty Member (Graduate Program of Mathematics for Innovation, Kyushu Univ.)
• Apr 2021 - present Visiting Faculty (Interdisciplinary Biology Laboratory (iBLab), Nagoya University)
• Sep 2021 - present Visiting Researcher (Archaeological Research Methodology Section, Center for Archaeological Operations, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties)
• Sep 2018 - Dec 2018 Visiting Scholar (Computational Plant Science Lab (PI: Alexander Bucksch), UGA (USA))
• Apr 2018 - Mar 2020 JST PRESTO Researcher (Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST))
  Research area: Innovational technical basis for cultivation in cooperation with information science
• Oct 2016 - Sep 2018 Visiting Fellow (Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo)
• Oct 2016 - Mar 2018 JST PRESTO Researcher (Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST))
  Research area: Innovational technical basis for cultivation in cooperation with information science
• Apr 2015 - Sep 2016 Project Researcher (Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo)
• Apr 2014 - Nov 2014 Visiting Scholar (Plotkin Research Group, UPenn (USA))
• Apr 2012 - Mar 2015 Research Fellow (JSPS DC1) (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science)
• Apr 2010 - Mar 2014 Teaching Assistant (Kyushu University)
  2010-2012, 2013-2014

Field Experience

• Jan 29, 2014 - Feb 20, 2014 Photogrammetry of gastropod specimens
  National Museum of Natural History (USA), Host: Robert Hershler
  GCOE: Asian Conservation Ecology
• Sep 17, 2013 - Sep 29, 2013 Fish and shellfish survey
  Sarawak, Malaysia
  GCOE: Asian Conservation Ecology
• Jan 23, 2013 - Feb 11, 2013 Photogrammetry of gastropod shells for estimating the morphological diversity
  National Museum of Natural History (USA), Host: Ellen Strong
  Studying abroad program for young scientists of global conservation ecology

Awards, Prizes and Honours

• Aug 1, 2024 19th JSMB Research Encouragement Award (2024)
• Sep 2016 JSB Best Presentation Award (the 130th meeting)
• May 2012 Repayment Exemption for Students with Excellent Grades
• Jan 2012 PSJ Best Poster Prize (the 161th regular meeting)

Teaching Experience

• 数学共創概論Ⅰ (shared) — Kyushu University: 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021
  Lectures on mathematical analysis of shape for graduate students in mathematics
• 数学共創モデリング — Kyushu University: 2026, 2024, 2023
• Mathematical Biology (shared) — Kyushu University: 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
  Mathematics of shape, morphometrics, and phenomics
• Exercises for Computational Biology — Kyushu University: 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
  Programming exercises in Python on topics from mathematical biology
• Seminar in Biology I (shared) — Kyushu University: 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
  Seminar on the structure and reading of scientific papers and on presentation
• 自然科学総合実験 — Kyushu University: 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021
• 自然科学総合実験（基礎） — Kyushu University: 2020, 2019
• 自然科学総合実験（発展） — Kyushu University: 2020
• 基礎科学実習 — Kyushu University: 2021
• 集団生物学 — Kyushu University: 2020
• 生命理学特論I — Kyushu University: 2018
• Mathematical analysis of 'shape' and applications — Hiroshima University (Intensive course): 2025

Research Supervision

As of 2026-09: 0 doctoral, 4 master's, 10 undergraduate students, 1 postdoc(s), 1 intern(s); 3 student first-author papers.

Research Funding

Ongoing

• JSPS KAKENHI Transformative Research Areas (A), Publicly Offered Research（マテリアマインド：物心共創人類史学の構築）, Development of innovative quantitative analysis methods for 3D morphology of archaeological artifacts, 25H01944, PI Koji Noshita, 2025.04.01-2028.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), Development of 3D phenotyping methods for fruits and application to quality evaluation, 25K09354, PI Koji Noshita, 2025.04.01-2028.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Quantification of citrus fruit morphology based on 2D/3D images and application to nuclear/organelle genome breeding, 25K00086, PI Mai Minamikawa (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2025.04.01-2030.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Molecular genetic analysis of root passage cell numbers related to crop growth and environmental adaptation, 25K01984, PI Takaki Yamauchi (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2025.04.01-2028.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), Pioneering Agricultural Digital Twin: structural modeling and growth prediction framework for 3D virtual plants, 25K09378, PI Alexander Davan Feldman (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2025.04.01-2029.03.31.
• AMED Practical Research Project for Rare/Intractable Diseases, Development of comprehensive treatment for hereditary cerebral small vessel disease targeting heparan sulfate proteoglycan, PI Osamu Onodera (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2024.04.01-2027.03.31.
• JST JST-Mirai Program Full-scale R&D（共通基盤領域）, High-throughput device development support platform through fusion of multi-scale measurement and computational technologies, PI Gen Inoue (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2023.04.01-2029.03.31.

Completed

• Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute Toyota RIKEN Scholar, Development of quantitative evaluation methods for 3D tubular structures based on toroidal harmonic analysis, PI Koji Noshita, 2025.04.01-2026.03.31.
• Toyota Motor Corporation Joint Research, Monitoring of strawberry growth and cultivation management and identification of yield-related traits (Part 2), PI Koji Noshita, 2024.05.14-2025.03.31.
• Ichimura Foundation for New Technology Plant Research Grant, Development of non-destructive measurement and quantification methods for leaf vein network structures, PI Koji Noshita, 2024.04.01-2025.03.31.
• Toyota Motor Corporation Joint Research, Monitoring of strawberry growth and cultivation management and identification of yield-related traits, PI Koji Noshita, 2023.11.01-2024.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Predicting SARS-CoV-2 evolution driven by infection control measures, 23H03497, PI Shingo Iwami (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2023.04.01-2026.03.31.
• JST Moonshot R&D Program, Mathematical comprehensive understanding of complex organ control systems, JPMJMS2021, PI Kazuyuki Aihara (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2022.04.01-2025.03.31.
  Participation: 2022.04.01-2025.03.31
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Genetic analysis of root passage cell numbers for optimizing water transport efficiency in crops, 22H02308, PI Takaki Yamauchi (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2022.04.01-2025.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Scientific Research on Innovative Areas, Publicly Offered Research（植物の周期と変調）, Integrative understanding of plant shape diversity through periodic organ emergence patterns and their modulation, 22H04727, PI Koji Noshita, 2022.04.01-2024.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists, Mathematical modeling for 3D plant morphology as fundamental technologies of plant phenotyping, 21K14947, PI Koji Noshita, 2021.04.01-2024.03.31.
• Kyushu University RIKEN–Kyushu University Science and Technology Hub Collaborative Research Program, Advanced plant phenotyping platform boosted with 3D morphometrics and mathematical modeling, PI Yuko Makita (RIKEN) & Koji Noshita (Kyushu Univ.), 2021.04.01-2022.03.31.
• JST JST-Mirai Program Exploratory Research (Component technology type)（共通基盤領域）, Development of mathematical sciences framework for 'morph' and social implementation, PI Koji Noshita, 2020.11.01-2023.03.31.
• Shin-Nihon Foundation of Advanced Medical Treatment Research Research Grant, Quantitative data analysis of viral infection dynamics toward establishing standard treatment for COVID-19, PI Koji Noshita, 2020.11.01-2023.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (B), Scientific reconstruction of nature in the Edo period using the Siebold collection, 20KK0011, PI Takenori Sasaki (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2020.10.27-2024.03.31.
• BRAIN Moonshot R&D Program, Achieving zero food risk through crop resilience using cyber-physical systems, JPJ009237, PI Toru Fujiwara (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2020.04.01-2025.03.31.
  Participation: 2022.04.01-2023.03.31
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), 3D Morphology on Museum Collections: quantifying and improving shape recognition, and application for public display, 20H01381, PI Takenori Sasaki (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2020.04.01-2023.03.31.
• Kyushu University Education and Research Grant Program for Mathematical and Data Science, A 3D morphological dataset and novel descriptors to represent whole plant architecture, PI Koji Noshita, 2019.07.01-2020.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Scientific Research on Innovative Areas（Out of Eurasia）, Integrative studies through 3D database construction and mathematical analyses and modeling, 19H05738, PI Hisashi Nakao (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2019.06.28-2024.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists, 3D morphological benchmark datasets for accelerating plant phenotyping studies, 19K15946, PI Koji Noshita, 2019.04.01-2021.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Systems Bone Biology: From prediction to critical prevention of bone and cartilage disease, 18KT0018, PI Masahiro Shinohara (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2018.07.18-2021.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Studies on helical growth mechanism of molluscan shells: Toward establishing paleo-evo-devo, 18H01323, PI Kazuyoshi Endo (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2018.04.01-2023.03.31.
• JST Strategic Basic Research Programs CREST（植物頑健性）, A novel approach for plant growth modeling based on comprehensive genome-environment interactions using large-scale digital images, JPMJCR16O1, PI Ryo Akashi (Co-I Koji Noshita), 2016.10.01-2022.03.31.
  Participation: 2020.04.01-2022.03.31
• JST Strategic Basic Research Programs PRESTO（情報協働栽培）, Super-resolution phenotyping of plant shoot architecture by multiscale morphological data fusion, JPMJPR16O5, PI Koji Noshita, 2016.10.01-2020.03.31.
• JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows (DC1), Mathematical Study of Morphological Adaptation and Morphogenesis, 12J00760, PI Koji Noshita, 2012.04.01-2015.03.31.

Referee Activities

• Journal of Marine Biology, Journal of Theoretical Biology, Scientific Reports, BMC Evolutionary Biology, Frontiers in Plant Science, Plant Methods, Plant Phenomics, Paleobiology, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, 農業情報研究, 土木学会論文集Ｇ（環境）環境システム研究論文集, 育種学研究, VENUS, 化石, Plant Molecular Biology

Academic Societies

• 2009 – present Palaeontological Society of Japan
• 2010 – present Society of Evolutionary Studies, Japan
• 2010 – present Japanese Society for Mathematical Biology
• 2011 – present The Ecological Society of Japan
• 2011 – 2016 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists
• 2012 – present The Society for the Study of Evolution
• 2016 – present Japanese Society of Breeding
• 2017 – present Japanese Society of Agricultural Informatics
• 2019 – present Japan Plant Phenotyping Network
• 2021 – present Society of Trans-disciplinary Plant Sciences
• 2024 – present Quantitative Biology Society (Japan)

Service

• 2024 – present Quantitative Biology Society — Core Member
• 2022 The Ecological Society of Japan — Annual Meeting Organizing Committee Member
• 2022 The Ecological Society of Japan — Annual Meeting Program Committee Member
• 2022 – present Palaeontological Society of Japan — Publicity Officer
• 2021 – present Trans-Disciplinary Plant Science — Officer
• 2019 – present Japanese Plant Phenotyping Network — Officer