Dear Friends/Colleagues,
This is Douglas Taylor from the UVA Biology Department, and it brings me great sadness to write with the news of the passing of Masashi Kawasaki, Professor of Biology, beloved colleague, and friend.
Masashi suffered fatal injuries from an auto accident near Charlottesville, VA, Sunday, May 18. The other passengers in the car were hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Masashi Kawasaki was born in June of 1955 in Tokyo, Japan. He spent his undergraduate and graduate years there as well, receiving his Ph.D. from Sophia University in 1984. After taking a position at Washington University of St. Louis, then the Scripp’s Institute for Oceanography, Masashi joined the UVA Biology faculty in 1990 and rose through the ranks.
Masashi studied electric fishes, which possess one of the most extraordinary methods of communication and behavior in the animal world. He focused on South American and African electric fishes, combining behavioral experiments, computation, and neuroscience to uncover fundamental design principles of the brain using these beautiful exotic animals.
Masashi Kawasaki taught many courses over his 35 years at UVA but is most recognized for his extraordinary courses in Animal Behavior, and especially the Animal Behavior Lab, where students interacted with animals with respect to mating behaviors (Cichlid fish) and circadian rhythms (hamsters). Masashi was remarkable in teaching outside his comfort zone, interviewing his colleagues from other fields, and being truly interdisciplinary. Despite being from another culture, he connected with the students organically and won multiple teaching awards.
Masashi was among the most generous and principled colleagues that I have ever known. He was listened to and respected by his colleagues and was working for the students literally until the day that he passed. He had an outsized effect of our department and will be sorely missed at every level.
Masashi Kawasaki’s influence extended far beyond the biology department. He was an accomplished musician and a tireless advocate for classical music in Charlottesville. He was an active member of the local Japanese American community, and the food culture that this involves.
If you have thoughts or remembrances of Masashi, please share them and we will together find a way to honor him. I apologize if this early tribute is incomplete. The family plans are obviously uncertain. We will have plans to honor him as a department, as will the University. I am sure the local community will be involved or lead.
Please feel to email me if you have anything to add or stories to tell.
With Sadness, Doug Taylor, Chair of the Biology Department