Qiuyuan HUANG

Laboratory of Macromolecular Systems Design

Division of Materials Science, NAIST

8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma

Nara 630-0192, Japan

Greetings, my name is HUANG Qiuyuan and I am an Assistant Professor (特任助教) at the Laboratory of Macromolecular Systems Design, Division of Materials Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST). My research focuses on biodegradable plastics, enzyme-embedded materials, enzyme stability in anhydrous and high-temperature environments, and polymer synthesis chemistry.

Current research at NAIST

At NAIST I belong to 自律的研究強化・社会実装（ARWIT）システムの構築と共有 — Building and Sharing the Autonomous Research Reinforcement and Social Implementation (ARWIT) System — one of the strategies of NAIST’s programme under MEXT’s Strategic Promotion Project for Research Universities with Distinctive Strengths (J-PEAKS), which connects fundamental research, data sharing and social implementation.

Enzyme embedding only works if the enzyme survives the temperatures at which plastics are actually processed. My current research therefore centres on what happens to enzymes in the anhydrous (bone-dry) state when they are heated. Supported by a JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists (KAKENHI 25K21401, 2025–2027, PI), I am working to elucidate the side reactions and molecular structural changes that anhydrous enzymes undergo during heat treatment, and to develop ways of suppressing them — the basis for designing more heat-stable enzyme-embedded materials.

Previously, at the University of Tokyo

I received my Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, where my research focused on biodegradable polymers. Following my doctoral studies, I continued as a Project Research Associate and then as a Project Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo before joining NAIST in March 2026.

Our work on enzyme-embedded polyesters that biodegrade on the deep-sea floor — published in Nature in October 2026, with an accompanying Research Briefing — was carried out during that period at the University of Tokyo, with the deep-sea deployments conducted in collaboration with JAMSTEC.

I am passionate about developing sustainable materials and contributing to the fields of eco-friendly polymers, biodegradable plastics, and enzyme-embedded polymer systems that will shape the future of our planet.

news

Oct 21, 2026	Our paper “Enzyme-embedded polyesters for accelerated biodegradation in the deep sea” is published in Nature, accompanied by a Research Briefing.

selected publications

Enzyme-embedded polyesters for accelerated biodegradation in the deep sea

QiuYuan Huang, Noriko Iida, Noriyuki Isobe, and 8 more authors

Nature, 2026

Bib HTML

@article{huang2026deepsea,
  title = {Enzyme-embedded polyesters for accelerated biodegradation in the deep sea},
  author = {Huang, QiuYuan and Iida, Noriko and Isobe, Noriyuki and Kabe, Taizo and Omura, Taku and Ilangovan, Manikandan and Kimura, Satoshi and Seok, Jin Ho and Nomaki, Hidetaka and Kasuya, Ken-ichi and Iwata, Tadahisa},
  journal = {Nature},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1038/s41586-026-11192-1},
  publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}
}

The Next Frontier in Biodegradable Plastics: Enzyme-Embedding Biodegradable Polymers

QiuYuan Huang, Satoshi Kimura, and Tadahisa Iwata

Biomacromolecules, 2026

Bib

@article{huang2026frontier,
  title = {The Next Frontier in Biodegradable Plastics: Enzyme-Embedding Biodegradable Polymers},
  author = {Huang, QiuYuan and Kimura, Satoshi and Iwata, Tadahisa},
  journal = {Biomacromolecules},
  volume = {27},
  number = {5},
  pages = {2998},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society}
}

Exploring mechanisms and stabilization of anhydrous state cutinases: Toward sustainable high-temperature applications of enzyme

Qiuyuan Huang, Satoshi Kimura, and Tadahisa Iwata

Polymer Degradation and Stability, 2025

Bib

@article{huang2025mechanisms,
  title = {Exploring mechanisms and stabilization of anhydrous state cutinases: Toward sustainable high-temperature applications of enzyme},
  author = {Huang, Qiuyuan and Kimura, Satoshi and Iwata, Tadahisa},
  journal = {Polymer Degradation and Stability},
  volume = {240},
  pages = {111517},
  year = {2025},
  publisher = {Elsevier}
}

Improvement of Marine Biodegradability and Mechanical Properties of Poly(D-lactide) Films by Embedment of Poly(ethylene glycol)-Modified (PEGylated) Enzymes

QiuYuan Huang, Satoshi Kimura, and Tadahisa Iwata

ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2024

Bib

@article{huang2024improvement,
  title = {Improvement of Marine Biodegradability and Mechanical Properties of Poly(D-lactide) Films by Embedment of Poly(ethylene glycol)-Modified (PEGylated) Enzymes},
  author = {Huang, QiuYuan and Kimura, Satoshi and Iwata, Tadahisa},
  journal = {ACS Sustainable Chemistry \& Engineering},
  volume = {12},
  number = {31},
  pages = {11674--11682},
  year = {2024},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
}

Development of self-degradable aliphatic polyesters by embedding lipases via melt extrusion

QiuYuan Huang, Satoshi Kimura, and Tadahisa Iwata

Polymer Degradation and Stability, 2021

Bib

@article{huang2021development,
  title = {Development of self-degradable aliphatic polyesters by embedding lipases via melt extrusion},
  author = {Huang, QiuYuan and Kimura, Satoshi and Iwata, Tadahisa},
  journal = {Polymer Degradation and Stability},
  volume = {190},
  pages = {109647},
  year = {2021},
  publisher = {Elsevier}
}

Enzymatic self-biodegradation of poly (l-lactic acid) films by embedded heat-treated and immobilized proteinase K

QiuYuan Huang, Masatoshi Hiyama, Taizo Kabe, and 2 more authors

Biomacromolecules, 2020

Bib

@article{huang2020enzymatic,
  title = {Enzymatic self-biodegradation of poly (l-lactic acid) films by embedded heat-treated and immobilized proteinase K},
  author = {Huang, QiuYuan and Hiyama, Masatoshi and Kabe, Taizo and Kimura, Satoshi and Iwata, Tadahisa},
  journal = {Biomacromolecules},
  volume = {21},
  number = {8},
  pages = {3301--3307},
  year = {2020},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
}