Masahiro Takahara: Plant Physiology First Author

Masahiro Takahara, co-first author of “Pulvinar Slits: Cellulose-deficient and De-Methyl-Esterified Pectin-Rich Structures in a Legume Motor Cell”

Current Position: Scientist at Acacia Horticulture

Education: B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Sophia University. D.Sc. from The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (National Institute for Basic Biology).

Non-scientific Interests: Trout fishing, vegetable gardening, hobby electronics and playing the guitar

Brief bio: Ever since I touched Mimosa pudica for the first time in my life at the age of 3, I have been interested in plant movement. Then, my interests in my youth shifted to a robotic limb, human augmentation, regenerative medicine, ES cells, totipotency, plant genetic transformation, plant organ development, and back to plant movement.

Up to my master’s degree, I studied leaf movement in legumes with biochemical approaches, and during my Ph.D. program, I studied the developmental aspect of legumes with mainly molecular biological approaches.

I then worked as a scientist at several universities and a biotech company, and am currently working at Acacia Horticulture.