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 (黄秋源) 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, the use of research data, and social implementation.

Within this framework, I combine automated synthesis, machine learning and related approaches to tackle new scientific questions.

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},
}