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Nishinari Lab
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The lab unravels the "jams" of cars, people, and logistics through the lens of physics.
AboutAbout the lab
Everything jams.
The Nishinari Lab studies the mechanisms behind the many kinds of "jams" found in everyday life, from the perspectives of physics and engineering.
Its subjects are not limited to cars on roads: they range widely, from crowds of people and ants to proteins inside cells and logistics.
By combining experiments, observation, mathematical models, and computer simulation, the lab works to understand these phenomena and to find ways to control them.
Through joint research with companies and public transport operators, the lab also works to resolve real-world congestion problems.
Key terms
- Mathematical model
- A description of how a phenomenon works, expressed in mathematical equations. By computing with it, one can examine how the phenomenon unfolds.
- Stochastic process
- A mathematical approach that uses probability to describe phenomena that change over time while being affected by chance.
- Granular matter
- A collection of many small particles, such as sand or powder. It behaves differently from both solids and liquids.
NewsLab news
A student received the Research Encouragement Award from the Queueing Research Group of the Operations Research Society of Japan
A master's student received a Poster Award at the Ion Jamology Area Meeting
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies how to understand and control jam phenomena in everyday life, from roads, trains, and crowds of people to molecules inside living organisms. In addition to its long-standing work on vehicular traffic flow and the flow of pedestrian crowds, it also deals with congestion in logistics.
*Illustrative imageTraffic Jams of Cars on Roads
This is a theme with a long track record in the lab. The lab investigates the flow of cars on roads and the traffic jams that arise, and studies driving styles that absorb jams, from both theoretical and practical sides.
*Illustrative imageFlow of Pedestrian Crowds
The lab studies the flow and congestion of crowds of people. Using experiments, observation, and simulation, it examines how crowds move in public facilities and how people move when evacuating.
*Illustrative imageCongestion in Logistics
This is a theme the lab has taken up more often in recent years. The lab studies the flow of goods in networks that transport them, and the congestion that arises there.
*Illustrative imageMathematics and Physics of Jams
The lab also puts strong effort into the mathematical and physical theories behind jam phenomena. It models flows using fluid dynamics and stochastic processes to uncover how jams arise. It also addresses the relationship between granular matter and densely packed self-propelled particles.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Nishinari Lab consist of faculty, researchers (including collaborative researchers and visiting researchers), administrative secretaries, and students in the PhD program (including working-professional PhD students), the master's program, and the undergraduate program.
- ProfessorKatsuhiro NishinariPublications ↗
- Associate ProfessorDaichi YanagisawaPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
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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: “Ameisenstraße” The original uploader was Head at German Wikipedia. / Public domain (cropped)
- Traffic Jams of Cars on Roads: “Traffic jam, A14 westbound, south of Molesworth, aerial 2014 - geograph.org.uk - 4035584” Chris / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Flow of Pedestrian Crowds: “Aerial view of Victorious Festival 13” Tim Sheerman-Chase / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Congestion in Logistics: “Container cranes in Tokyo Bay” Syced / CC0 (cropped)
- Mathematics and Physics of Jams: “Hourglass with sand” John Morgan / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (寺本・
岡本研究室): “Shuttle Main Engine Test Firing” NASA / Public domain (cropped) - Related lab (津江・中谷研究室): “Combustion research ( )” Oak Ridge National Laboratory / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (姫野研究室): “Compressor case from turbojet” Olivier Cleynen / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (横関・
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