Biography
Urban Design and Built Environment
School of Environment and Society
Student Ambassador from April 2026 to March 2027
Hi! My name is Matteo, and I am a French master’s student who arrived at the Institute of Science Tokyo in 2024. After graduating from an architecture master’s program in Paris, I wanted to deepen my research while experiencing life abroad in Japan.
I came as a MEXT research scholar and joined the Sanada Laboratory, which focuses on dry-stone walling, agriculture, and rural landscapes. My research examines connections between river management and farming practices in Japan. I enjoy spending time on the Ookayama campus and exploring Tokyo, but fieldwork also takes me across the country for surveys and dry-stone walling workshops.
Outside of academia, I play volleyball, love books and Japanese movies, and enjoy meeting friends over coffee or on a terrace — a habit from my life in Paris. Concerned about climate change, I try to reduce my environmental impact by using alternative transportation (my favorite is the ferry!). I have also volunteered on organic farms and enjoy buying second-hand clothes and furniture. I am happy to share tips about my life in Japan, so please feel free to reach out anytime.
