Dr. Tomonobu Nonoyama: Postdoctoral researcher at Akita Prefectural University, Japan
Tomonobu Nonoyama is a Japanese researcher specializing in plant biomechanics and computational modeling, currently serving as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, System Science and Technology at Akita Prefectural University. With a foundation in mechanical engineering and advanced training in life sciences, his work bridges biology and physics to investigate how plants grow, sense, and respond to their environments. He has contributed to both experimental and simulation-based studies, with a growing publication record in high-impact journals such as Scientific Reports, Plant and Cell Physiology, and PLOS ONE. Dr. Nonoyama’s interdisciplinary expertise enables him to approach biological complexity with engineering precision.
Online Profiles
Dr. Nonoyama maintains an active presence across academic platforms to share his work and collaborate globally. His research output and citations can be found on Google Scholar, while ongoing projects and preprints are available on ResearchGate. He may also be listed on institutional directories such as the Akita Prefectural University website and other professional networks like ORCID, where researchers manage their publication history and affiliations. Please refer to his institutional email for further inquiries or collaboration interests.
Education
Dr. Nonoyama received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 2014 from Tohoku University’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, where he developed a strong technical foundation. He pursued graduate studies in the Department of Environmental Life Sciences at the same university, earning his Master of Science in 2016 and Ph.D. in Life Sciences in 2020 under the supervision of Prof. Satoshi Chiba. His graduate work focused on evolutionary biology and simulation of complex plant structures, laying the groundwork for his later studies in plant mechanics and modeling. This combination of mechanical and life sciences education forms the core of his interdisciplinary research approach.
Research Focus
Dr. Nonoyama’s research interests are centered on plant biomechanics, specifically investigating how mechanical forces and cellular structures influence plant growth and morphology. He uses both agent-based simulations and mathematical modeling to study complex biological processes such as cortical microtubule alignment, zygote development, and tip growth. His work also extends to analyzing movement and deformation in sensitive plants like the Venus flytrap, where engineering principles are used to infer internal biological forces. A significant part of his current research explores how plant cells coordinate structural growth through mechanical feedback and material properties, with potential applications in biomimetics and agricultural engineering.
Experience
Since April 2022, Dr. Nonoyama has been affiliated with Akita Prefectural University as a postdoctoral researcher, where he continues to develop computational models of plant development and collaborate on interdisciplinary projects in mechanical systems. Prior to that, he held a research position at the Center for Northeast Asian Studies at Tohoku University from 2020 to 2022. During that time, he transitioned his focus from purely biological systems to integrating mechanical simulations and systems theory, contributing to several cross-disciplinary publications. His academic journey reflects a progression from traditional engineering to cutting-edge life sciences research, where simulation, modeling, and empirical observation come together.
Research Timeline
Dr. Nonoyama began his academic training in 2010 at Tohoku University, completing his undergraduate studies in mechanical and aerospace engineering in 2014. From 2014 to 2016, he pursued a master’s degree in life sciences, followed by doctoral research from 2016 to 2020, focusing on hypothetical evolutionary pathways and mechanical modeling of plant forms. After earning his Ph.D., he joined Tohoku University’s Center for Northeast Asian Studies as a postdoctoral researcher, where he developed computational models of plant tissue growth and behavior. Since 2022, he has continued this work at Akita Prefectural University, broadening his research into plant mechanics and systems engineering.
Top-Noted Publication
Among Dr. Nonoyama’s body of work, one standout publication is “Agent-based simulation of cortical microtubule band movement in Arabidopsis zygotes”, published in Scientific Reports (2025). This paper presents a novel simulation approach to modeling microtubule behavior, which is critical to understanding how plant zygotes establish polarity and growth direction. By collaborating with experts in plant biology and systems modeling, Dr. Nonoyama helped bridge empirical cell biology and computational engineering. The study has been noted for its methodological innovation and relevance to developmental plant biology.
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Agent-based simulation of cortical microtubule band movement in Arabidopsis zygotes
Published: Scientific Reports, July 28, 2025
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-11078-8
Contributors: Tomonobu Nonoyama, Zichen Kang, Hikari Matsumoto, Sakumi Nakagawa, Minako Ueda, Satoru Tsugawa -
KymoTip: High-throughput Characterization of Tip-growth Dynamics in Plant Cells
Preprint: July 2, 2025
DOI: 10.1101/2025.06.27.661917
Contributors: Zichen Kang, Yusuke Kimata, Tomonobu Nonoyama, Toru Ikeuchi, Kazuyuki Kuchitsu, Satoru Tsugawa, Minako Ueda -
A viscoelastic–plastic deformation model of hemisphere-like tip growth in Arabidopsis zygotes
Published: Quantitative Plant Biology, 2024
DOI: 10.1017/qpb.2024.13
Contributors: Zichen Kang, Tomonobu Nonoyama, Yukitaka Ishimoto, Hikari Matsumoto, Sakumi Nakagawa, Minako Ueda, Satoru Tsugawa -
Agent-Based Simulation of Cortical Microtubule Band Movement in Arabidopsis Zygotes
Preprint: October 18, 2024
DOI: 10.1101/2024.10.17.618799
Contributors: Tomonobu Nonoyama, Zichen Kang, Hikari Matsumoto, Sakumi Nakagawa, Minako Ueda, Satoru Tsugawa -
Temporal changes in surface tension guide the accurate asymmetric division of Arabidopsis zygotes
Preprint: August 9, 2024
DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.07.605794
Contributors: Zichen Kang, Sakumi Nakagawa, Hikari Matsumoto, Yukitaka Ishimoto, Tomonobu Nonoyama, Yuga Hanaki, Satoru Tsugawa, Minako Ueda