KONNO Yoshihiro
(Professor/Division of Environmental Studies)
Department of Ocean Technology, Policy, and Environment/Seabed resource development, Reservoir engineering
Career Summary
2003: Graduated from Faculty of Engineering (The University of Tokyo)
2008: Received Ph.D. in Engineering from The University of Tokyo
2009: Researcher (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST))
2016: Senior Researcher (AIST)
2017: Associate Professor (The University of Tokyo)
2026: Professor (The University of Tokyo)
Educational Activities
Graduate school: Social Implementation of Ocean Technology, System Architecture
Research Activities
Aiming for the sustainable development of seabed resources and the effective utilization of the seabed environment, we are advancing the development of methane hydrates—expected to be a next-generation natural gas resource—and the development of carbon dioxide storage technology utilizing the deep-sea environment, while comprehensively applying the academic principles outlined below.
(1) Geo-Science and Engineering
We aim to elucidate and model physical and chemical phenomena within geological formations (porous media) and apply these findings to engineering.
(2) Subsea Engineering
We conduct engineering research on artificial structures installed in the sea and on the seafloor, such as ensuring fluid transport under subsea conditions characterized by high pressure and low temperature.
(3) System Design
To achieve the societal implementation of technology, we incorporate social science perspectives into natural science to design systems acceptable to various stakeholders.
Literature
1) Zelin Xu and Yoshihiro Konno, Morphological change of hydrate caused by Ostwald ripening and sintering, Energy & Fuels, 39(9), 4238–4248, February 2025
2) Shuhei Ninomiya, Yoshihiro Konno, Ryota Wada, Toru Sato, Hiroaki Hajohta, Chikashi Shuto, Michihiro Muraoka, Yoshitaka Yamamoto, Kiyofumi Suzuki, Dry Flow Technology as Flow Assurance in Methane Hydrate Development, Energy & Fuels, 38(21), 20504-20514, October 2024
3) Kenya Suzuki, Ryota Wada, Yoshihiro Konno, Kazuo Hiekata, Takashi Nanjo, Sadao Nagakubo, Impact of epistemic uncertainty on tradeoff in model-based decision support for methane hydrate development system design, Applied Energy, 356, 122408-122408, February 2024
Other Activities
Japan Society for Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
Japanese Association for Petroleum Technology
The Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan
American Geophysical Union
Future Plan
Through collaboration among industry, government, and academia, we will promote research and development for comprehensive ocean development—including offshore wind power generation—in addition to methane hydrate development and subsea carbon dioxide storage.
Messages to Students
The deep sea is the last frontier on our planet. Let's research sustainable development and utilization methods of deep sea resources and environments. Think outside the box!