Evolutionary Developmental Biologist Dr. Teiya Kijimoto Joins ECU as Assistant Professor in Biology
ECU’s Department of Biology proudly welcomes Dr. Teiya Kijimoto as the newest Assistant Professor in our department. Dr. Kijimoto’s research background follows evolutionary developmental biology and genetics, with a core focus on genetic models of insects to understand trait development and their environmental cues. In the coming years, we look forward to the many ways his interests will contribute to our department, student engagement, and the field of genetics.
Dr. Teiya Kijimoto
Dr. Kijimoto’s core values when it comes to academia and research are “excitement and curiosity”, specifically in the subjects of “why organisms are so different, how they look, and how [ecosystems interact] between different organisms to affect the evolution of insects.” He received his M.S. and PhD at the Institute of Science: Tokyo in Japan, studying the evolution of fish genetics, but returned to his childhood interest of insects soon after. “I just [want] to study how organisms become diverse or unique,” Kijimoto says. As a long-time advocate for outreach and communication, Dr. Kijimoto hopes to contribute to society outside of the university through the subjects he teaches. After spending nearly 20 years in the United States as a geneticist and educator, his passion with the continuity of learning has grown, especially with hands-on experience in the conceptual world of genetics. “We are surrounded by the advances of genetics every day… I [only] hope to pass on to students how to troubleshoot in their life using skills they learn in STEM…To me, with life, it’s the same approach.”