About Hiro

Hiro is an associate professor at Royal Holloway, University of London, and a visiting associate professor at the Research Institute for Future Design at the Kochi University of Technology. He earned a PhD from the University of Kent in 2022 (PhD supervisors: Prof. Tim Hopthrow, Prof. Dominic Abrams, and Dr. Jim Everett).

His academic interests lie at the intersection of social and evolutionary psychology with a particular focus on cooperation in intergroup contexts. He has been undertaking a wide range of projects and he addresses questions such as how indirect reciprocity guides (intergroup) cooperation, why people gossip and how it facilitates prosociality within/across group boundaries, and how we can promote intergenerational and post-disaster cooperation.

He is actively engaged in service to the discipline of social psychology. He serves as an Associate Editor of Group Processes & Intergroup Relations and as a member of the Editorial Board of the Asian Journal of Social Psychology.

His contributions to research and scholarship have been recognised through several distinctions. He received the Rising Star Designation from the Association for Psychological Science, the Solomon Asch Early Career Award from the Polish Social Psychological Society, and the Literati Award for Outstanding Reviewer from Emerald Publishing.

His research has attracted competitive funding from major organisations, including the Leverhulme Research Project Grant, the British Academy Talent Development Award, and a research grant by the Murata Science and Education Foundation. Through this support, he pursues research on social and intergroup processes with the aim of advancing theoretical understanding while addressing pressing societal challenges. He is also committed to fostering the next generation of scholars. In particular, he is passionate about increasing diversity in psychological science and supporting early-career schlars from underrepresented backgrounds through mentorship, collaboration, and community-building initiatives.

Outside academia, Hiro enjoys spending time with friends, making music, and playing jazz. When he was younger, he travelled a lot with his trumpet, joining local jam sessions in many countries along the way. He currently plays with the Runnymede Jazz Orchestra and a regular at the Woods Shed Jazz Club.