Dr. Yamagiwa graduated from the Faculty of Science at Kyoto University, followed by a doctoral program at the Graduate School of Science in the same university. After working as a visiting researcher at the Karisoke Research Center in the Republic of Rwanda. He also worked as a researcher at the Japan Monkey Center, an assistant at the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University, an assistant professor and professor at the Graduate School of Science at Kyoto University. He then became the Dean of the Graduate School of Science and the Dean of the Faculty of Science, and was the 26th President of Kyoto University. He is now the director of the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature. He specialises in Human Evolution and engaged in socio-ecological research on wild Japanese macaques in Yakushima and wild gorillas throughout Africa.
