Prof. Kawahigashi Masayuki is currently a professor at the Department of Geography at Tokyo Metropolitan University. His research expertise spans soil science and environmental dynamics, both of which he investigates from the viewpoint of colloid chemistry. He focuses on environmental colloids, including minerals and both natural and anthropogenic organic matter. A central theme of his work is understanding how the properties of colloidal materials are altered through interactions with surrounding environmental substances and how these transformations affect material behaviour and transport in the environment.