Yuji Ikegaya (born 1970) is a Japanese neuroscientist and Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Tokyo. After earning his Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo, he conducted research at Columbia University before joining the university's faculty. His research focuses on the physiology of the hippocampus, learning and memory, brain plasticity, and the integration of neuroscience with artificial intelligence. Widely recognized for making neuroscience accessible to general readers, he received the 2024 Kobayashi Hideo Prize for *Yume o Kanaeru Tame ni Nō wa Aru*. His bestselling book *The Overevolved Brain* (*Shinka Shisugita Nō*) introduces cutting-edge neuroscience through conversations with high school students and remains one of Japan's most influential popular science books.
