I was born in Kyoto and grew up in Singapore and Kamakura. Since I was a child, I was interested in the environmental problems and its social dynamics. I obtained MA in Environmental Studies from Yale University and Ph. D. in Sociology/Rural Sociology from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Now I teach at the University of Hawai`i-Manoa in the department of Sociology. My research analyzes the intersections of technoscience, gender, and sustainability.
I have written and edited books on the politics of bio/fortified foods (Hidden Hunger), food contamination after the Fukushima nuclear accident (Radiation Brain Moms and Citizen Scientists), agriculture and food issues in Hawai`i (Food and Power in Hawai`i, with Krisna Suryanata), and citizen science (Science by the People, with Abby Kinchy).