MIRAI Researcher Profiles
Meet the exceptional researchers driving innovation at MIRAI! We’re kicking off a series of researcher profiles, starting with a spotlight on some of the chairs leading our Global Challenges Teams.
Irina Mancheva
Assistant Professor,
Umeå University
Swedish chair, GCT Resilient Cities and Communities
“MIRAI has helped broaden both my network but also my experiences on teaching and research.”
Tell us something peculiar about your research, something people would regularly not know or understand.
I am fascinated by contextual factors, such as policies and regulations, characteristics of administrative systems, formal and informal institutions and this interest very much decides what research questions I am interested in investigating.
What inspired you to join the MIRAI consortium, and how do you see this collaboration benefiting your research goals?
I first experienced the MIRAI consortium when I presented my research at the R&I digital even in June 2021. After my presentation, I was contacted by a postdoc from Linköping University and we discussed research ideas of mutual interest. Together, we developed one idea and posted it on a MIRAI Sustainability digital platform for researchers from the MIRAI network to indicate their interest in it. That way we became a team of 5 researchers from Japan and Sweden that applied for a seed-funding project.
Can you share an example of a collaborative project or initiative within the MIRAI consortium that you have been involved in or what future opportunities do you foresee, hope to establish, within the consortium?
I have been involved in several MIRAI events and initiatives during the years since I first got involved. I have found the consortium extremely useful and have only positive experiences from it. Both from the smaller digital matchmaking events and workshops, as well as the larger in-person events. The seed-funding project that we applied and received funding for started a research collaboration that is still ongoing. It helped me meet and exchange ideas with researchers from various disciplines, including chemistry, biology, biochemistry and economics. It also led to a successful short-term postdoc application from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science in 2023.
How do you think the interdisciplinary and international nature of MIRAI enhances your research, and What unique challenges have you encountered while working within the MIRAI consortium?
MIRAI has helped broaden both my network but also my experiences on teaching and research. Japan and Sweden have many similarities and differences. Comparing between the two, in both research but also generally in the academic setting, offers insightful research and professional perspectives. It has been a very helpful experience, especially as an early-career researcher. The biggest challenge I have encountered are the differing bureaucratic systems and how much more important details are in Japan.
Fun Facts
➡️ Person that inspired you to be a researcher: Dian Fossey
➡️ Hobbies and interests: All sorts of outdoor activities, reading, (independent) movies, music (consuming, not creating 😊).
➡️ If you weren’t a researcher, what would be your dream job? That’s a difficult one. Maybe working at an animal shelter. Or a diplomat (almost became one).
Pierre De Wit
Senior Lecturer, Conservation Biology
University of Gothenburg
Swedish chair, GCT Climate adaption, disaster, and risk management and prevention
“I saw this collaboration as an excellent opportunity to connect with like-minded people from other universities both in Sweden and Japan.”
Tell us something peculiar about your research, something people would regularly not know or understand.
Just like we humans are all different from each other, so are also all individuals of all other animal species in the world different from each other. Some are better at surviving heat waves than others for example. In some species there is a lot of variation among individuals, which makes the species as a whole more resilient to climate change (some individuals are likely to be ok, and they will reproduce and spread their genes to the next generation). But in some species, there is less variation among individuals – these will be much more sensitive to change. Knowing which species fall in these categories is really important to predict the future effects of climate change.
What inspired you to join the MIRAI consortium, and how do you see this collaboration benefiting your research goals?
I have a personal connection with Japan, and have spent a lot of time in the Tokyo area before the start of the MIRAI project. Therefore, I saw the project as a great opportunity to enhance my professional collaboration with Japan as well. In my field of marine biology, I know that there are many similar challenges facing both Sweden and Japan, and there are strong research environments in both countries. Therefore, I saw this collaboration as an excellent opportunity to connect with like-minded people from other universities both in Sweden and Japan.
Can you share an example of a collaborative project or initiative within the MIRAI consortium that you have been involved in or what future opportunities do you foresee, hope to establish, within the consortium?
At the end of the first MIRAI period, I submitted a STINT initiation grant proposal together with researchers at Umeå University, Sophia University and Hokkaido University, which was funded. The aim of the project was to compare microbial biodiversity in wetlands in Sweden and Japan, north and south, in parallel, and to investigate the effects of human activities on biodiversity. Unfortunately, due to Covid, the project got delayed and is currently still ongoing, but we hope to be able to finish it soon! The first instance of the MIRAI project did not have any seed funding attached to it, which was a big problem. Now, with the seed funding available, there is a much greater chance of new collaborative projects arising from the network.
How do you think the interdisciplinary and international nature of MIRAI enhances your research, and What unique challenges have you encountered while working within the MIRAI consortium?
As mentioned already, I work in the field of marine biology, and there are strong research environments in this field both in Sweden and Japan. Nevertheless, it has not been easy to find matching partners in Japan, as the topics of the project are so broad and open to interpretation from the partner institutions. However, I also think that the interdisciplinarity of the project also provides great opportunities to finding novel ideas for research that might not have been found in more traditional research collaborations.
How has your involvement with the MIRAI consortium influenced your perspective on international research collaborations, and can you share a moment when this collaboration led to an unexpected breakthrough or insight?
One reflection I have been nurturing lately is the seemingly different way in which our two countries think about the sustainable use of marine and terrestrial resources. In Sweden, we live in a land-dominated environment, with a relatively small sea surrounding the country. Human-caused effects are visible everywhere in the ocean around Sweden, and so the general public has a clear understanding that resources in the sea are limited and what we humans do affects the ocean in major ways. On the other hand, we tend to think of our aggressive forestry industry as something which is sustainable. Japan, on the contrary, is an island nation with a much larger population, surrounded by an enormous ocean. Here, sustainable use of land resources is much more prominent than in Sweden. However, the idea that ocean resources are also limited seem to not exist in the public awareness. I find these contrasting views very interesting, and it shows me that we can learn so much from each other.
Fun Facts
➡️ Person that inspired you to be a researcher: Sir David Attenborough
➡️ Hobbies and interests: Hiking, mushroom picking, diving, learning new languages, cooking and eating tasty food, arts and music.
➡️ If you weren’t a researcher, what would be your dream job? An astronaut – I applied to the ESA astronaut selection program in 2021 and went through some of the selection steps, but did not go all the way. That would be a dream, but I also love doing research – the freedom to follow my interests and to manage my own job is amazing
Alexander Ryota Keeley
Associate Professor, Technology and Policy Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Kyushu University
Japanese chair, GCT Resilient Cities and Communities
“MIRAI has helped broaden both my network and my research experiences. I saw this collaboration as an excellent opportunity to connect with like-minded people from other universities both in Sweden and Japan.”
Tell us something peculiar about your research, something people would regularly not know or understand.
A core pillar of my work involves assessing sustainability at multiple scales—corporate, national, and municipal. What many find surprising is how deeply I collaborate with these organizations to ensure real-world implementation, translating academic insights into tangible progress in sustainable practices. Whether I’m working with local governments or multinational corporations, I focus on building frameworks and methodologies that drive measurable improvements, bridging the gap between theory and practical outcomes.
What inspired you to join the MIRAI consortium, and how do you see this collaboration benefiting your research goals?
I’m driven by a strong belief in the power of interdisciplinary and international collaborations to tackle urgent global challenges. MIRAI offers an invaluable platform for connecting with experts across diverse fields. By engaging with researchers in Sweden and Japan, I’ve been able to expand my perspective, refine my approaches to sustainability assessment, and further amplify the societal impact of my work through shared knowledge and resources.
Can you share an example of a collaborative project or initiative within the MIRAI consortium that you have been involved in or what future opportunities do you foresee, hope to establish, within the consortium?
I recently collaborated with researchers at Uppsala University to build a big data resource examining the relationship between sustainable investment and SDGs partnerships. This initiative leveraged cutting-edge data analytics to map how various stakeholders engage with sustainability goals and where the capital flows. Looking ahead, I aim to deepen my interdisciplinary work on sustainable investment, sustainability evaluation, and energy-related research through further cross-institutional partnerships under the MIRAI umbrella.
How do you think the interdisciplinary and international nature of MIRAI enhances your research, and What unique challenges have you encountered while working within the MIRAI consortium?
MIRAI’s blend of disciplines and global perspectives creates a fertile ground for innovative solutions to complex sustainability issues. Collaborative efforts often spark new approaches to evaluating corporate, governmental, and community-level sustainability initiatives. At the same time, navigating different research norms, funding structures, and cultural expectations presents logistical hurdles. However, overcoming these challenges ultimately produces more robust, well-rounded research outcomes.
How has your involvement with the MIRAI consortium influenced your perspective on international research collaborations, and can you share a moment when this collaboration led to an unexpected breakthrough or insight?
MIRAI has reinforced my conviction that tackling critical global challenges—like sustainable investment and energy transition—requires a multinational, interdisciplinary lens. One memorable breakthrough came when a discussion on how various policies influence FDI flows at the global level, involving researchers from Sweden and Japan, revealed untapped intersections between SDGs partnership and FDI flows and data gap. This revelation propelled us to develop more comprehensive datasets and methodologies, ultimately shedding light on how international collaborations can drive sustainable growth and investment patterns. This data-building initiative became a breakthrough moment, demonstrating that meaningful progress often starts with recognizing and filling critical data gaps.
Fun Facts
➡️ Person that inspired you to be a researcher: My father, Tim Keeley—a polyglot who speaks over 30 languages and has excelled as both a linguist and a business scholar (https://polyglotdreams.com/). His passion for exploring ideas across cultures and disciplines shaped my own curiosity and academic pursuits.
➡️ Hobbies and interests: Surfing. I’ve been fortunate enough to ride waves in 11 different countries and plan to keep exploring new coastlines whenever I have the chance.
➡️ If you weren’t a researcher, what would be your dream job?: If I had to pick another path, maybe I’d live off the grid, writing songs by day and chasing waves by sunset. But for now, being a researcher is exactly where I want to be.
Yoshihisa Hirakawa
Associate Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University
Japanese chair, GCT Health and an Ageing Population
“At MIRAI, people do more than just find partners for joint projects—they also build personal relationships beyond the projects, which contribute to their research careers and overall professional development.“
Tell us something peculiar about your research, something people would regularly not know or understand.
My research field is truly interdisciplinary. My research focuses on the well-being and quality of life of elderly individuals and their caregivers, exploring how to achieve these goals through interprofessional collaboration and a multidisciplinary approach. This inherently makes it easier to find research partners.
What inspired you to join the MIRAI consortium, and how do you see this collaboration benefiting your research goals?
It all started when my former professor suddenly told me, “Go to Sweden!” Until then, I had never considered international collaboration. However, once I experienced the warmth of the Swedish people—something that felt somewhat similar to the kindness of the Japanese—I found myself becoming more than just a research partner. Instead, I became a member of a community. I hope young researchers can have similar experiences.
Can you share an example of a collaborative project or initiative within the MIRAI consortium that you have been involved in or what future opportunities do you foresee, hope to establish, within the consortium?
At MIRAI, I have worked on various research themes with many collaborators, including studies on the difficulties and discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ older adults, the effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), palliative care, dementia care, and interprofessional collaboration. It has been fascinating to notice both the differences and similarities in perspectives between Japan and Sweden. Additionally, through joint research, I have been able to learn new methodologies. As a senior researcher, I hope to provide young researchers with opportunities for networking and to share information on funding sources to help them start their research.
How do you think the interdisciplinary and international nature of MIRAI enhances your research, and What unique challenges have you encountered while working within the MIRAI consortium?
Sweden is a leading country in social welfare, and there is much to learn, especially regarding human rights and discrimination—topics that are of great interest to me. One of the future challenges for MIRAI is that intersectoral collaboration is still developing. In other words, the integration between Ageing and other fields is still in the exploratory phase.
How has your involvement with the MIRAI consortium influenced your perspective on international research collaborations, and can you share a moment when this collaboration led to an unexpected breakthrough or insight?
Participating in the consortium has strengthened my communication with other researchers. While international collaboration itself is valuable, what surprised me was that through joint research with Swedish colleagues, I also built stronger connections with researchers in Japan. This kind of multidimensional exchange has been instrumental in sustaining long-term collaborations.
Fun Facts
➡️ Person that inspired you to be a researcher: It was my former supervisor, a geriatric physician, who introduced me to the world of research. My journey began with an unexpected collaboration with the Acupuncture and Massage Association, which eventually led to my doctoral thesis. In the medical research field, I found it fascinating that such complementary and alternative medicine studies could be accepted by international journals, sparking my deep interest in research.
➡️ Hobbies and interests: Alcohol, Communication (casual conversation), People-watching, Travel
➡️ If you weren’t a researcher, what would be your dream job?: My dream was to become a doctor—and well, here I am! Mission accomplished! Guess I need a new dream now. 😆