The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) and Hokkaido University (HU) are pleased to announce the selection results of the UMA-HU Joint Research Seed Funding Program 2025. This inaugural round of funding aims to support the development of new collaborations through organized research visits, collaborative meetings, workshops, or seminars. These seed-funded projects have great potential for attracting extramural funding and will lead to long-lasting collaborations, resulting in research relationships, publications, exhibitions, and symposia.
5 UMass Amherst faculty were awarded seed funding, 4 of whom have corresponding awards with Hokkaido University partners. Both universities are excited to fund these eight innovative and high-impact research projects aligned with strategic areas in Advanced Materials, Applied Life Sciences, Renewal Agriculture, Sustainability, and Humanities & Societies.
“International partnerships are key to the success of our researchers, and there are many common interests between our universities. The breadth and depth of the work to be done using these seed grants is impressive”, says Laura Vandenberg, Associate Vice Chancellor and Vice Provost for Research and Engagement. Vice Provost for Global Affairs Kalpen Trivedi notes that “this joint seed-funding program to catalyze research collaborations builds on a strong partnership between UMass Amherst and HU going back nearly 150 years. Supporting and strengthening joint scholarship and research opportunities with key international university partners is a strategic imperative for UMass Amherst as we grow our global impact.”
UMass Amherst - Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies & Public Policy David Mednicoff from the College of Humanities & Fine Arts - Judaic & Near Eastern Studies for a proposal with HU - Professor of Modern History of Central Eurasia Norihiro Naganawa from the Department of Slavic-Eurasian Studies, entitled Post-imperial political ecosystems: The rise and fall of American and Soviet Hegemonies in the Twentieth Century Middle East – A Workshop and Research Agenda for UMass-Amherst and Hokkaido University.
Abstract: HU will convene a workshop with local and UMA faculty to consider the waves and ongoing effects of Western/American and Soviet/Russian great power engagement in the Middle East and Islamic central Eurasia in tandem. The workshop will engage scholars at both partner institutions across disciplines and regions. The gathering will produce papers that can be published in an edited volume or special journal issue. The innovative themes of the workshop should stimulate ongoing related collaborations.
UMass Amherst - Professor Edward Bryan Coughlin from the College of Natural Sci - Polymer Science & Engineering for a proposal with HU - Professor Toshifumi Satoh from the Engineering, entitled Sustainable Synthesis of Polymers: Advanced Designs for Circularity.
*Budgeted also by HU
Abstract: The sustainable synthesis of polymers is crucial for reducing environmental impact and promoting material circularity. This collaborative effort focuses on designing polymers that are easily chemically recyclable, biodegradable, or can be repurposed, minimizing waste. Strategies include green chemistry synthetic methods, use of renewable feedstocks, and innovative polymerization techniques to develop high-performance functional materials with minimal deleterious ecological footprints. By integrating circularity concepts into polymer production, this research aims to create novel sustainable materials.
UMass Amherst - Extension Assistant Professor of Sustainable Fruit and Vegetable Production Jianyu Li from the College of Natural Sciences - Stockbridge School of Agriculture for a proposal with HU - Professor Yoichiro Hoshino from the Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, entitled AI-Driven Precision Agriculture for Sustainable Blueberry Production: Predicting Growth, Yield, Quality, and Optimal Harvest Timing Using Deep Learning.
*Budgeted also by HU
Abstract: UMass Amherst and Hokkaido University are partnering to revolutionize blueberry farming through artificial intelligence (AI). The collaboration combines UMass's expertise in blueberry production with Hokkaido University's advanced AI capabilities to develop precision harvesting technologies. Led by Dr. Jianyu Li and Dr. Yoichiro Hoshino, the project aims to develop a deep learning model that helps blueberry farmers determine optimal harvest timing by analyzing and balancing fruit characteristics, ultimately enhancing blueberry quality and yield efficiency.
UMass Amherst - Extension Assistant Professor Katherine Kahl from the College of Natural Sciences - Environmental Conservation for a proposal with HU - Professor Masahiro Nakaoka from the Aquatic Research Station, entitled Exploring an International Partnership to Advance Ecological, Societal, and Economic Resilience: A comparative approach along the North Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
*Budgeted also by HU
Abstract: Climate change is impacting coastal ecosystems, economies, and communities around the world. Sustainable solutions require transdisciplinary approaches that recognize and leverage these connections for robust, long-term coastal resilience. We propose a research partnership between UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station (USA) and HU Akkeshi Marine Station (Japan) to hold workshops in each location to identify shared research priorities impacting marine and coastal ecosystems and communities. This partnership will share early assessments to determine long term monitoring for local action and global comparison.
UMass Amherst - Associate Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Yubing Sun in the College of Engineering - Mechanical & Industrial Engineering for a proposal with HU - Professor Dr. Toshiro Ohashi from the Faculty of Engineering, entitled Broadening HU-UMass collaboration on cell mechanics.
*Budgeted also by HU
Abstract: This proposal aims to establish a new collaboration between Dr. Yubing Sun at UMass Amherst and Dr. Toshiro Ohashi at Hokkaido University. Dr. Sun and Dr. Ohashi have joint interests in how mechanical environments regulate collective cell migration. Dr. Ohashi’s expertise in micromechanical device fabrication, bio-atomic force microscopy, and deep-learning based methods for imaging processing, together with Dr. Sun’s expertise in mechanotransduction and stem cell bioengineering, will lead to new research development.
Additionally, Hokkaido University awarded:
HU - Associate Professor Takayuki Nonoyama from the Faculty of Advanced Life Science for a proposal with UMass Amherst - Assistant Professor Reika Katsumata from the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering on ) Thermal analysis of hydrogels that glassify at high temperature using ultrafast DSC, and 2.) development of multi-element-doped porous carbon materials derived from industrial lignin hydrogels.
HU - Professor Munetaka Shimizu from the Faculty of Fisheries Sciences for a proposal with UMass Amherst - Adjunct Professor Steve McCormick from the Department of Biology and Associate Professor Lisa Komoroske from the Department of Environmental Conservation on the promotion of ‘Applied and Conservation Endocrinology’ for sustainable aquaculture and fish conservation:1.) direct effects of light on pituitary hormone release in salmonids, and 2.) utility of stress/growth markers for farmed and wild fish.
HU Lecturer Jonathan Bull from the Research Faculty of Media and Communication for a proposal with UMass Amherst - Associate Professor Garrett Washington from the Department of History on a Collaboration analyzing end of empire migration through Hakata port (Fukuoka prefecture) between 1945 and 1947 in the context of urban and transnational history.