He received his Ph.D. degree in biophysics from Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, in 1999 and did a postdoctoral fellowship at RIKEN Brain Science Institute and at Stanford University from 1999 to 2007. His main research area is neurodegenerative disorders, in particular, neuronal death and neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s Disease. His current area of focus is understanding the pathogenic role of gene mutations associated with Parkinson’s Disease using a combined genetic and biochemical approach.