Haruko Takeyama’s academic credentials include a Master’s in Agriculture (1986) and a PhD in engineering (1992) from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. Following research at the University of Miami’s Marine Science Institute, positions of assistant professor, associate professor, and professor were held at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology until joining Waseda University in 2007. Appointed Director of the Integrated Institute for Regulatory Science within the Research Organization for Nano & Life Innovation in 2009, and since 2016, also serving as director of the AIST-Waseda Open Innovation Laboratory. From 2019 to 2022, Takeyama served as chief researcher at the Academic Research System Center, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). In 2020, Takeyama was selected as project manager for Moonshot Goal 5 to advance research in sustainable agriculture through soil microbes. Since 2023, Takeyama has served as Program Officer for the JST-ASPIRE project, fostering international research and the development of young researchers, and became a member of the Science Council of Japan. In 2024, appointed as Associate Director of the Waseda Center for a Carbon Neutral Society.

Honours include the Marine Biotechnology Society Award and the Achievement Award from the Society for Biotechnology, Japan, in 2021, as well as the Commendation for Science and Technology by the minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology (research division) in 2023. Research contributions bridge academia and industry, advancing biotechnology for societal impact.