Primatology and Wildlife Research
The Department of Primatology and Wildlife Research provides graduate education through the Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, the Wildlife Research Center, and some researchers from the Kyoto University Museum, the Center for Ecology Research, and the Institute for Advanced Study, who have joined the Graduate School of Science as cooperating courses.
The Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior is located on the Inuyama Campus (Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan) and promotes research on the evolutionary origins of human behavioral traits through experimental studies on monkeys.
The Wildlife Research Center, located on the Yoshida Campus (Kyoto, Japan), conducts basic research on the conservation of endangered wildlife in the field and in zoos, and promotes basic research incorporating methods ranging from genetics to cognitive science.
For more information on research conducted at the Kyoto University Museum, the Center for Ecological Research, and the Institute for Advanced Study, please visit their respective websites.
Graduate education is conducted at either the Inuyama Campus or the Yoshida Campus. Each faculty advisor is based at a different location.
See the CICASP website for information regarding entrance examination procedures for international students.
Cooperation Course
The University Museum
Phylogeny and Systematics
Our research focus is to investigate the phylogeny and evolutionary mechanisms of fossil and modern primates, including humans.
Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior
Evolutionary Biomechanics
We are approaching the neural and physical bases of human-specific behavioral characteristics, such as bipedal walking and vocal communication using a variety of methods, including behavioral experiments and biomechanical simulations.
[This course will be launched in Apr. 2025]
Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior
Cognitive Neuroscience
We aim to understand the neural basis of cognition, by adopting various experimental techniques, including electrophysiology, behavioral analysis, and neurotracing.
Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior
Systems Neuroscience
We aim to elucidate the mechanisms underlying higher brain functions, such as motor control and cognitive behavior.
Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior
Cellular and Molecular Biology
We are investigating the characteristics of primates, including humans, from the cellular and molecular points of view.
Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior
Experimental Animal Science
We conduct multidisciplinary primate research of medicine and welfare.
[currently, "Primate Medicine and Welfare". The name will be changed in Apr. 2025]
Wildlife Research Center
Wildlife Science
We focus on the ecology, behavior, genetics, conservation, and human-wildlife coexistence of terrestrial and marine wildlife largely through fieldwork combined with laboratory investigations in Japan, Asia, Africa, and South America.
[old name for this course: "Wildlife"]
Wildlife Research Center
Animal Conservation and Welfare Science
We focus on terrestrial and marine wildlife (mammals, birds, etc.) to understand their ecology, behavior, and society, mainly through laboratory work.
Center for Ecological Research
Ecological Science III
We conduct ecological research of wild non-human primates living in Japan and other countries, focusing on topics on feeding ecology, interaction with other organisms and conservation genetics.
Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior
Intelligence and Language
[This course is for the students entering before April 2022]
Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior
Cognition and Learning
[This course is for the students entering before April 2022]
Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior
Infectious Diseases
[This course is for the students entering before April 2024] We seek to unravel the molecular and immunological mechanisms of the persistence and pathogenesis of intractable viruses, and take up the challenge to develop vaccines and new therapeutics using novel nonhuman primate models.