Leo Uesaka's website

Leo Uesaka, Ph.D.
(上坂 怜生)

2023/11-present
Visiting Researcher, France, CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique)
Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé

2023/08-present
Research Fellow, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo,
Behavior, Ecology and Observation Systems Lab

2022/04-2023/07
Research Fellow, Information Technology Center, The University of Tokyo,
H. Kobayashi Lab

2019/04-2022/03
Ph.D. course, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, Department of Aquatic Bioscience,
Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Science, The University of Tokyo
Behavior, Ecology and Observation Systems Lab

2017/04-2019/03
Master course, Department of Earth and Space Science, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University
Physical Geochemistry Lab

2012/04-2017/03
Bachelor course, Department of Physics, School of Science, Osaka University

Research interest

・Animal behavior and ecology
・Seabirds and climate interaction
・Ocean observation

Target species

Streaked shearwater, Wandering albatross, Macaroni penguin, King penguin, Black-tailed gull

Publications

L. Uesaka, C. A. Bost, K. Sato, K. Q. Sakamoto, 2025, "Deep-sea ascending predation by king penguin and its prey reaction observed by animal-borne video camera", Ecology, 106:e70117,
doi: 10.1002/ecy.70117

L. Uesaka, Y. Goto, M. Naruoka, H. Weimerskirch, K. Sato, K. Q. Sakamoto, 2023, "Wandering albatrosses exert high take-off effort only when both wind and waves are gentle", eLife, 12, RP87016,
doi: 10.7554/eLife.87016

L. Uesaka, Y. Goto, Y. Yonehara, K. Komatsu, M. Naruoka, H. Weimerskirch, K. Sato, K. Q. Sakamoto, 2022, "Ocean wave observation utilizing motion records of seabirds", Progress in Oceanography, 200, 102713,
doi: 10.1016/j.pocean.2021.102713

etc...

Google scholar

Grants

JSPS KAKENHI Grant, Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, (2024-2026) ¥3,600,000
The Salt Science Research Foundation Grant, (2025) ¥1,100,000
Leave a Nest Co.,ltd. Grant, Kaiyou Frontier award, (2025) ¥500,000
UTokyo Global Activity Support Program for Young Researchers, (2025) funding amount not disclosed
The University of Tokyo SPRING GX program, (2021) ¥330,000
Sasakawa Scientific Research Grant, The Japan Science Society, (2020) ¥930,000
Leave a Nest Co.,ltd. Grant, 50th incu-be award, (2020) ¥100,000

Photos