Dean's Message

Dean of the School of Science

TAJIKA Eiichi

Dean of the School of ScienceProfessor

Eiichi Tajika is a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science in the School of Science at the University of Tokyo. After serving as Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Science, and later as Professor at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences at the University of Tokyo, he assumed his current position in 2016. He has served as President of the Japanese Society for Planetary Sciences and President of the Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU). He was also a member of the Science Council of Japan (SCJ) and Chair of the SCJ Committee on Earth and Planetary Sciences. He received his B.Sc in Geophysics from the Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo in 1987, and completed his doctoral studies in the Department of Geophysics, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo in 1992.

Where Curiosity Meets the Unknown

Science is the investigation of the principles underlying the natural world. Starting from simple questions - "What is this?" and "Why is that?" From familiar subjects, such as the Earth's environment, living organisms, and matter, to the origins of the universe and the world of elementary particles. Through the accumulation of such inquiry, humanity has shaped its understanding of nature and its view of the world.

In the Faculty of Science, we cherish pure intellectual curiosity - the desire to know. One of the greatest appeals of science lies in the process of thinking for oneself and exploring the unknown through repeated trial and error. By forming your own questions, conducting observations and experiments, and analyzing and interpreting the results, you deepen your understanding of nature. Unraveling the secrets of nature - questions that no one yet knows the answers - is truly an exciting intellectual adventure.

Through that experience, you will develop the ability to identify problems, think logically, work toward solutions, and communicate your findings to others. These are also skills that are highly valued in society today.

The year 2027 marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of both the University of Tokyo and its Faculty of Science. Looking toward the next 150 years, it is you—the next generation of scientists—who will shape the future of science.

Exploration of science

※Year of 2026 Photography: Junichi Kaizuka
Year of 2025 Illustration revised: Azsusa Suzuki