Commemorating the JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2026 since 2020 and recognizing the meeting theme of “transformative science for life & Earth,” we present Plenary Lectures at the Makuhari Messe Conference Hall A starting at 12:30 through 13:30 from Monday　(no parallel sessions or events in general). The daily schedule is on the right (click to enlarge). Abstracts are available on this page below.
We sincerely hope many researchers will join us, discover new opportunities through these talks, and help realign Earth and planetary sciences toward transformative change. Our speakers challenge us to see the paths ahead more clearly, reconsider the purpose of science, and explore how we can do better. Online access will be made available as with all the scientific sessions from the program timetable after registrants login.

Kate Kitagawa is a specialist in space education and is currently Professor of Practice in Space Research and Education at La Trobe University. Prior to her recent move to Melbourne, Australia, she worked at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as Advisor to the Senior Vice President and Director of the Space Education Office. In this role, she represented JAXA in international space forums and chaired the International Space Education Board at the 2023 International Astronautical Congress, working with space agencies from around the world. She is deeply committed to expanding global access to education and has focused on developing learning modules and curriculum. Kate holds a BSc in mathematics and life sciences from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and a PhD in history from Princeton University, USA. Her earlier career with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations shaped her interest in education as a form of cultural diplomacy, an approach reflected in the history courses she taught at Harvard University. She is also an accomplished author, with a national bestseller in Japan. Her co-authored book, The Secret Lives of Numbers: A Global of History of Mathematics & its Unsung Trailblazers, was shortlisted for the 2024 British Academy Book Prize and has been published in 14 languages worldwide. She regularly appears on television, radio, and digital media as a commentator on science, history, and education. Thriving in the Space Age: Global Science, New Opportunities, and Expanding Networks

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Shang-Ping Xie is the Roger Revelle Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. He graduated from Ocean University of China in Qingdao and received his Ph.D. in physical oceanography in 1991 from Tohoku University, Japan. His research addresses such fundamental questions as how recurrent patterns of climate variability form, how predictable climate is, and how climate will change in the face of increasing atmospheric greenhouse gases. He was a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, which was published in 2013. Dr. Xie is an AGU Fellow and received the Sverdrup Gold Medal from the American Meteorological Society in 2017 for “fundamental contributions to understanding the coupled ocean-atmosphere feedback processes involved in climate variability and climate change.”

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Dr. Karin Markides earned her doctorate degree from University of Stockholm in Sweden and specializes in analytical chemistry. After serving as President and CEO of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden as well as American University of Armenia, she became President and CEO of Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in June 2023 and is moving on as President Emerita and Executive Advisor from April 2026.
Dr. Markides is appointed Professor Emeriti of Analytical Chemistry at Uppsala University as well as Elected Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA), where she has been involved in the selection of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the promotion of science for society, schools, and academia.

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Jun Korenaga is Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Yale University. His research explores the long-term evolution of Earth and terrestrial planets, with a focus on understanding how Earth became a platform for the emergence and persistence of life. He places particular emphasis on mantle dynamics, viewing it as a central mediator linking planetary interiors, surfaces, and atmospheres over geological time.
Korenaga’s work spans a wide range of problems in geophysics and planetary science, often combining physics, chemistry, applied mathematics, and statistics to revisit long-standing questions from a fundamental perspective. His research philosophy is intentionally broad and integrative, seeking to understand Earth as a coupled system rather than as a collection of isolated components.
Describing himself as a “freestyle geophysicist,” Korenaga has worked on topics including mantle convection, plate tectonics, continental growth, planetary formation, and the evolution of terrestrial planets inside and outside the solar system. Across these diverse areas, his goal is to clarify how deep planetary processes shape surface environments and long-term habitability.

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