Aki was born raised in Sendai, a city surrounded by beautiful mountains and ocean in North East Japan. She received her BS in Environmental Science/Environmental Education, and worked in a publishing company for a short period as a magazine editor/reporter in Tokyo before moving to Upstate NY.

There, her husband who was a Ph.D Student at Cornell Entomology introduced her to the fascinating world of Entomology.  Since 2008 she had worked as a technician in Soil Insect Ecology Lab, exclusively working on Annual Bluegrass Weevils and European Crane Flies. Aki She joined Shelton Lab in May 2011. She enjoys taking care of various insect species as well as assisting bioassays for the BRAG project in the lab.

Besides observing six-legged creatures, Aki and her husband, Masa, share passion for Taiko, the Japanese traditional drumming. As a unit named Taikonnection, They have performed at multiple venues in Geneva, Ithaca and Rochester area, and taught drumming at museum workshops and local colleges.