SDGs Symposium 2026 - AI and Sustainability: Opportunities and Challenges for a Sustainable Future

Dr. Teruo Fujii is the 31st President of the University of Tokyo (UTokyo). Prior to taking the President’s office in April 2021, he was the Executive Vice President in charge of finance and external relations for the university. He also served as the Director General of the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS) of the university from 2015 to 2018. 

He received his Ph.D. in engineering from UTokyo in 1993 and held research positions at IIS and RIKEN prior to becoming a professor of IIS in 2007. 

Dr. Fujii was an advisor to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) from 2005 to 2007, the co-director of LIMMS-CNRS/IIS, a joint research laboratory between CNRS of France, and IIS, from 2007 to 2014, and the President of the Chemical and Biological Microsystems Society (CBMS) from 2017 to 2019. He held the position of an Executive Member (part-time) of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan from March 2021 to February 2024. He has also served as the Chair of the Subdivision on Ocean Development of the Council for Science and Technology (MEXT) from February 2019 until February 2024. He was appointed as President of the Japan Association of National Universities in June 2025. 

Dr. Fujii’s research specializes in applied microfluidics systems and underwater technology.

Tshilidzi Marwala is the Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. He served as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg (South Africa) (2018-2023), Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalization (2013–2017) and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (2009–2013). He has extensive academic, policy, management, and international experience, and is a co-holder of five patents. His research has been multi-disciplinary, involving the theory and applications of artificial intelligence to engineering, social science, economics, politics, finance, and medicine. He has served on a variety of global and national policymaking bodies, and has worked with UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO and WIPO. Prof. Marwala is, inter alia, a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Academy of Science of South Africa, and the African Academy of Sciences. Prof. Marwala has received many honours, including the Order of Mapungubwe (South Africa’s highest honour) and the Academy of South Africa’s Science-for-Society Gold Medal. He was named the one of the “100 Most Influential Africans of 2024” by NewAfrican Magazine. 

Magdalena Skipper is Editor in Chief of Nature and Chief Editorial Advisor for the Nature Portfolio. She has considerable editorial and publishing experience, having worked as Chief Editor of Nature Reviews Genetics, Senior Editor for genetics and genomics at Nature and Editor in Chief of Nature Communications. She is passionate about mentorship, research integrity, as well as collaboration and inclusion in research. As part of her desire to promote underrepresented groups in research, in 2018 she co-launched the Nature Research Inspiring Science Award for women early-career researchers. She holds a PhD on genetics from University of Cambridge, UK.

Ayyoob Sharifi is a Professor at the IDEC Institute, Hiroshima University. With a background in civil engineering and urban planning, his research focuses on smart cities and the interface between urbanism and climate change mitigation and adaptation. He actively contributes to global change research programs such as Future Earth and has served as a lead author for assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and UN-Habitat’s World Cities Reports. Prof. Sharifi pursues research at the intersection of climate change and urban planning, with the ultimate goal of providing insights into developing sustainable, peaceful, just, and resilient communities.

Xin Zhou is the Director of the AI and New Frontier Group at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). She leads research on SDG indicators and interlinkages analysis, climate policy assessment, green jobs, energy system scenario modelling, and the water–food–energy nexus. She headed the development of the SDG Interlinkages Analysis & Visualisation Tool, the Interactive SDG Tool for River Basins, and the Japan 2050 Low Carbon Navigator. Her recent work extends into AI and machine learning, including NLP-based causal mapping and ML-driven disaster forecasting and risk assessment. From 1994 to 2003, she worked at the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy (PRCEE), then under the State Environmental Protection Administration, where she directed policy research and received several national scientific awards for her contributions.

Hironobu Takagi serves as the Executive Director at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan). He is also a senior member of the Accessibility Research team at IBM Research – Tokyo. Since joining IBM Research – Tokyo in 1999, his work has focused on web accessibility, elderly-care technologies, and more recently, real-world accessibility and navigation systems. He currently leads the "AI Suitcase" autonomous navigation robot project within the AI Suitcase Consortium and heads the Accessibility Lab at Miraikan. He received his Ph.D. in Science in 2000 for research in human–computer interaction. He has received Best Paper Awards at ACM ASSETS in 2002 and 2009, as well as an Achievement Award from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 2011. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). 

Yuji Ogino is the Global Head of Sustainability at Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL). He has approximately forty years of experience in the semiconductor industry, having held various executive roles at TEL, most recently serving as Vice President for Corporate Sustainability Management.                                       

After joining Tokyo Electron, he was responsible for market research at a U.S. subsidiary. Upon returning to Japan, he initiated a new business and became involved in the semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SPE) business. He led the market development of the SPE business in Europe through TEL’s UK subsidiary. He has held his current position since 2016.  

Drawing on his graduate school research on sustainability, he is advancing sustainability management within the company. He contributes to addressing and developing solutions for social issues through business and promotes activities that enhance corporate value over the medium to long term.  

Mr. Ogino is also a Governing Council member of the Semiconductor Climate Consortium (SCC), the first global initiative aimed at accelerating the semiconductor ecosystem’s response to the challenges of climate change.

Kensuke Fukushi is Professor and Director at the Institute for Future Initiatives (IFI), The University of Tokyo. Prior to joining the University of Tokyo as an Associate Professor in 2001, he held academic positions at the Asian Institute of Technology (Associate and Assistant Professor) and Tohoku University (Assistant Professor). His research interests are on environmental engineering, risk assessment, climate change, water resources, biological technology, and membrane technology. He holds a PhD on Civil Engineering from the University of Utah.