YAMAGUCHI Shinobu
Director, Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, United Nations UniversityNationalityJapanese
Career History
Since 2019 Dr. Yamaguchi has been Director of the United Nations University Institute for theAdvanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). Her fields of specialization include international
development and cooperation, ICT in education, education policy, science and technology policy,
and the application of technology in world heritage site preservation. As UNU IAS Director she hasdelivered expert interventions at numerous UN conferences and meetings including UN Climate
Change Conferences (UNFCCC COPs), the annual UN High-Level Political Forum on SustainableDevelopment (HLPF), the Transforming Education Summit, and sessions of the Committee ofExperts on Public Administration (CEPA). Among her many contributions to education policy, Dr.
Yamaguchi served as a member of the International Advisory Board of the UNESCO flagshipprogramme Futures of Education. She is the founding Chair of the SDG–Universities Platform, aninitiative mobilising efforts by Japanese universities towards achieving the Sustainable DevelopmentGoals (SDGs).
Prior to this post Dr. Yamaguchi was Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology (from 2006), where
she is currently serving as Professor Emeritus. In her earlier career Dr. Yamaguchi worked for
UNESCO, primarily on the development of education systems in China, Indonesia, Mongolia, andPakistan.
Dr. Yamaguchi is an Associate Member of the Science Council of Japan and a Member of theJapanese National Commission for UNESCO, and has served on several committees of theGovernment of Japan. She is also an active member of the Comparative and International Education
Society, the Japan Society for International Development, and the World Council of Comparative
Education Societies. Dr. Yamaguchi holds a PhD in Economics of Education from Columbia
University. She has authored or co-authored more than 200 publications and conference/seminarpresentations.

Awards / Publications
Selected Awards:
Honorable Teacher Medal（Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Mongolia）2022
Polar Star Medal（President Office, Mongolia）2015
Honorable Labor Medal(Prime Minister's Office, Lao PDR) 2021
Selected Publications:
Vaughter, P., and Yamaguchi, S., “Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): Policy
Formulation and Implementation across Different Education Levels”, Handbook of Education
Policy, Edgard Elgar Publishing. (in-print)
Park, J., Yamaguchi, S., and Sung, J., “Country engagement and education for sustainable
development: Promising cases”, Japan Association for United Nations Studies: Tokyo. (March,2023)
Park, J., Yamada, S., and Yamaguchi, S., “Holistic Technical and Vocational Education and Training:
A Driver for Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa”, United Nations University Institutefor the Advanced Study of Sustainability Policy Brief, Tokyo, Japan. (February, 2023)
Sugimura, M., and Yamaguchi, S., “Internationalization of higher education in Japan: Challenges
and opportunities” in Oxford Handbook on Reform of Higher Education in Asia, edited by Kapur,
D., Kong, L.,Lo, F., and Malone, D. . Oxford University Press. 651-669. (November, 2022)
Yamaguchi, S., United Nations and Sustainable Development's in Understanding International
Development, edited by Nishimura, M., and S.,Omori. Minerva Publishing, 120-121. (November,2021)
Ishino, S., Yamaguchi, S., and Sukhbaatar, J., "Analysis of influencing factors on teachers'
competencies of secondary school teachers in Mongolia's, The 31st Annual Conference of Japan
Society for International Development (JASID), Tokyo. (November, 2020)
Yamamoto, Y. and Yamaguchi, S. Y. “Relationships between ICT Implementation at Schools andFactors Related to Transformational Leadership: A Case of primary school in Mongolia”.
International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication
Technology (IJEDICT), 15(2), 45-61. (June, 2019)
Li, S., Yamaguchi, S., Sukhbaatar, J., and Takada, J.,” The Influence of Teachers’ Professional
Development Activities on the Factors Promoting ICT Integration in Primary Schools in Mongolia”,
Educ. Sci. 2019, 9(2), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9020078 (April, 2019)