TONY Z JIA

Last Updated :2025/07/16

Affiliations, Positions
Office of Research and Academia-Government-Community Collaboration, Professor
E-mail
tzjiahiroshima-u.ac.jp

Basic Information

Major Professional Backgrounds

  • 2025/06, Hiroshima University, Office of Research and Academia-Government-Community Collaboration, Professor, HIRAKU-Global Program Manager
  • 2022/07, 2025/05, Earth-Life Science Institute, Institute of Science Tokyo, Specially Appointed Associate Professor, A-PI
  • 2022/04, 2022/06, Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, A-PI
  • 2019/06, 2022/03, Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, Lab Manager
  • 2017/01, 2019/05, Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Research Scientist
  • 2022/04, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Research Investigator
  • 2019/05, 2022/04, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Affiliated Researcher

Educational Backgrounds

  • Harvard University, Chemistry, PhD, 2010/08, 2016/11
  • Harvard University, Chemistry, Master of Arts, 2010/08, 2012/05
  • California Institute of Technology, Chemistry and Business, Economics, and Management, Bachelor’s of Science, 2006/09, 2010/06

Academic Degrees

  • PhD, Harvard University
  • AM, Harvard University
  • BS, California Institute of Technology

Research Fields

  • Biology;Biological Science;Biophysics
  • Mathematical and physical sciences;Earth and planetary science;Geochemistry / Cosmochemistry
  • Mathematical and physical sciences;Physics;Biological physics / Chemical physics / Soft matter physics
  • Chemistry;Materials chemistry;Polymer / Textile materials
  • Chemistry;Applied chemistry;Analytical chemistry
  • Chemistry;Applied chemistry;Polymer chemistry
  • Complex systems;Biomolecular science;Biomolecular chemistry
  • Chemistry;Basic chemistry;Physical chemistry

Research Keywords

  • Origins of Life
  • Astrobiology
  • Biophysics
  • Materials Science
  • Prebiotic Chemistry

Affiliated Academic Societies

  • Biophysical Society of Japan Artificial Cell Models & Molecular Robotics Subgroup, 2021
  • Network of Researchers on the Chemical Evolution of Life (NoRCEL), 2021
  • Origin of Life Early Career Network, 2020
  • Astrobiology Society of Asia-Pacific, 2020
  • Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, 2019
  • Japan Society for Cell Synthesis Research, 2018
  • THE BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN, 2017
  • The Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry, 2023, 2025
  • Japanese Society for Biological Sciences in Space, 2022, 2025
  • Molecular Biology Society of Japan, 2023, 2024
  • American Chemical Society, 2020, 2023
  • THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN, 2019, 2023
  • International Society of Artificial Life, 2021, 2022
  • Japan Geophysical Union, 2020, 2021

Research Activities

Academic Papers

  1. ★, Membraneless polyester microdroplets as primordial compartments at the origins of life., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(32), 2019
  2. ★, Liquid Crystal Coacervates Composed of Short Double-Stranded DNA and Cationic Peptides., ACS nano, 14(11), 2020
  3. ★, Spectroscopic and Biophysical Methods to Determine Differential Salt-Uptake by Primitive Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets., Small methods, 7(12), 2023
  4. ★, Reactions Driven by Primitive Nonbiological Polyesters., Accounts of chemical research, 57(15), 2024
    Repository URL
  5. ★, Primitive homochiral polyester formation driven by tartaric acid and calcium availability., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122(12), 2025
  6. Sustainable chemo-enzymatic NADP(H) synthesis from biomass-derived xylose, polyphosphate, and nicotinamide, Green Chemistry, 27, 6437-6448, 20250506
  7. ★, Low-temperature green synthesis and assembly of poly(lactate-co-malate) gel-based microdroplets from plastic polylactate straw waste, ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 7(7), 4218-4227, 2025
  8. An Amino Acid Self-Regenerating Cell-Free Protein Synthesis System that Feeds on PLA Plastics, CO2, Ammonium, and alpha-ketoglutarate, ACS Catalysis, 15, 7696-7706, 2024
  9. Chapter 11: Astrobiology Education, Engagement, and Resources, Astrobiology, S-216-S-227, 2024
  10. Microalgal polyphosphate drives one-pot complete enzymatic generation of FAD from adenosine and riboflavin, ACS Sustainable Chemistry, 12(2), 680-686, 2024
  11. One-pot chemo-enzymatic synthesis and one-step recovery of length-variable long-chain polyphosphates from microalgal biomass, Green Chemistry, 25, 9896-9907, 2023
    Repository URL
  12. Upcycling soybean pulp for sustainable protein biomanufacturing via a one-pot thermophilic protease cascade, Chemical Engineering Journal, 474, 145925, 2023
  13. A Compositional View Comparing Modern Biological Condensates and Primitive Phase-separated Compartments, Peptide Science, 115(6), e24331, 2023
  14. Applying Novel Techniques from Physical and Biological Sciences to Life Detection, Space: Science & Technology, 3, 40, 2023
  15. Sensitive and specific miRNA hybridization using partially neutralized antisense DNA probes, GEN Biotechnology, 1(5), 447-455, 2022
    Repository URL
  16. The Effects of Dehydration Temperature and Monomer Chirality on Primitive Polyester Synthesis and Microdroplet Assembly, Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 223(23), 2200235, 2022
  17. AbGradCon 2021: Lessons in Digital Meetings, International Collaboration, and Interdisciplinarity in Astrobiology, International Journal of Astrobiology, 2022
  18. Tractable Adaptation in a Designed Complex Peptide System, Chem, 2022
  19. Liquid Crystal Peptide/DNA Coacervates in the Context of Prebiotic Molecular Evolution, Crystals, 2020
  20. ATP-independent reversal of a membrane protein aggregate by a chloroplast SRP subunit., Nature structural & molecular biology, 17(6), 2010
  21. Digital RNA sequencing minimizes sequence-dependent bias and amplification noise with optimized single-molecule barcodes., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(4), 2012
  22. Rapid RNA exchange in aqueous two-phase system and coacervate droplets., Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere : the journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, 44(1), 2014
  23. N-Carboxyanhydride-Mediated Fatty Acylation of Amino Acids and Peptides for Functionalization of Protocell Membranes., Journal of the American Chemical Society, 138(51), 2016
  24. Mineral Surface-Templated Self-Assembling Systems: Case Studies from Nanoscience and Surface Science towards Origins of Life Research., Life (Basel, Switzerland), 8(2), 2018
  25. Deciphering Biosignatures in Planetary Contexts., Astrobiology, 19(9), 2019
  26. A general LC-MS-based RNA sequencing method for direct analysis of multiple-base modifications in RNA mixtures., Nucleic acids research, 47(20), 2019
  27. A Bifunctional Polyphosphate Kinase Driving the Regeneration of Nucleoside Triphosphate and Reconstituted Cell-Free Protein Synthesis., ACS synthetic biology, 9(1), 2020
  28. Polyesters as a Model System for Building Primitive Biologies from Non-Biological Prebiotic Chemistry., Life (Basel, Switzerland), 10(1), 2020
  29. Biological phase separation: cell biology meets biophysics., Biophysical reviews, 12(2), 2020
  30. Unbinding events of amino acids and peptides from water-pyrite interfaces: A case study of life's origin on mineral surfaces., Biophysical chemistry, 260, 2020
  31. Direct Sequencing of tRNA by 2D-HELS-AA MS Seq Reveals Its Different Isoforms and Dynamic Base Modifications., ACS chemical biology, 15(6), 2020
  32. Protoenzymes: The Case of Hyperbranched Polymer-Scaffolded ZnS Nanocrystals., Life (Basel, Switzerland), 10(8), 2020
  33. Prebiotic oligomerization and self-assembly of structurally diverse xenobiological monomers., Scientific reports, 10(1), 2020
  34. Incorporation of Basic α-Hydroxy Acid Residues into Primitive Polyester Microdroplets for RNA Segregation., Biomacromolecules, 22(4), 2021
  35. Origin of Species before Origin of Life: The Role of Speciation in Chemical Evolution., Life (Basel, Switzerland), 11(2), 2021
  36. A General LC-MS-Based Method for Direct and De Novo Sequencing of RNA Mixtures Containing both Canonical and Modified Nucleotides., Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 2298, 2021
  37. Connecting primitive phase separation to biotechnology, synthetic biology, and engineering., Journal of biosciences, 46(3), 2021
  38. Increasing complexity of primitive compartments., Biophysics and physicobiology, 18, 2021
  39. A material-based panspermia hypothesis: The potential of polymer gels and membraneless droplets., Biopolymers, 113(5), 2022
    Repository URL
  40. Editorial: Biological Phase Separation., Frontiers in genetics, 13, 2022
  41. A Physicochemical Consideration of Prebiotic Microenvironments for Self-Assembly and Prebiotic Chemistry., Life (Basel, Switzerland), 12(10), 2022
  42. A liquid crystal world for the origins of life., Emerging topics in life sciences, 6(6), 2022
    Repository URL
  43. Sequencing the origins of life., BBA advances, 2, 2022
  44. Alternating co-synthesis of glycol nucleic acid (GNA) monomers with dicarboxylic acids via drying., Chemical communications (Cambridge, England), 59(45), 2023
  45. Recent progress in primitive polyester synthesis and membraneless microdroplet assembly., Biophysics and physicobiology, 20(1), 2023
  46. Primitive membraneless compartments as a window into the earliest cells., Biophysical reviews, 15(6), 2023
  47. Chapter 1: The Astrobiology Primer 3.0., Astrobiology, 24(S1), 2024
  48. Chapter 4: A Geological and Chemical Context for the Origins of Life on Early Earth., Astrobiology, 24(S1), 2024
  49. Alternative Pathways in Astrobiology: Reviewing and Synthesizing Contingency and Non-Biomolecular Origins of Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Life., Life (Basel, Switzerland), 14(9), 2024
  50. Various Viewpoints to Investigate the Origins of Life Are Needed., Life (Basel, Switzerland), 14(10), 2024
  51. Recent Advances in Origins of Life Research by Biophysicists in Japan, Challenges, 10(1), 28, 2019
  52. Prebiotic chemistry and protocells during the faint young sun event., Biophysical reviews, 16(5), 2024
  53. How biophysics shapes the origins of life: a 21st IUPAB/62nd BSJ joint congress symposium overview., Biophysical reviews, 16(5), 2024
  54. Probing the Limits of Reactant Concentration and Volume in Primitive Polyphenyllactate Synthesis and Microdroplet Assembly Processes., ACS bio & med chem Au, 5(1), 2025
  55. A deeper dive into primitive polylactate polymerization and microdroplet assembly under restrictive early Earth conditions, Polymer Journal, 57, 897-910, 20250430

Publications such as books

  1. 2024/04, Japanese Encyclopedia of Origin of Life, Chemical evolution model in terrestrial environments, Asakura Publishing, Contributor, The Society for the; Study of; he Origin; Evolution of Life Japan; Hikaru Yabuta
  2. 2021/06, Graphene was found in a meteorite!, Graphene was found in a meteorite!, Sciworthy (https://sciworthy.com/graphene-was-found-in-a-meteorite/), Tony Z Jia
  3. 2021, “A general LC-MS-based method for direct and de novo sequencing of RNA mixtures containing both canonical and modified nucleotides” in RNA Modifications., “A general LC-MS-based method for direct and de novo sequencing of RNA mixtures containing both canonical and modified nucleotides” in RNA Modifications., RNA Modifications, Methods in Molecular Biology, Springer., Ning Zhang; Shundi Shi; Xiaohong Yuan; Wenhao Ni; Barney Yoo; Tony Z. Jia; Wenjia Li; Shenglong Zhang
  4. 2020/05, Antibody testing for coronavirus: what does the science say?, Antibody testing for coronavirus: what does the science say?, Sciworthy (https://www.sciworthy.com/antibody-testing-for-coronavirus-what-does-the-science-say/), Tony Z Jia
  5. 2020/03, COVID-19: What it is, how it works, and what we can do to prevent its spread., COVID-19: What it is, how it works, and what we can do to prevent its spread., Sciworthy (https://www.sciworthy.com/covid-19-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-what-we-can-do-to-prevent-its-spread/), Tony Z Jia

Invited Lecture, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation

  1. The People Behind the Science Diversity Forum, Tony Z Jia, WPI-SKCM2 Symposium, 2025/03/06, With Invitation
  2. The Origin of Membraneless Polyester Protocells on (or possibly off???) Earth, Tony Z Jia, MISASA VIII, 2025/03/05
  3. Liquid Crystal Coacervates and the Origin of Homochirality in Membraneless Polyester Protocells, Tony Z Jia, WPI-SKCM2 Symposium, 2025/03/04
  4. Membraneless Polyester Protocells as Primitive Cells and Their Potential for Modern Applications, Tony Z Jia, International Symposium on Understanding bacterial cells for Biomanufacturing, 2025/02/14
  5. A Tale of Primitive Polyesters Through the Years, Tony Z Jia, National Central University Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, 2025/01/16
  6. Polyester-based membraneless protocell models, Tony Z Jia, Australia Centre for Astrobiology, 2024/10/23
  7. Environment-driven structural phase transitions of primitive LLPS protocells, Tony Z. Jia, 61st Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society of Japan, 2023/11/15
  8. Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets as a Window into the First (Proto)cells on Earth, Tony Z Jia, Geochemical Society of Japan, 2023/09/21
  9. History of Polyester Protocells, Tony Z Jia, ELSI-JAMSTEC-UNSW Human Frontiers Science Program Workshop, 2023/06/29
  10. Relevance of Membraneless Protocells at the Origins of Life, Tony Z Jia, ELSI PI Day, 2023/06/03
  11. Membraneless Compartments as a Window into the Earliest Cells, Tony Z. Jia, Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tokyo Medical Dental University Matching Event., 2023/05/09
  12. The origin of membraneless cells from phase-separated droplets, Tony Z. Jia, Center for Atmospheric Research, University of Oulu, 2023/04/14
  13. Temperature and Chirality Effects on Membraneless Polyester Protocell Synthesis and Assembly, Tony Z. Jia, Chemical Society of Japan Annual Meeting, 2023/03/23
  14. The origin of membraneless cells, Tony Z. Jia, Nara Medical University, 2023/03/13
  15. Temperature and Chirality Effects on Membraneless Polyester Protocell Self-Organization on Earth, Tony Z. Jia, 4th RIKEN BDR-CuSTOM Joint Organoid Symposium, 2023/02/15
  16. Temperature and Chirality Effects on Primitive Polyester Synthesis and Implications on Primitive Evolution, Tony Z. Jia, The 21st Takeda Science Foundation Symposium on Bioscience, 2023/01/27
  17. Temperature and Chirality Effects on Primitive Polyester Synthesis and the Origin of Homochiral Macromolecular Polymers, Tony Z. Jia, Yamada Conference LXXV: Origin of Left-Right Asymmetry in Animals, 2023/01/26
  18. Temperature and Chirality Effects on Primitive Polyester Synthesis and the Origin of Homochiral Macromolecular Polymers, Tony Z. Jia, Yamada Conference LXXV: Origin of Left-Right Asymmetry in Animals, 2023/01/24
  19. Prebiotic chemistry and assembly of membraneless polyester protocells on early Earth, Tony Z. Jia, National Chung Hsing University, 2022/11/30
  20. Connecting Astrobiology to the Space–Earth Environment: A Case Study in Membraneless Protocells, Tony Z. Jia, The 5th ISEE Symposium: Toward the Future of Space-Earth Environmental Research, 2022/11/17
  21. Temperature and Chirality Effects on Membraneless Polyester Protocell Synthesis and Assembly, Tony Z. Jia, Japan Society for Cell Synthesis Research, 2022/10/17
  22. Cationic Polyester Microdroplets as RNA-containing Protocells, Tony Z. Jia, Biophysical Society of Japan Meeting, 2022/09/28
  23. Cationic Polyester Microdroplets as RNA-containing Protocells, Tony Z. Jia, Biophysical Society of Japan Meeting Young Invited Speaker Conference, 2022/09/28
  24. Temperature and Chirality Effects on Primitive Polyester Protocell Synthesis and Assembly, Tony Z. Jia, Japanese Society for Biological Sciences in Space Meeting, 2022/09/17
  25. Origin of Primitive Membraneless Cells through Polyester Microdroplet Protocells, Tony Z. Jia, Tokyo Tech Yoshinori Ohsumi Fund for Fundamental Research Awardees Roundtable, 2022/09/13
  26. Synthesis and Assembly of Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets, Tony Z. Jia, BMSIS Young Scientist Program Symposium on LLPS, 2022/08/15
  27. The Effects of Dehydration Temperature and Monomer Chirality on Primitive Polyester Synthesis and Microdroplet Assembly, Tony Z. Jia, 6th NoRCEL Meeting, 2022/08/10
  28. Case Studies of Membraneless Phase-Separated Compartments as Protocell Models, Tony Z. Jia, Origin of Life Early Career Network Meeting, 2022/06/30
  29. Incorporation of Basic α-Hydroxy Acid Residues into Primitive Polyester Microdroplets for RNA Segregation, Tony Z. Jia, AbSciCon, 2022/05/20
  30. The search for membraneless protocells on early Earth, Tony Z. Jia, Astroscience Exploration Network (ASEN) conference, 2022/04/12
  31. Origin and evolution of biopolymer (and non-biopolymer)-based compartments, Tony Z Jia, OmicsLogic Research Spring Symposium 2022, 2022/04/01
  32. Incorporation of Basic α-Hydroxy Acid Residues into Primitive Polyester Microdroplets for RNA Segregation, Tony Z Jia, Chemical Society of Japan meeting, 2022/03/26
  33. RNA Segregation in Primitive Cationic Polyester Protocells, Tony Z. Jia, Japan Society for the Study of the Origin and Evolution of Life 2022 Meeting, 2022/03/22
  34. Membraneless DNA Liquid Crystal Coacervate Droplets, Tony Z. Jia, International Workshop on Molecular Cybernetics, 2022/03/14
  35. Building Primitive Polyester Microdroplets, Tony Z. Jia, ELSI-UKM Workshop, 2022/03/10
  36. Primitive Cationic Polyester Microdroplets for RNA Segregation, Tony Z Jia, RIKEN-BDR Symposium, 2022/03/02
  37. Cationic Polyester Droplets and the Origin of Protocells, Tony Z. Jia, BSJ Kanto Meeting, 2022/03/02
  38. Astrobiology Research and Education in Japan and Internationally: A Case Study in Prebiotic Chemistry., Tony Z. Jia, JAXA-SpaceHero Symposium, 2021/12/07
  39. Membraneless Compartments and the Origins of Life, Tony Z Jia, Biophysical Society of Japan, 2021/11/25
  40. Primitive Cationic Polyester Microdroplets for RNA Segregation., Tony Z. Jia, Japan Society for Cell Synthesis Research, 2021/11/05
  41. Liquid crystal coacervates and polyester microdroplets as primitive membraneless compartments., Tony Z Jia, ELSI Assembly, 2021/10/27
  42. Assembly of Peptide-DNA liquid crystal coacervates as primitive compartments, Tony Z Jia, International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life Meeting, 2021/10/20
  43. Assembly and Structure of Primitive Membraneless DNA Liquid Crystal Coacervates, Tony Z Jia, Fall Meeting of the Polymer Society of Korea, 2021/10/13
  44. From the Origins of Life to the First Cells: Case Studies from Membraneless Protocell Models., Tony Z Jia, Japanese Society for Biological Sciences in Space Annual Meeting, 2021/09/24
  45. Liquid Crystal Peptide/DNA Coacervates in the Context of Prebiotic Molecular Evolution, Tony Z Jia, AbGradCon2021, 2021/09
  46. DNA liquid crystal coacervates and other membraneless droplets as primitive compartments, Tony Z Jia, JSPS-CAS Bilateral Seminar, 2021/08/24
  47. Liquid Crystal Phase Assembly in Peptide-DNA Coacervates as a Mechanism for Primitive Emergence of Structural Complexity, Tony Z Jia, Alife 2021, 2021/07/21
  48. From the Origins of Life to the First Cells, Tony Z Jia, Tokyo International Exchange Center 69th Research and Presentation, 2021/06/21
  49. Liquid Crystal Peptide/DNA Coacervates in the Context of Prebiotic Molecular Evolution., Tony Z Jia, Japan Geophysical Union, 2021/06/05
  50. Liquid Crystal Peptide/DNA Coacervates in the Context of Prebiotic Molecular Evolution., Tony Z Jia, BlueSciCon, 2021/05/27
  51. From the Origins of Life to the First Cells, Tony Z Jia, Tokyo International Exchange Center Research and Presentation, 2021/05/22
  52. From the Origins of Life to the First (Membraneless) Cells, Tony Z Jia, MBG (Moleküler Biyoloji ve Genetik TÜRKİYE) Turkey AGENASTRO Congress, 2021/04/24
  53. DNA Liquid Crystal Coacervates and Other Phase-Separated Systems as Primitive Compartments., Tony Z Jia, Israel Society for Astrobiology and the Study of the Origin of Life., 2021/04/20
  54. Liquid Crystal Peptide/DNA Coacervates in the Context of Prebiotic Molecular Evolution., Tony Z Jia, American Chemical Society Spring Meeting., 2021/04/13
  55. From the Origins of Life to the First Cells: Case Studies from Membraneless Protocell Models., Tony Z Jia, Phase Separated Systems in the Nucleus., 2021/04/06
  56. Liquid Crystal Peptide/DNA Coacervates and Other Membraneless Compartments in the Context of Prebiotic Molecular Evolution, Tony Z. Jia, 5th Network of Researchers on the Chemical Evolution of Life (NorCEL) Meeting, 2021/03/29
  57. Origin of Primitive Membraneless Cells through Polyester Microdroplet Protocells, Tony Z Jia, Tokyo Institute of Technology Yoshinori Ohsumi Fund for Fundamental Research Award Ceremony., 2021/03/19
  58. Liquid Crystal Peptide/DNA Coacervates in the Context of Prebiotic Molecular Evolution., Tony Z Jia, Chemical Society of Japan Meeting., 2021/03/19
  59. Liquid Crystal Peptide/DNA Coacervates in the Context of Prebiotic Molecular Evolution., Tony Z Jia, MANA 2021 Symposium, 2021/03/02
  60. Liquid Crystal Peptide/DNA Coacervates in the Context of Prebiotic Molecular Evolution., Tony Z Jia, RIKEN-BDR Symposium, 2021/03/01
  61. Primitive Cationic Polyester Microdroplets for RNA Segregation., 9th Life in the Universe workshop by Astrobiology Center, NINS., 2021/02
  62. From the Origins of Life to the First Cells., WPI and Embassy Science and Technology Diplomatic Circle Symposium., 2021/01
  63. Polyester microdroplets, coacervates, and other membraneless LLPS assemblies as primitive compartments at the origins of life, Tony Z Jia, Molecular Biology Society of Japan, 2020/12/02
  64. From the Origins of Life to the First Cells., Tokyo Tech Research Festival, 2020/12
  65. Liquid Crystal Coacervates Composed of Short Double-Stranded DNA and Cationic Peptides., Japan Society for Cell Synthesis Research., 2020/11
  66. Polyester microdroplets, DNA liquid crystal coacervates, and other membraneless LLPS assemblies as primitive compartments at the origins of life, Astrobiology Australasia Meeting, 2020/09/10
  67. Primitive Liquid Crystal Coacervate Compartments, AbGradE, 2020/08/26
  68. DNA liquid crystal coacervates and other membraneless liquid-liquid phase separation processes as model systems in origins of life research., Molecular Origins of Life [ONLINE], 2020/07/08
  69. Assembly and Function of Primitive Compartments through Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Phenomena., ELSI Colloquium and Astrobiology Society of Asia-Pacific Webinar Series., 2020/06/26
  70. Evolution and Assembly of Primitive Compartments through Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Phenomena, University of New South Wales Department of Chemistry [ONLINE], 2020/06/04
  71. Polyester microdroplets, coacervates, and other membraneless non-biological assemblies as primordial compartments., TONY Z JIA, Japan Geophysical Union [ONLINE], 2020/05/28
  72. Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets as Primordial Compartments at the Origins of Life, TONY Z JIA, Chemical Society of Japan 100th Annual Meeting [CANCELLED], 2020/03/24
  73. Membraneless polyester microdroplet protocells: primordial compartments at the origin of life, TONY Z JIA, Japan Astrobiology Center 8th Life in the Universe Workshop, 2020/02/21
  74. Polyester microdroplets, coacervates, and other membraneless non-biological assemblies as primordial compartments, TONY Z JIA, Gordon Research Conference: Origins of Life, 2020/01/20
  75. International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University, TONY Z JIA, Membraneless polyester microdroplets as primordial compartments at the origins of life., 2019/12/10
  76. Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets as Primordial Compartments at the Origins of Life, TONY Z JIA, 4th Asuka Liquid Phase Separation Symposium, 2019/12/09
  77. Membraneless polyester microdroplets as primordial compartments at the origins of life., TONY Z JIA, Invited Seminar. Academica Sinica – Taipei, Taiwan., 2019/11/04
  78. Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets as Primordial Compartments at the Origins of Life., TONY Z JIA, 80th CNRS Anniversary French Research Day in Japan 2019 – Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 2019/10/10
  79. Recent Advances in Origins of Life Research by Biophysicists., TONY Z JIA, Biophysical Society of Japan Annual Meeting, 2019/09/25
  80. Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets as Primordial Compartments at the Origins of Life., TONY Z JIA, Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes pour la Microfluidique – Paris, France., 2019/09/12
  81. Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets as Primordial Compartments at the Origins of Life., TONY Z JIA, European Astrobiology Network Association Meeting, 2019/09/04
  82. Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets as Primordial Compartments at the Origins of Life., TONY Z JIA, Astrobiology Graduate Conference 2019, 2019/07/23
  83. Assembly of Membraneless Polyester Microdroplet Compartments Synthesized From Alpha Hydroxy Acids Under Plausible Prebiotic Conditions., TONY Z JIA, Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) – Seattle, Washington, USA, 2019/06/24
  84. Physical and Chemical Analysis of Polyester Microdroplets., TONY Z JIA, Institute for Planetary Materials – Okayama University, Misasa, Tottori, Japan., 2019/06/12
  85. Assembly of Membraneless Polyester Microdroplet Compartments Synthesized From Alpha Hydroxy Acids Under Plausible Prebiotic Conditions., TONY Z JIA, XVth Rencontres du Vietnam LIFE3E’2019: SEARCH FOR LIFE, FROM EARLY EARTH TO EXOPLANETS – Quy Nhon, Vietnam., 2019/03/28
  86. Polyester membraneless microdroplets as primitive protocells., TONY Z JIA, Emergence of Life: From messy chemistry to ordered networks – IISER-Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India., 2019/02/20
  87. Polyester Microdroplets as Prebiotic Membrane-less Compartments., TONY Z JIA, International Symposium for Materials Scientists III – Osaka University, Toyonaka-shi, Osaka, Japan, 2018/12/04
  88. Polyester Microdroplets as Prebiotic Membrane-less Compartments., TONY Z JIA, 11th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Cell Synthesis Research – Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan., 2018/10/18
  89. Biopolymer self-assembly and combinatorial evolution at the origin of life., TONY Z JIA, 56th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society of Japan – Okayama University, Okayama, Okayama, Japan, 2018/09/15
  90. Biopolymer Self-assembly and Combinatorial Evolution Processes at the Origin of Life., TONY Z JIA, Invited Seminar. Materials Science and Engineering Department Seminar Series – Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, North Gyeongsang, Republic of Korea., 2018/04/30
  91. Biopolymer Self-assembly and Combinatorial Evolution Processes at the Origin of Life., TONY Z JIA, LiMMS-CNRS Seminar Series – Laboratory for Integrated Micro-Mechatronic Systems (LiMMS), University of Tokyo, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan., 2018/04/23
  92. Self-assembled Tripeptide Fibers as Prebiotic RNA Binders, TONY Z JIA, Annual Meeting on Biopolymers & Drug Delivery Systems – Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Japan., 2017/10/12
  93. Alternative Life-Like Materials., TONY Z JIA, EON Life Detection Technology: For Mars, Enceladus & Beyond Workshop – Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan., 2017/10/05
  94. Prebiotic Peptide Self-Assembly., TONY Z JIA, Invited Seminar. Life Science Department Research Seminar Series – New York Institute of Technology, New York, New York, USA., 2017/09/07
  95. Prebiotic Peptide Self-Assembly., TONY Z JIA, Astrobiology Graduate Conference – National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, 2017/06/06
  96. Peptide-Assisted Nonenzymatic RNA Replication., TONY Z JIA, Invited Seminar. RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences – Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan., 2015/11/02

Awards

  1. 2025/09, Biophysics and Physicobiology Editors' Choice Award, Biophysics and Physicobiolog, Jia & Chandru. Recent progress in primitive polyester synthesis and membraneless microdroplet assembly. Biophysics and Physicobiology, 20, e200012 (2023).
  2. 2025/04, 2024 Rising Star in Biological, Medicinal, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, American Chemical Society
  3. 2025, Small Methods Top Read Article of 2023, Chen, et al. Spectroscopic and Biophysical Methods to Determine Differential Salt-Uptake by Primitive Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets. Small Methods, 7(12), 2300119 (2023).
  4. 2025, Peptide Science Top Read Article of 2023, Cannelli, et al. A compositional view comparing modern biological condensates and primitive phase-separated compartments. Peptide Science, 115(6), e24331 (2022).
  5. 2024, Biopolymers Top Cited Article of 2022-2023 – Sithamparam, et al. A Material-based Panspermia Hypothesis: The Potential of Polymer Gels and Membraneless Droplets. Biopolymers, 113, e23486 (2022)., Biopolymers
  6. 2024, Top Downloaded Article of 2022 – Afrin, et al. The Effects of Dehydration Temperature and Monomer Chirality on Primitive Polyester Synthesis and Microdroplet Assembly. Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 223(23), 2200235 (2022)., Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics
  7. 2023/10, 2024 Michèle Auger Award for Young Scientists Independent Research Nominee, Biophysical Reviews
  8. 2022/10, 2023 Michèle Auger Award for Young Scientists Independent Research Nominee, Biophysical Reviews
  9. 2022/09, 36th Annual Meeting Best General Presentation Award, Japan Society for Biological Sciences in Space, Temperature and Chirality Effects on Primitive Polyester Protocell Synthesis and Assembly
  10. 2022/09, Early Career Presentation Award, Biophysical Society of Japan, Cationic Polyester Microdroplets as RNA-containing Protocells
  11. 2022/07, Nominee for MEXT (Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) Young Scientists Award, Biophysical Society of Japan
  12. 2022/03, ELSI 2021 Director's Achievement Award, ELSI
  13. 2022/03, Seiichi Tejima Fujino-Nakamura Young Researcher Award, Tokyo Institute of Technology
  14. 2021/10, Stanley L. Miller Early Career Award Nominee, The International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life
  15. 2021/07, Seiichi Tejima Paper Award Nominee, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Fraccia, Jia. Liquid Crystal Coacervates Composed of Short Double Stranded DNA and Cationic Peptides. ACS Nano, 14(11), 15071-15082 (2020).
  16. 2021/02, ELSI 2020 Director's Achievement Award, ELSI
  17. 2020/07, Seiichi Tejima Paper Award Nominee, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Jia, Chandru, et al. Membraneless Polyester Microdroplets as Primordial Compartments at the Origins of Life. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 116(32), 15830-15835 (2019).
  18. 2020/02, 2019 ELSI Director's Achievement Award, ELSI
  19. 2019, Conference Travel Award – Orleans, France, European Astrobiology Network Association
  20. 2018, Travel Award, Origin of Life Gordon Research Conference
  21. 2018, Best Oral Presentation Award, International Symposium for Materials Scientists III
  22. 2017, Best Young Researcher Oral Presentation, Self-assembled Tripeptide Fibers as Prebiotic RNA Binders.
  23. 2010, Fieser Graduate Research Award, Harvard University
  24. 2009, Amgen Scholar, Caltech
  25. 2009, Dr. Amasa Bishop Study Abroad Award – Okazaki, Japan, Caltech
  26. 2009, Doris S. Perpall Speaking Competition Semifinalist, Caltech
  27. 2009, Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry, American Chemical Society
  28. 2008, Richter Scholar, Caltech
  29. 2006, Rotary Club Scholarship, City of Naperville

Patented

  1. Patent, US11,866,781, 2024/01/09, Single Cell Nucleic Acid Detection and Analysis
  2. Patent, US11,834,712, 2023/12/05, Single Cell Nucleic Acid Detection and Analysis
  3. Patent, US11,629,379, 2023/04/18, Single Cell Nucleic Acid Detection and Analysis
  4. Patent, US11,608,527, 2023/03/21, Single Cell Nucleic Acid Detection and Analysis.
  5. Patent, US11352669, 2022/06/07, Single cell nucleic acid detection and analysis
  6. Patent, US11286523, 2022/03/29, Single cell nucleic acid detection and analysis
  7. Patent, US11,078,533, 2021/08/03, SINGLE CELL NUCLEIC ACID DETECTION AND ANALYSIS
  8. Patent, US11,035,001, 2021/06/15, Single cell nucleic acid detection and analysis
  9. Patent, US10,584,382, 2020/03/10, Single Cell Nucleic Acid Detection and Analysis
  10. Patent, US10,287,630, 2019/05/14, Single cell nucleic acid detection and analysis
  11. Patent, US9260753, 2016/02/16, Single cell nucleic acid detection and analysis

External Funds

Acceptance Results of Competitive Funds

  1. Basic Operating Expenses, 2025/06, 2026/03
  2. Start-up, 2025/06, 2026/03
  3. Mizuho Foundation for the Promotion of Science, Construction of a membrane-bound protocell using polyester droplets as templates, 2023/06, 2025/06
  4. Joint Use Collaborative Research Grant, Creation of a membraneless protocell with Earth-abudant transition-metal catalysts (CHEN CHEN), 2023/04, 2025/03
  5. World Research Hub Faculty Research Abroad Grant - UNSW Sydney, Digital Holographic Microscopy to Observe Polyester Protocell Motion, 2023/03, 2024/12
  6. Work-Life Balance Support Unit, Diversity Promotion Office, Assistant Staffing Program, 2023/11, 2024/09
  7. Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists 21K14746, Biomolecule compartmentalization by phase separated protocells, 2021/04, 2026/03
  8. Joint Use Collaborative Research Grant, Composition of Extraterrestrial Polyester Gel Microdroplets, 2019/04, 2022/03
  9. Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists 18K14354, Verification of the functional role of coacervate droplets in in vitro RNA evolution, 2018/04, 2022/03
  10. Kakenhi Grant-in-aid for Scientific Research C (基盤C) 21K03735, Origin of Enzymes: Study of Hyperbranched Polymer Scaffolded Nanoparticles, 2021/04, 2022/02
  11. Gender Equality Section, Diversity Promotion Office, Assistant Staffing Program, 2021/04, 2022
  12. Yoshinori Ohsumi Fund for Fundamental Research, Origin of Primitive Membraneless Cells through Polyester Microdroplet Protocells, 2021, 2022
  13. JSPS-CAS (Chinese Academy of Science) Bilateral Seminar, Geoelectrochemical Drivers of Deep Sea Biochemical Processes, 2020, 2022
  14. Project Grant AB021008, Structure and Function of Extraterrestrial Polyester Protocells, 2020, 2021
  15. Project Grant AB311021, Structure and Function of Extraterrestrial and Exoplanetary Protocells, 2019/04, 2020/03
  16. Exploratory/Developmental R21 Grant 1R21HG009576, Development of LC/MS-Based Direct RNA Sequencing with Concomitant Basecalling and Modification Analysis Capability, 2018, 2020
  17. Programme Exploration France 2019, 2019/02, 2019/09
  18. Seed Grant Tane for Challenging Research 1798, A Combinatorial Chemistry Approach to Discover the First Self-Assembling Polyester Gel Material, 2017/11, 2018/10

Social Activities

History as Committee Members

  1. Member, 2025/06, 2026/02, EY Researcher+ Program Review Working Group
  2. Councilor, 2025/04, 2026/03, International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life
  3. Adviser, 2025/04, 2026/03, NASA AbGradCon Advisory Committee
  4. Biophysical Society of Japan Meeting 2024 (Jointly Held with IUPAB2024) Symposium Organizer (with Ryo Mizuuchi) – Origins of Life, 2024, 2024
  5. Biophysical Society of Japan Meeting 2023 Symposium Organizer (with Yutetsu Kuruma) – From molecules to systems, and eventually to life: high resolution Origins of Life research, 2023, 2023
  6. Expert Committee Member of BSJ in the Field of “Origin of Life”, 2021/01, 2022/12, Biophysical Society of Japan
  7. 2022 BSJ Meeting Symposium Organizer "Frontiers of Protocell Research: Exploring the Origin of Life through a Constructivist Approach", 2022, 2022, Biophysical Society of Japan
  8. ELSI Public Relations Committee, 2020, 2022
  9. ELSI Laboratory Management Committee, 2019, 2022
  10. 2021 BSJ Meeting Symposium Organizer "Recent Advances in Origins of Life and Protocell Research", 2021, 2021, Biophysical Society of Japan
  11. ELSI Science Steering Committee, 2020, 2021, Earth-Life Science Institute
  12. 2021 Session Organizer, 2019, 2021, Pacifichem
  13. JSPS-CAS Joint Bilateral Seminar Geoelectrochemical Drivers of Deep Sea Biochemical Processes Co-organizer, 2019, 2021
  14. 2020/2021 Conference Chair, 2018, 2021, AbGradCon
  15. 8th Symposium Organizing Committee and Session Chair, 2019, 2020, Earth-Life Science Institute
  16. Session Convener and Session Chair, 2019, 2019, AbSciCon
  17. School on Evolution of Earth and Life Organizing Committee, 2019, 2019, Tokyo Tech EPS
  18. Origins of Life Discussion Group Organizer, 2018, 2019, Tokyo Tech Earth-Life Science Institute
  19. Library Committee, 2018, 2019, Tokyo Tech Earth-Life Science Institute
  20. 2018 Winter School Organizing Committee, 2017, 2018, Tokyo Tech Earth-Life Science Institute
  21. EON Life Detection Technology: For Mars, Enceladus & Beyond Workshop Organizing Committee, 2017, 2017, Tokyo Tech Earth-Life Science Institute
  22. Graduate Student and Post-Doc Council, 2010, 2011, Harvard Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
  23. Academics and Research Committee Mentor, 2008, 2010, Caltech
  24. Chemistry Course Ombudsman, 2007, 2010, Caltech
  25. Student-Faculty Conference Social Science Committee Chair, 2008, 2009, Caltech

Organizing Academic Conferences, etc.

  1. HIRAKU-Global Starter Course, MC and organizer, 2025/08, 2025/08
  2. Asian Polyester Research Network Workshop, Chair/Organizer, 2025/09, 2025/09
  3. HIRAKU-Global International Trip Seminar, Chair and MC, 2025/07, 2026/03
  4. HIRAKU-Global Annual Conference FY2025, Chair, Organizer, and MC, 2026/02, 2026/02
  5. HIRAKU-Global International Symposium FY2025, Chair, Organizer, and MC, 2026/01, 2026/01
  6. Biophysical Society of Japan, Symposium co-chair, 2025/09, 2025/09
    Permalink
  7. HIRAKU-Global Retreat FY2025, Support for organizers/backup, 2025/09, 2025/09

Other Social Contributions

  1. Harvard University Undergraduate Interviewer, Harvard University Undergraduate Interviewer, Harvard University Admissions Office, 2021, 2026/03/31, Online, Interviewer, Investigation, High school students
  2. California Institute of Technology Career Achievement, Leadership, and Exploration (CALE) Alumni Mentoring Program (CAMP), California Institute of Technology Career Achievement, Leadership, and Exploration (CALE) Alumni Mentoring Program (CAMP), California Institute of Technology, 2025/07, 2025/08, Online, Advisor, Research advise, College students
    Related URL