Joint workshop on biomedical engineering and AI with Thailand’s NSTDA
On January 29, Science Tokyo and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) of Thailand co-hosted “Biomedical Engineering & AI: The Cutting Edge of AI Applications in Medical-Engineering Collaboration,” a joint workshop held both in-person and online that welcomed over 100 participants from universities, research institutions, and the private sector.
While the previous seven events were held under the “Tokyo Tech Research Showcase in Thailand” banner, this year’s event, held at the Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok, was reimagined to focus on collaborative research. The joint workshop also provided a venue to promote the new “Biomedical Engineering & AI” course launching in 2026 under the Thailand Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (TAIST)-Science Tokyo, a joint graduate education program established in 2007.
Executive Vice President Jun-ichi Takada opened the workshop with a keynote outlining the reforms essential for driving vision-driven, cross-disciplinary research and education. A joint presentation by alumni from Science Tokyo’s predecessor institutions, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo Medical and Dental University, continued theme, emphasizing the vital role of collaboration between medical and dental fields and science and engineering fields to expand research frontiers, and sharing their expectations for the potential of medical-engineering education at the newly merged Institute.
The next part of the event saw Associate Professor Jackrit Suthakorn from Mahidol University take to the stage to describe the new TAIST-Science Tokyo “Biomedical Engineering & AI” course. Faculty members involved in the new course were then joined by a representative from the biomedical industry for a panel discussion. The panel expressed their expectations for the new course, explored the appeal of collaboration between Japan and Thailand, and suggested strategies to engage the younger generation in this new educational path.
Key takeaways included the importance of helping students understand how their studies can be applied to address issues facing society and the crucial role that older generations play to inspire and spark motivation among younger researchers.
The workshop continued by inviting ten speakers from Science Tokyo, NSTDA, and several Thai universities to present some of their latest research. Representing Science Tokyo: Professor Nobuhiro Hayashi, Professor Naohiko Koshikawa, and Associate Professor Shun-ichiro Ogura from the School of Life Science and Technology; Professor Tohru Yagi and Professor Motomu Nakashima from the School of Engineering; and Professor Manabu Kanazawa from the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences.
A Q&A and networking session rounded out the event and fostered a vibrant exchange of ideas, highlighting the ample potential for collaboration across not only borders but also disciplines. The event marked a substantial step forward both for student education and collaborative research for the next generation of students.
International Affairs Group, International Affairs Office
- iad.affrs@adm.isct.ac.jp