Dr. Takashi Gojobori (b. October 24, 1951, Fukuoka, Japan) is currently Director General of the Marine Open Innovation Institute (MaOI) in Shizuoka, Japan, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Bioscience at KAUST, Saudi Arabia. He also serves as a Distinguished Yushan Scholar at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, and Visiting Research Professor at Waseda University, Tokyo.

He obtained his Ph.D. in Theoretical Population Genetics from Kyushu University in 1979, and held subsequent research positions at UTHealth Houston (1979–1983), Washington University in St. Louis (1985–1986), and Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London (1989). Before joining KAUST in 2013, he was Vice‑Director and Professor at the National Institute of Genetics (NIG), Mishima, Japan.

A pioneer in evolutionary and comparative genomics, Dr Gojobori has authored over 400 peer‑reviewed publications, with a Google H‑index of 81 . His research spans marine metagenomics, viral genome evolution, synonymous versus nonsynonymous substitution rates, horizontal gene transfer, and CNS evolution in invertebrates. More recently, he has advanced studies on marine big data and metagenomic monitoring.

He is a fellow or member of major international bodies including EMBO (2015), Academia Europaea (2012), TWAS (2013), Pontifical Academy of Sciences (2007), and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2006). His awards include Japan's Medal with Purple Ribbon (2009), Italy's Salvatore Gold Medal, and ISCB fellowship (2022).

Dr Gojobori founded Genome Biology and Evolution, is Editor‑in‑Chief of GENE, and contributes to multiple genomics journal editorial boards. At MaOI, he leads blue‑economy initiatives—organizing international forums and expos—championing “Smart Ocean” innovation and sustainable marine biotechnology