As an expert in the field of biodiversity and ecosystem services, Osamu Saito has been working on the interlinkages between ecological, human and social systems through sustainability science approaches. His research experiences include socio-ecological studies on the ecosystem services provided by traditional rural production landscapes (Satoyama) in both Japan and other Asian countries. He worked for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) as Academic Director from 2011 to 2020. He has been also actively promoting various activities for the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) as a lead author of both regional and global assessments. He has been a managing editor of the Sustainability Science journal published by Springer since 2011.