Debriefing Session for Imperial – Science Tokyo Global Fellows Programme 2023 and 2024

March 24, 2025

The debriefing session for Imperial - Science Tokyo Global Fellows Programme 2023 and 2024 was held at the Tejima Seiichi Conference Room in the Tokyo Tech Front on the afternoon of February 12, 2025.

This session was attended by six students who participated in the Global Fellows Programme (hereafter, GFP) in 2023 and 2024, as well as President and Chief Academic Officer (CAO) Yujiro Tanaka, Executive Vice Presidents for Education Noriyuki Wakabayashi and Hidetoshi Sekiguchi, Programme Manager Nobuhiro Hayashi, and key members of the GFP working group: Professor Takehiro Inohara, Associate Professors Hironao Kaneko and Yuto Koizumi from the Institute of Liberal Arts, and Specially Appointed Associate Professor (Lecturer) Sasipa Boonyubol from the School of Environment and Society, who joined GFP as a coach in 2023 and 2024.

GFP – Programme Overview

The session began with opening remarks by Dr. Nobuhiro Hayashi, Vice President for International Strategy and Engagement and GFP Manager, who introduced the purpose of the debriefing session and the attendees. Associate Professor Kaneko, who has been involved in the GFP since the program's inception, then gave an overview of the program and its development leading up to its launch in 2018.

Talk on short-term research stay at Imperial College London's lab

GFP participants from Institute of Science Tokyo (hereafter, Science Tokyo) may stay at a laboratory of Imperial College London (hereafter, Imperial ) for one to three months after completion of the programme, provided they contact Imperial's researchers on their own and are accepted.

Four of the fifteen students from Science Tokyo who attended the GFP in Tokyo in 2023 stayed in Imperial's lab in 2024. Two of them attended this debriefing session and made a short presentation on their research experience.

Mr. Kazuaki Mishima, a second-year PhD student in the Department of Information and Communications Engineering, spent three months from mid-July to mid-October 2024 in the iBUG (Intelligent Behavior Understanding Group) at Imperial's Department of Computing, working on a “Facial Image Generation Model based on Facial Expression and Emotion”.

Ms. Minami Imamoto, a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Life Science and Technology, spent three months from mid-January to mid-April 2024 in a laboratory at Imperial's Department of Life Sciences, where she conducted research on “Dietary Adaptations of East African Cichlids”.

After their presentations, President Tanaka asked both students about how they raised funds for their study abroad. Both students explained that they used scholarships from the Tazaki Foundation, which supports study abroad programs for Science Tokyo students, as well as funding from the “Program for Development of Next-Generation Front-Runners with Comprehensive Knowledge and Humanity” (Science Tokyo SPRING).

When asked about the process of searching for a host supervisor at Imperial, Ms. Imamoto replied, “I searched for researchers on Imperial's website and exchanged opinions and made adjustments via emails and online meetings. Finding a host faculty member went more smoothly than I expected.” Mr. Mishima said, “I was very lucky to be accepted at iBUG, which is a very well-known laboratory in the information systems research field.”

President Tanaka (R) and Executive Vice President Wakabayashi (L) ask the students questions.

Mr. Mishima (L) and Ms. Imamoto (R) answering questions.

Talks on GFP2024

Fifteen students from Imperial and thirteen from Science Tokyo participated in the GFP held in London in the fall of 2024. The participants were divided into five teams, each working on issues and solutions related to the theme of “Good Health and Wellbeing.” Each group then presented their findings on the final day of the program. Four students from Science Tokyo who participated in the program gave presentations on their teams' projects at the session.

Team One, which received the Innovation/Creativity Award, was represented by Ms. Miyuki Suzuki, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Social and Human Sciences, and Mr. Ares Arrad, a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Life Science and Technology. The two presented on their team’s project, a device using photocatalysis to eliminate bacteria and fungi in water, thereby helping to eradicate waterborne diseases. Mr. Arrad explained that the team members are continuing their research with the goal of launching a startup based on their findings. Ms. Suzuki stated, “Although I was worried about my English, the other members trusted me and gave me the role of presenting, so I was really happy when this project won an award.”

Mr. Wishnu Agung Baroto, a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Social and Human Sciences, gave a presentation on Team Two’s project, “A Smart Toilet with a health sensing function.” With this project, Team Two won the Collaboration Award at GFP2024. He explained that GFP was a very unique program where five students of various nationalities, research backgrounds, and skills worked together. Although it was only a brief one-week program, it left a significant impact on his life.

Mr. Yuto Takei, who was a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Mathematical and Computing Sciences at the time of his participation, took the stage as the final presenter and gave a presentation on a blockchain-based medical data sharing platform, a project he worked on with Team Four. At the end of his presentation, he shared some reflections and insights he gained from participating in the program, saying, “I learned how difficult it is to organize a project in a short period of five days. In particular, in order for group discussions to proceed smoothly, sometimes it is necessary to have the courage to disagree with other team members without fear of confrontation.”

When the students said that they are still in contact with the other participants they met in the program, Vice President Hayashi said, “I hope that they will actively use the networks and experiences they gained in GFP in their future careers.”

At the end of the session, President Tanaka made a general comment, saying, “Many of the presentations this time were related to the medical field. The establishment of Science Tokyo will expand research opportunities in the field of ‘convergence science’ (an area that integrates science and engineering, medical and dental sciences, informatics, and social sciences), and we hope that you will take advantage of these opportunities.”

In his closing remarks, Executive Vice President Wakabayashi said, “I am pleased that we have been hosting this program with Imperial, an important partner for Science Tokyo, for many years. I believe that the experience gained through this program in working with students from diverse backgrounds will certainly be useful when working in an increasingly diverse society in the future. I hope the program will continue in the future.”

Imperial-Science Tokyo Global Fellows Programme

The Global Fellows Programme is a doctoral student exchange program launched in 2018. It is based on the Global Fellows Program of Imperial, a Tokyo Tech partner university and organized under liberal arts courses for doctoral students provided by Science Tokyo's Institute for Liberal Arts.

Taking up several themes from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nations, the programme aims to develop leadership, interdisciplinary and communication skills as researchers, collaboration with researchers from various fields, acquisition of perspectives outside one's field of expertise, cross-cultural exchange, and network building through group discussions, field trips, and poster presentations by Science Tokyo and Imperial students.

The programme concludes with a poster fair on the last day. The team presenting the best solution for the programme themes will be commended by members of the board.

There will be research opportunities at Imperial's laboratory for Science Tokyo participants for one to three months. Students should find a host faculty member at Imperial.

Message from Programme Manager Nobuhiro Hayashi, Vice President for International Strategy and Engagement

Science Tokyo has partnered with Imperial since 2018 to offer a unique international exchange opportunity with the Imperial-Science Tokyo Global Fellows Programme (GFP).

Science Tokyo’s mission of “advancing science and human wellbeing to create value for and with society” requires students to research and gain expertise in specialized fields. But the comprehensive, international perspective needed to generate new knowledge and develop new value with stakeholders takes a nuanced understanding and strong communication skills.

GFP is a training camp-based exchange program that invites Imperial and Science Tokyo doctoral students from diverse backgrounds to transcend borders and disciplines to explore international issues and seek potential solutions. Participants can enjoy a valuable opportunity to effectively acquire the essential competencies to succeed in the modern global research community, expand their cultural awareness, and seed networking opportunities for future international collaboration.

We hope that many more doctoral students will take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity available only at Science Tokyo to further expand their horizons!