Below is some information about our laboratory in Q&A style, not so frequently asked actually.
Is financial support available?
Each student needs to support himself/herself. Scholarships for PhD students may be available; please find more information here and here. Our laboratory would support students to some extent by hiring them as research assistants for our projects, depending on the projects' situation. Working as an assistant should take place outside diploma studies.
Is there any special support for international students?
Our university offers various forms of support for international students. Please visit here and TU Support page for more details.
How is my research theme decided?
Usually we ask a prospective student about his/her research interests in advance, and propose one or more general research topics based on the situation and future plan of our laboratory. Please understand that it is always difficult to anticipate research projects, namely funding, for the next years. And thus we can discuss something more specific usually after your enrollment. We basically respect students' intentions; changing your topic during your study is possible.
Do I need to be proficient in the Japanese language?
No. You can finish your study for your degree in English. However, we strongly suggest that you study Japanese to some extent during your stay in Japan. It will make your life here more colorful.
What are the requirements to join the laboratory?
Please find specific enrollment information here. We believe that whether our policies fit you should be much more important than whether our studies interest you. We therefore ask that you read and confirm our policies on administration, management, and research guidance.
Do you perform research by experiment or simulation?
Basically, all students do both experiments and numerical simulations, which are effective for analyzing phenomena. Please note that even though you perform experiments much more than simulations, you need to make small programs for processing your data. You would need skills and experiences on programming regardless of your research topic1.
It is difficult for me to have discussions with my labmates and supervisors. I also sometimes find it difficult to respond to supervisors. I hesitate to speak with them.
We are sorry to say that our laboratory does not fit you. As we cannot change our policies to accommodate you, we suggest you consider another laboratory.
Can I have journal publications, and avoid attending conferences?
We understand that journal publications are very important for the future of a students who wishes to work in a university or a research institutes. However, attending academic meetings is very important to understand what academic publications are and how they should be. Being able to keep publishing after a PhD is much more important than the number of papers published during your PhD study. For this reason we require students to attend academic meetings before they start to consider journal publications.
What are required to obtain my diploma?
We follow the diploma policy of Tohoku University. There is no official criteria on the number of publications necessary for graduation; usually our graduate students publish 3-5 papers in peer-reviewed academic journals during their study. Please note that we evaluate capability rather than achievements.
What is the most important matter I should keep in my mind during my study?
Communicate with your lab-mates and supervisors as much as possible.
What is "Quantum Science and Energy Engineering?"
We understand that this depart name may sound strange in English, as it is a direct translation of the Japanese. You may regard our department as the "Department of Nuclear Engineering."
Do you adopt a core time system?
No, we have not adopted a core time system. We expect graduate students to come to the laboratory basically everyday and request that students attend progress report meetings held periodically; but no more than that.
May I have a few weeks off?
Yes. We expect students to schedule their studies properly, and we do not control how students study.