Outline

RECWET booklet
(Jul 2025 edition)

Since the establishment in 2000, we have been conducting research and development of cutting-edge water environment control technologies using diverse approaches based on the integration and collaboration of basic sciences such as microbial ecology and practical studies such as water treatment engineering in order to meet the social challenges and expectations of realizing a sustainable water environment.
In 2019, the center was reorganized into three divisions. We are currently promoting research and education in collaboration with water-related researchers in a wider range of fields within the university, including Chemistry and biotechnology, Civil engineering and Material engineering. Additionally, Laboratory of International Wastewater-based Epidemiology, which was established in March 2024, is working to implement technologies developed through industry-academia collaboration in society. Furthermore, in October 2024, Shinshu University/The University of Tokyo Collaboration Branch Office was established, aiming to integrate advanced research in the water field by collaborating with Shinshu University.
Moreover, our activities in the water fields, including international cooperation, human resource development, and hosting international conferences, mainly conducted in Asia, are gaining international recognition. We will continue to promote research and education activities with the aim of becoming an international research hub for water environmental engineering. We would appreciate your continued support for the activities of the center.

News & TopicsArchive＞

2025/10/22
[Notice] RECWET Annual report has been issued

The two-year annual report which summarizes RECWET'S activities and research results for FY2023-2024 has been issued.

● The 2023-2024 report (PDF, 4.8MB)
● The list of the past reports (Japanese)
2025/10/08
[Award] World's Top 2% Scientists List (Prof. Kato ＆ Project Prof. Kitajima)

The latest edition (2025/Vol.8) of the "Updated Science-Wide Author Databases of Standardized Citation Indicators", a list of top-cited scientists created by Stanford University and Elsevier, was released on Sep 19, 2025. Among the current members of RECWET, Prof. Emeritus Takashi Kato (the Branch office) and Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology) were selected for both the "career-long" and "single recent year" categories *.

● Prof. Emeritus Kato (Chemistry - Polymers, General Chemistry field)
　Consecutive selection for both Career and Single year since 2019/Vol.1
● Project Prof. Kitajima (Biomedical Research - Environmental Sciences, Microbiology field)
　Career: 2024, 2025
　Single year: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025

This list covers scientists worldwide who have published at least five papers in 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields. The top 2% of scientists in each subfield were selected based on information from Scopus, an abstract and citation database provided by Elsevier.

* Based on citation received during calendar year 2024
2025/10/02
[Presentation] Oral presentaions at IWA-ASPIRE (Assoc. Profs. Hashimoto & Kasuga)

At the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference IWA-ASPIRE (September 30th - October 2nd, New Zealand), a Doctoral student supervised by Assoc. Prof. Takashi Hashimoto (Water Quality Control Technologies and Materials Development), his collaborator, Project Asst. Prof. Cecilia Burzio (RECWET Collaborative Member), and a project researcher led by Project Assoc. Prof. Ikuro Kasuga (International Wastewater-based Epidemiology) gave oral presentations as follows.

● Cecilia Burzio, Michael Welle, Yoshihiko Kawaguchi, Koji Kosaka, Kazuhiro Komatsu, Takashi Hashimoto (2025) DETECTION OF RIVER WATER CONTAMINATION USING EXCITATION-EMISSION MATRIX FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY AND MACHINE LEARNING TOOLS.
● Yan Tung Lo, Takashi Hashimoto, Satoshi Takizawa (2025) ROLE OF FUNCTIONALIZATION IN CARBON-BASED NANOSHEETS FOR ENHANCED REJECTION OF POLLUTANTS IN THIN-FILM NANOCOMPOSITE MEMBRANES.
● Thi My Hanh VU, Futoshi KURISU, Futoshi HASEBE, Masato SUZUKI, Ikuro KASUGA (2025) WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE GENES BY HIGH-THROUGHPUT QUANTITATIVE PCR IN FIVE CITIES IN VIETNAM.
　　10th IWA-ASPIRE Conference and Water New Zealand Conference & Expo, 29 Sep - 3 Oct, Christchurch.
2025/10/01
[Conference] The 12th Nikkei FT Communicable Diseases Conference (Project Prof. Kitajima)

Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima will be speaking at the "12th Nikkei FT Communicable Diseases Conference ～What new values are required in an age of division?～", which will be streamed online live from October 7-9, where he will engage in in-depth discussions with experts in various fields, including infectious disease countermeasures, vaccines, and the front lines of medical care. Viewing is free, so please do tune in

October 7th, 9:30-11:30
Agenda1　Improving Global Health Security through Broad-ranging Collaboration
A discussion gathering 13 lecturers from industry, government, and academia, including Dr. Shigeru OMI.
▶Pre-registration and details here
2025/09/30
[Cooperated event] Hydrosphere Science Seminar #33（Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima）

#33 of Hydrosphere Science Seminar, which RECWET also collaborate to co-sponsor, will be given by Project Prof. Masaaki Kitajima from Labolatory of International Wastewater-based Epidemiology, RECWET, from 15:00, 6th October. Please register here and join us!