Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies (Master's) Faculty | APU Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies Faculty

*1M: Master's Thesis Advising, D: Doctoral Dissertation Advising
*2Please note that seminar courses may not be offered every year.

【Current as of Oct 26, 2022】

Divisions

Professor

BUI Thanh Huong

Graduate Advising *1

M, D

Degree

PhD (Tourism Management), Griffith University
MBA (International Business), Waseda University
MA (Tourism Management), Griffith University

Divisions

Tourism and Hospitality (TH) , International Public Administration (IPA) , Sustainability Science (SS)

Research Fields

Human Geography, Social Psychology, Tourism Management and Development, Sustainability and Resilience

Biography

Professor Bui completed her master’s in Tourism Management and International Management before completing her Ph.D. at Griffith University in Australia. Her current academic societies include the European Association for Southeast Asian Studies and the Australia and New Zealand Association of Leisure Studies (ANZALS).

Research Activities

Faculty Information
Professor

GHOTBI Nader

Graduate Advising *1

M, D

Degree

PhD (Modern Economics), Kyoto University
MD, Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Divisions

Development Economics (DE) , Sustainability Science (SS)

Research Fields

Public Health and Epidemiology, Health Economics, Environmental Economics, Ethics and Philosophy, Bioethics

Biography

Professor Ghotbi received a Medical Doctorate from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 1992 before enrolling at Kyoto University to complete a PhD in Modern Economics with a focus on health economics and environmental economics. He is a member of the Asian Bioethics Association, an editor for a peer-reviewed public health journal, and a reviewer for multiple peer-reviewed academic journals on bioethics and public health. He is currently engaged in research in public health, environmental ethics and economics, and ethics of artificial intelligence (AI).

Research Activities

Faculty Information
Professor

HAN Ji

Graduate Advising *1

M, D

Degree

DEng (Infrastructure Planning), Nagoya University
MEng (Environmental Science and Engineering), Tongji University
BEng (Environmental Science and Engineering), Dalian Maritime University

Divisions

Sustainability Science (SS)

Research Fields

Urban Ecology, Material Metabolism, Low-carbon City/Transport, Livable City, Circular Economy, Ecosystem Services, GIS and Remote Sensing

Biography

After obtaining a PhD in Engineering from Nagoya University in Japan, Professor Han worked as a research fellow at the Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S) at the University of Tokyo, a full-time assistant professor at Nagoya University, a professor at the School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and as the head of the Global Institute for Urban and Regional Sustainability at East China Normal University before joining APU in 2022.
Han specializes in climate change, resource management, and urban ecology. He has published numerous papers and received academic awards in these fields. In recent years, the professor has served as an editorial board member and guest editor for several top-ranked academic journals, such as Landscape and Urban Planning and Journal of Urban Ecology. In addition, he actively contributes to society with his research while serving as the deputy director of the Landscaping & City Appearance Administrative Bureau of Putuo District in Shanghai, China.

Research Activities

Faculty Information
Professor

JONES Thomas Edward

Graduate Advising *1

M, D

Degree

PhD (Agriculture), University of Tokyo

Divisions

Sustainability Science (SS) , Tourism and Hospitality (TH)

Research Fields

Environmental Policy, Nature-Based Tourism, Protected Areas, Regional Development

Research Activities

Faculty Information
Professor

KUBO Takayuki

Graduate Advising *1

M

Degree

PhD (Economics), Chuo University

Divisions

Tourism and Hospitality (TH) , Sustainability Science (SS)

Research Fields

Urban and Regional Economics, Urban and Regional Policies, Urban and Regional Planning

Research Activities

Faculty Information
Professor

LI Yan

Graduate Advising *1

M, D

Degree

Doctor of Engineering, Kyoto University
Master of Science, East China Normal University
Bachelor of Science, Nanjing University

Divisions

Sustainability Science (SS) , International Public Administration (IPA)

Research Fields

Environmental Policy, City Planning, Regional Planning, Traffic Engineering, Social System Engineering

Biography

Professor Li received her Bachelor’s degree in City Planning from Nanjing University and Master of Science in Urban Geography from East China Normal University before obtaining her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Kyoto University. She served as an assistant in the Engineering Department of Ritsumeikan University before working at Fukuyama Consultants Co., Ltd. as a researcher; she has been at APU since 2000. She teaches under the Sustainability Science division. Her current research fields are Environmental Policy, City Planning, and Traffic Engineering. She currently is a member of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, the City Planning Institute of Japan and the GIS Association of Japan.

Research Activities

Faculty Information
Professor

PISHVA Davar

Graduate Advising *1

M, D

Degree

Ph.D. in System Engineering, Mie University
Master of Science, Ateneo de Manila University
Bachelor of Science, University of the Philippines

Divisions

Sustainability Science (SS)

Research Fields

Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs), Simulation and Modeling (SaM), Decision Science (DS)

Biography

Professor Pishva received his Ph.D. degree in System Engineering from Mie University, Japan. He has been serving APU since 2007 and currently teaches under the Sustainability Science division. His recent teaching focus includes Technology Management, Environmental Modeling and Analysis, Structured Decision Making, and Geographic Information System. The focus of his recent research includes Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs), Simulation and Modeling (SaM), Decision Science (DS) and Information Security (IS). He has recently published a number of articles, book chapters and international patents. He has also been active in numerous academic societies and has been serving IEEE as a Senior Member for more than a decade now.

Research Activities

Faculty Information
Professor

VAFADARI M. Kazem

Graduate Advising *1

M, D

Degree

Ph.D. (Asia Pacific Studies), Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
MA, Theoretical Economics

Divisions

Tourism and Hospitality (TH) , Sustainability Science (SS)

Research Fields

Cultural Heritage Management, Ecotourism, Agriculture Heritage Tourism, Community Based Tourism and Rural Tourism

Biography

Tourism destinations vary greatly from urban to rural settings and from artificial structures to remote locations in nature. This diversity results in demand for knowledge in various subfields of tourism and related skills. Such subfields include natural environment studies, human resource management, economics, and socio-cultural issues, knowledge of which assists our graduates in contributing to sustainable tourist destinations based on available resources. Today, tourism and hospitality are among the top grossing global industries, and attract individuals from both academia and the business world in order to manage the tourism industry and its socio-cultural, economic, and environmental impacts.”

Research Activities

Faculty Information
Professor

YAMASHITA Hiromi

Graduate Advising *1

M, D

Degree

Ph.D. Univesity of Birmingham

Divisions

Sustainability Science (SS)

Research Fields

Environmental Sociology, Environmental Communication, Public Participation in Decision Making, Coastal Wetlands Restoration Projects, Ramsar Convention and Local Implementation

Research Activities

Faculty Information
Associate Professor

MAHICHI Faezeh

Graduate Advising *1

M

Degree

Ph.D (Life Science), Tokyo Institute of Technology

Divisions

Sustainability Science (SS)

Research Fields

Environmental Education and Awareness, Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Environment, Environmental Microbiology, Air/Soil/Water Pollution, Global Warming, Coral Reef Ecosystem Health, Organic Agriculture, Chemical Disaster Management

Biography

Professor Mahichi received her Ph.D in Life Science from the Tokyo Institute of Technology. She is currently active in the American Society of Microbiology and the Iranian Society of Microbiology. Her current research fields are Environmental Education and General Life Science.

Research Activities

Faculty Information
Associate Professor

OHASHI Hiroaki

Graduate Advising *1

M

Degree

PhD (Urban and Regional Planning), University College London (UCL)
MArch (Architectural Design), University of London (UCL)
MSc with Distinction (Built Environment: Advanced Architectural Studies), University of London (UCL)
MEng (Civil Engineering), The University of Tokyo
BEng (Civil Engineering), The University of Tokyo

Divisions

Sustainability Science (SS), Tourism and Hospitality (TH)

Research Fields

Urban and Regional Planning, Spatial Planning and Policy, Comprehensive Planning, Urban (Re)development, Real Estate Development, Urban Design, Development and Environment, International Cooperation

Research Activities

Faculty Information