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Murakami Lab
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The lab designs and evaluates social systems that overcome resource constraints.
AboutAbout the lab
Building a society resilient to resource constraints
The Murakami Lab studies the design and evaluation of social systems that overcome resource constraints.
The lab descends from the Rock Engineering Lab, which worked on mine development, particularly mining engineering, and it still draws on that expertise today.
Today, through mine management and resource economics, the lab explores what "sustainable resource use and development" should look like from a broader perspective.
One of its goals is to reflect the problems arising from the use of natural resources in research on the SDGs and the circular economy, and to design social systems that overcome those problems.
Key terms
- Circular economy
- An economic system that reduces resource consumption and waste by reusing products and resources repeatedly instead of discarding them
- Material flow and stock analysis (MFA/MSA)
- An analysis that tracks the flow of resources from extraction through use in products to disposal, as well as the amount accumulated in society
- Life cycle assessment (LCA)
- A method for evaluating environmental impacts across a product's entire life, from raw material extraction to disposal
NewsLab news
A paper by Prof. Murakami and colleagues was published in Circular Economy and Sustainability
A paper by Prof. Murakami and colleagues was published in Resources, Conservation and Recycling
A paper by Prof. Murakami and colleagues was published in Journal of Environmental Management
A paper by a group centered on lab alumni was published in Science
The lab launched a Social Cooperation Program on the battery circular economy with the JERA-Tanaka Lab
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies the evaluation and design of resource-related social systems, and the implementation of technology within them. Its research begins with understanding the flow of resources from extraction through to products, and then on to disposal and recycling (material flows).
*Illustrative imageTracing resource flows in detail
Using material flow and stock analysis (MFA/MSA), the lab traces in detail the flow of a particular metal resource, the flow of end-of-life products, international trade, and more.
*Illustrative imageAnalyzing socioeconomic and environmental impacts
The lab collects and analyzes data on consumer behavior and market trends. It does not conduct experimental research; environmental impacts are examined through systems-level analysis such as LCA.
*Illustrative imageThe structure behind the resource industry
Using social network analysis, the lab explores the relationships between mines and the resource companies and resource-holding governments behind them, with the aim of building more resilient supply chains.
*Illustrative imageUltra-long-term projections of resources and society
Using system dynamics models, the lab projects material flows and socioeconomic issues over long time horizons. This is one approach within resource economics.
MembersFaculty
The Murakami Lab's members include faculty, technical specialists, administrative assistants, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and international research students.As of 2026
- ProfessorMurakami ShinsukePublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorHuang Liqiao
VoicesStudent voices
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RelatedLabs similar to Murakami Lab
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Ihara LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Systems InnovationLife cycle assessment (LCA) of urban climate change, energy …The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Bingham Canyon Mine (2) - Salt Lake County, Utah - May 11, 2012” David Ratledge / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Tracing resource flows in detail: “Scrap metal yard” Digitura / CC0 (cropped)
- Analyzing socioeconomic and environmental impacts: “Seagulls over the waste disposal landfill site - geograph.org.uk - 3668001” Mat Fascione / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- The structure behind the resource industry: “Alpha Millennium departs Port Hedland, 2012 (1)” Bahnfrend / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Ultra-long-term projections of resources and society: “Ingots” MetalShaper / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Long Lab): “Blue Marble Eastern Hemisphere” NASA（Reto Stöckli） / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Yoshida Lab): “Power County Wind Farm 002” ENERGY.GOV / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Fujii-Komiyama Lab): “Liverpool Transmission Substation, New South Wales 04” Chris.sherlock2 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Ihara Lab): “Running Through Paris Heat (153178 - vir 20240806 lrg)” NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang and Michala Garrison / Public domain (cropped)
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