Nagoya University / Graduate School of Environmental Studies / Dep. Earth Planet. Sciences
English/Japanese
|
Katsuyoshi MICHIBAYASHI, Ph.D
|
Academic Biography
Professor Katsuyoshi Michibayashi has been studying the structural and microstructural evolution of the Earth's crust and mantle since 1994. He completed his undergraduate studies at Shizuoka University, Japan, and received his M.Sc. from Shizuoka university in 1990. He then moved to Australia to pursue his doctoral studies at James Cook University of North Queensland, where he received his Ph.D. in 1994. His doctoral research focused on crustal mylonites and their relationship to gold mineralization. Following his Ph.D., he joined the University of Tokyo as a postdoctoral research fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). In October 1994, he returned to Shizuoka University as an Assistant Professor. From 1997 to 1999, he conducted research at the Laboratoire de Tectonophysique (Géosciences Montpellier), Université Montpellier II, France, as a JSPS Overseas Research Fellow. During this period, he expanded his research interests from crustal deformation to mantle peridotites and the Oman ophiolite, marking an important turning point in his scientific career. In 2002, he was promoted to Associate Professor at Shizuoka University. He subsequently developed advanced experimental and analytical facilities for structural geology and rock deformation studies, including a high-temperature and high-pressure deformation apparatus in 2003 and a scanning electron microscope equipped with electron backscatter diffraction (SEM-EBSD) in 2004. These facilities enabled him to investigate deformation processes and crystallographic fabrics in crustal and mantle rocks through an integrated approach combining field observations, microstructural analyses, and experimental studies. In 2005, he participated in Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 305, which investigated the oceanic lithosphere at the Atlantis Massif along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This experience further stimulated his interest in ocean-floor geology and the structure and evolution of the oceanic lithosphere. In 2008, he explored the Mariana Trench aboard the Japanese research submersible Shinkai 6500, reaching a depth of approximately 6,500 m near the Challenger Deep. His deep-sea exploration activities subsequently expanded to studies of mantle peridotites, serpentinization, and tectonic processes in the deepest parts of the world's oceans. In 2011, he established an advanced SEM-EBSD-EDS analytical system capable of operating under both high-vacuum and variable-pressure conditions, further strengthening his laboratory's capabilities in structural petrology. He was promoted to Professor at Shizuoka University in April 2013 and was awarded the title of Research Fellow of Shizuoka University for the period 2016–2018 in recognition of his research achievements. On April 1, 2018, he moved to Nagoya University as Professor in the Graduate School of Environmental Studies, where he joined the Rock and Mineral Laboratory. Since then, he has continued to advance research on mantle dynamics, rock deformation, crystallographic preferred orientations, and seismic anisotropy, with particular emphasis on oceanic lithosphere, ophiolites, and subduction-zone processes. One of the most remarkable milestones in his career occurred on August 13, 2022, when he descended to approximately 9,800 m in the Izu-Ogasawara (Izu-Bonin) Trench aboard the deep-sea submersible Limiting Factor, together with the renowned explorer Victor Vescovo, during the Ring of Fire Expedition supported by DSSV Pressure Drop. This historic dive established a new Japanese depth record for a crewed submersible dive, surpassing a record that had stood for approximately 60 years. In 2023, he received the Geological Society of Japan Prize in recognition of his outstanding contributions to geological research, particularly his pioneering studies of rock deformation, mantle structures, and oceanic lithosphere. Since 2025, he has served as Vice Dean of the Graduate School of Environmental Studies at Nagoya University, contributing to academic leadership, research development, and graduate education.
|
Research interests |
|
|
|
Affiliation |
|
|
|
Academic performance in Bibliography, Orcid, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Scopus & Web of Science
Impact Factor of some journals from 1997 to 2025
