Earth–Life Science Institute (ELSI) is an established independent permanent scientific research institute based at the

Tokyo Institute of Technology The Tokyo Institute of Technology () was a public university in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. It merged with Tokyo Medical and Dental University to form the Institute of Science Tokyo on 1 October 2024. The Tokyo Institute of Technology was a De ...

(now

Institute of Science Tokyo The Institute of Science Tokyo (; branded as Science Tokyo) is a public university, public research university in Tokyo, Japan. It was officially established on 1 October 2024, by a merger between the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo Med ...

) in Japan. ELSI employs more than 70 scientists in disciplines ranging from astrophysics to biology, who perform collaborative research on the broad connections between the origin and evolution of planets and life.

History

ELSI was established in 2012 with a charter to build a bridge between the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

and

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

sciences by rallying researchers around questions concerning the link between the origins of

planets A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is generally required to be in orbit around a star, stellar remnant, or brown dwarf, and is not one itself. The Solar System has eight planets by the most restrictive definition of the te ...

and

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

. ELSI has satellite-institutes at Ehime University,

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, and the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...

, and is currently led by Director Yasuhito Sekine and Vice Directors Tomoaki Matsuura and John Hernlund.

Funding sources

Funding sources for the institute include a combination of support from Japan's World Premiere International Research Center Initiative (approximately $7M/year), a grant from the

John Templeton Foundation The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a Philanthropy, philanthropic organization founded by John Templeton in 1987. Templeton became wealthy as a Contrarian investing, contrarian investor, and wanted to support progress in relig ...

to establish the ELSI Origins Network (EON, $5.6MScharf, Caleb A
"A New Era for Origins of Life Science?"
''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...

'', August 7, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2020. for three years), a variety of project grants from the

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science The is an Independent Administrative Institution in Japan, established for the purpose of contributing to the advancement of science in all fields of the natural and social sciences and the humanities.JSPSweb page History The Japan Society f ...

(JSPS), and anonymous private donations.

Academics

Teaching and learning

ELSI offers Masters courses through

and PhD degrees supervised by staff.

Research

Research is primarily supported through JSPS grants, but also private & international sources.

References

External links

Earth–Life Science Institute
Research in Asia Research in Japan Research institutes in Japan Academia in Japan 2012 establishments in Japan Institute of Science Tokyo {{science-org-stub