On August 28, 2026, Prof. Elena Maria Baralis, the Deputy Rector of Politecnico di Torino in Italy, visited Tohoku University and met with Executive Vice President Masahiro Yamaguchi, Specially Appointed Professor Yoshitaka Kasukabe of the Global Learning Center, Professor Hirokazu Moriya of the Graduate School of Engineering, and Associate Professor Tomoya Nishiwaki, also of the Graduate School of Engineering.
The two universities have maintained continual academic and educational exchanges for about 16 years. During the meeting, the two parties agreed to build upon their history of mutual exchanges, particularly in the fields of architecture and civil engineering, to expand research collaborations into more engineering fields and to further encourage student exchanges. Deputy Rector Baralis also outlined initiatives at Politecnico di Torino, such as creating innovation and startups and the promoting of faculty and student mobility through the European Erasmus+ Programme, and this was followed by keen discussions about the potential for future collaborations with Tohoku University.
During her visit, Deputy Rector Baralis met with researchers from the Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (WPI-AIMEC), the Unprecedented-scale Data Analytics Center, and the Graduate School of Information Sciences. She also visited the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), where she was given an overview of Tohoku University’s state-of-the-art research environments and own distinctive initiatives, and engaged in a lively exchange of ideas with its members.
This visit is expected to further strengthen the partnership between the two universities and lead to university-wide collaborations in education and research.
EVP Yamaguchi (center) engages in discussion with Deputy Rector Baralis (second from right)
Deputy Rector Baralis with EVP Yamaguchi
Visit to AIMEC (from left: Kentaro Ando, Director of the Research Promotion and Planning Division; Professor Gakushi Ishimura; Deputy Rector Baralis; Director Toshio Suga; Associate Professor Justin Penn)
Visit to AIMR (from left: Specially Appointed Professor Maki Suemitsu, Deputy Rector Baralis, Professor Hao Li)
Please also see this article:
‘Prof. Elena Maria Baralis, deputy rector of Politecnico di Torino, visits AIMR’
https://www.wpi-aimr.tohoku.ac.jp/en/topics/information/2026/20260831_002263.html
Contact:
Global Engagement Division, Tohoku University
Tel: 022-217-6182
Email: kokusai-k*grp.tohoku.ac.jp (Please replace the * with @)