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Kato-Nishiguchi Lab
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A lab that uses computational power to find the best possible form of a structure.
AboutAbout the lab
Innovative manufacturing through mathematical structural design.
The Kato-Nishiguchi Lab studies 'mathematical structural design,' which uses computational mechanics to find optimal structures.
Its central theme is topology optimization, which makes structures lighter while tuning performance, such as stiffness, toughness, vibration, and heat transfer, exactly as desired.
The lab collaborates with a wide range of fields, not only civil engineering and architecture but also automotive and mechanical engineering, aerospace, robotics, and materials science.
It also studies methods for solving structural and fluid problems on computers such as the supercomputer Fugaku, as well as design methods premised on additive manufacturing (3D printing).
Key terms
- Computational mechanics
- The field that solves mechanics problems, such as deformation and flow, by numerical computation on computers.
- Topology optimization
- A method that computationally finds the best-performing shape of a structure, including where to place material and where to make holes.
- Additive manufacturing
- A method of building three-dimensional objects by stacking material in thin layers. 3D printers are the best-known example.
- Poisson's ratio
- A value that shows how much an object shrinks or stretches in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which it is pushed or pulled.
NewsLab news
A student received the Graduate School Research Encouragement Award
A student received the Outstanding Presentation Award at JSST
A student received the Young Researcher Outstanding Presentation Fellow Award at JSCES
A student received the High Performance Award at the Graphics Award
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies topology optimization, which uses computers to find the structure with the best mechanical performance by considering both the shape and the material of the structure. It also works on massively parallel simulations that solve structural and fluid problems together, and on new approaches to manufacturing that are combined with additive manufacturing.
*Illustrative imageOptimal design combining multiple materials
The lab studies design methods that determine where to place multiple materials with different properties. Through computation, it finds layouts that reduce weight while meeting the strength requirement of each material, as well as layouts that combine materials such as low-yield-point steel to absorb energy effectively.
*Illustrative imageDesigning the microstructure of materials
The lab computationally designs material microstructures, such as metamaterials with a negative Poisson's ratio, which also contract sideways when pressed. It also develops methods for determining the microstructure of fiber-reinforced plastics and metals from the performance of the whole structure, and methods for optimizing the microstructure and the overall structure simultaneously.
*Illustrative imagePorous structures for 3D printing
Assuming that structures will be made by additive manufacturing, the lab studies methods for finding the optimal shapes of porous structures with many holes. It develops a simple design method that improves weaknesses, such as places where force tends to concentrate or members tend to buckle.
*Illustrative imageOptimal design robust to changing conditions
In real structures, the direction, magnitude, and position of loads can differ from what was assumed. The lab develops robust topology optimization methods whose performance does not easily degrade even under such variations.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Kato-Nishiguchi Lab consist of faculty, researchers, secretaries, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorJunji Kato
- Associate ProfessorKoji Nishiguchi
- Assistant ProfessorRyohei Katsumata
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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: “3D printed wall” COBOD / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Optimal design combining multiple materials: “Sky Balcony riveted steel beam detail Hamasen Railway Cultural Park Kaohsiung” The Nature Box / CC0 (cropped)
- Designing the microstructure of materials: “Carbon fiber roving” Acheolg / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Porous structures for 3D printing: “Material properties of metal powders for use in additive manufacturing ( )” National Institute of Standards and Technology / Public domain (cropped)
- Optimal design robust to changing conditions: “2024 Most kolejowy na Ustroniu, w Kłodzku (4)” Jacek Halicki / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Environmental Engineering and Building Services Engineering (Teruyuki Saito) Lab): “013 Office building air conditioning rooftop system in Tokyo city - airconditioning op het dak” Marek Ślusarczyk (Tupungato) Photo portfolio / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kimura Lab): “"Shells" - The Sydney Opera House's iconic roof (visitors digitally removed) ( )” Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Asano Lab): “Tokyo Shibuya Scramble Crossing” Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr) / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Tomita-Nakamura (Shin)-Tashiro Lab (Land Design Lab)): “Santa Ana River, Lake Norconian, Prado Flood Control Basin” Dicklyon / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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