New Professorship through cross-appointment with Osaka University in Japan

From April 2026 Dr. Noriko Otsuka, who is a Senior Research Manager for FGB (Research Group Spatial Planning and Urban Design), will be appointed as a Specially Appointed Professor at Osaka University in Japan. Over the last 7 years D3 Centre has hosted her Associate Professorship through the ILS and Osaka University’s cross-appointment scheme.

The D3 Centre, formally known as Cybermedia centre, is an interdisciplinary research centre representing the three objectives of ’Digital design (digitising and making infomration usable)’. ’Datability (analysing and makign vast amounts of advance data accessible)’ and ’Decision intelligence (supporting vrious decision-makign processes)’. The centre highly values the participation of oversee social scientists in diversifying their research actvities. Her appointment as a faculty member has facilitated the opportunity for knowledge exchange in the fields of urban design and mobility, urban health and green/blue infrastcture as well as educational activities for Master and PhD students within Osaka University. Dr. Otsuka has been playing a key role in strengthening international exchanges and creating new project opportunities in German and Japanese academic institutions beyond her host organisation, Osaka University.

During her last visit to Osaka Univesity this January, she introdcued the EU funded project GreenME to her colleagues, initiating discussions on future comparative research topics in the field of urban health. Furthermore, she was invited to give a lecutre by Fukuyama City University near Hiroshima. Togehter with their students, she conducted a field work examining the health and walkability of older people living in a historic city of Tomonoura.  A citzen science tool developed for a past EU funded project (WalkUrban) has been tailored to adapt to the Japanese context.