The Graduate School of Information Sciences at Tohoku University was established in 1993 as the university’s first independent graduate school and will celebrate its 32nd anniversary in 2025. Our school positions information sciences not only within the domains of natural science and engineering, but also as a “comprehensive domain of knowledge” encompassing the humanities and social sciences. Guided by this vision, we have been committed to contributing to the resolution of social issues and the creation of future society. To date, we have awarded degrees to 4,240 master’s and 989 doctoral graduates, producing outstanding professionals who support both academic advancement and industrial innovation.
The challenges confronting today’s society—such as population aging, climate change, energy issues, and AI ethics—are becoming more complex and multifaceted than ever before. Addressing these challenges requires more than technological development; it demands perspectives that includes social systems and human behavior. In this context, a “fusion of the sciences and humanities” approach—integrating scientific and engineering knowledge with insights from the humanities, social sciences, and ethics—is essential to solve the problems.
Our school comprises four departments: Computer and Mathematical Sciences, System Information Sciences, Human-Social Information Sciences, and Applied Information Sciences. Across these departments, we conduct diverse research in fields such as AI, quantum computing, mathematical sciences, cybersecurity, human interfaces, language processing, and behavioral analysis. In addition, we promote cutting-edge initiatives aimed at real-world implementation through strong collaboration among academia, industry, and government via research centers such as the Tough Cyberphysical AI Research Center, the Research Center for Pure and Applied Mathematics, the Center for Statistical Science and joint laboratories with NEC and Panasonic.
In education as well, we are committed to fostering globally capable, interdisciplinary professionals through programs such as the Data Science International Joint Graduate Program (GP-DS) and the NIFS Program (Fostering Human Resources in New Interdisciplinary Fields in the Society 5.0 Era), which was adopted in Fiscal Year 2023.
In November 2024, Tohoku University was officially designated as Japan’s first “University for International Research Excellence,” a national initiative that supports institutions aiming to become world-class research universities. Information science is one of the core pillars of this initiative, and our graduate school plays a central role in enhancing the sophistication and internationalization of research across disciplines. In order to support the next generation of information science, construction is currently underway on a new research and education building—our second main facility—designed
In an era where information technologies form the foundation of society, we will continue to pursue and disseminate a “new information science” that contributes to the world. We sincerely appreciate your continued support and encouragement for the Graduate School of Information Sciences at Tohoku University.
1st April, 2025