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Shimada Lab
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A lab that uses statistical physics to understand the collective behavior of living things and societies.
AboutAbout the lab
Understanding collective phenomena through statistical physics
The Shimada Lab studies "collective phenomena," which arise when many elements come together, based on statistical physics and nonlinear science.
Its subjects are a wide range of systems spanning biology, society, and the economy, and have included ecosystems, granular matter, stock markets, and viewing trends on video-sharing sites.
The lab conducts its research mainly with computational methods and statistical physics.
Recently, it has also been working on evaluating player positioning in soccer and, in collaboration with researchers at the Okinawa Churashima Foundation, analyzing the breeding network of humpback whales.
Key terms
- Statistical physics
- A branch of physics that uses probability and statistics to explain the behavior of large collections of particles or elements
- Nonlinear science
- The science of complex phenomena (nonlinear phenomena) in which cause and effect are not proportional
- Open evolutionary systems
- Systems like ecosystems that keep changing as new elements are added and existing ones disappear
NewsLab news
A doctoral student won the Best Poster Award at RHINO2026
A master's student won the Best Oral Presentation Award at the Japan Cetology Research Group meeting
A master's student won the Best Poster Award at the Network Science Study Group 2025
A lab team won the Grand Prize at the Sports Data Science Competition 2025
A paper analyzing the Tokyo Stock Exchange's call auction market was published in PLOS ONE
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies collective phenomena in a wide range of systems, including biological, social, and economic systems, based on statistical physics and nonlinear science. Relying mainly on computation and statistical physics, it works across disciplines, from ecosystems and granular matter to stock markets.
*Illustrative imageBehavior of Open Evolutionary Systems
The lab studies universal behaviors commonly seen in open evolutionary systems such as ecosystems. It also examines universal transition mechanisms related to the stability of open evolutionary systems.
*Illustrative imageNonequilibrium Steady States
This theme is research on nonequilibrium steady states. The lab works on simulations that reproduce a constant flow of heat through nonlinear lattice and particle systems, and on the distribution of heat flow.
*Illustrative imagePhysics of Granular Matter
This theme is research on aggregates of powders and grains (granular matter). The lab studies topics such as the physics of swimming through granular matter and the phenomenon known in Japanese as "futokan genshō" (literally, the "thick-tube phenomenon"), which occurs in vibrated granular layers.
*Illustrative imageSearch for Universal Laws
The lab searches for laws that hold across disciplines. It investigates the distribution of species lifetimes in biology, changes over time in the correlation structure of stock markets, and viewing trends on video-sharing sites.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Shimada Lab consist of faculty, administrative assistants, and doctoral and master's students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorTakashi Shimada
VoicesStudent voices
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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: “A starling murmuration - geograph.org.uk - 6389346” Walter Baxter / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Behavior of Open Evolutionary Systems: “Coral Outcrop Flynn Reef” Toby Hudson / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Nonequilibrium Steady States: “Equivalent thermal circuits for series-parallel composite wall” DelPaine / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Physics of Granular Matter: “Sand ripples, Dakhla Oasis, Egypt” Vyacheslav Argenberg / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Search for Universal Laws: “Wikipedia view distribution by article rank” West.andrew.g / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Goda Lab): “Dice ( )” Daniel Dionne / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Ohsawa Lab): “Wikidata in the Linked Open Data cloud” Thomas Shafee / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Shibasaki Lab): “Aerial image of the Bremerhaven container terminal (view from the southeast)” Carsten Steger / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Takata Lab): “Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant cooling towers” Eric Evenson, USGS / Public domain (cropped)
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