SOKENDAI Special Researcher

１.Aim

The SOKENDAI Special Researcher Program is designed to foster future leaders in academic research by appointing SOKENDAI students as special researchers and providing financial support to them. A special researcher with outstanding achievements will be offered a two-year research position at the parent institute* upon the completion of their doctoral course.

This program is subsidized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) under the "Fellowship Program for Innovation in Science and Technology." In addition to financial support, special researchers will be provided with a program to support their research career.

* Parent institute: The Inter-University Research Institute, where their department is located.

２.Fields and corresponding Departments

Fields		Departments
Information and Artificial Intelligence	Research on principles and technologies related to information (including statistics), research on artificial intelligence, or research that integrates these two fields	・Statistical Science ・Informatics
Large-scale and Advanced Research	Research conducted at a large-scale research facility owned by the parent institute or through participation in an international research project in which the parent institute participates.	・Astronomical Science ・Fusion Science ・Accelerator Science ・Materials Structure Science ・Particle and Nuclear Physics ・Polar Science

３.Intended number of Adoption (AY2021)

Fields	Number
Information and Artificial Intelligence	6
Large-scale and Advanced Research	6

４.Requirements for applicants

Applicants are required to meet all of the following conditions as of April 1, 2021 (An estimation can be made at the time of application). ^*1

1) They should have been enrolled for 24 to 36 months (exclusive 36 months) in a 5-year doctoral course (excluding transfer students), or have transferred to the third year of the 5-year doctoral course and have been enrolled for less than 12 months. ^*2

2) They should be under 30 years of age (however, those with extenuating individual circumstances such as childbirth, childcare, or caring for relatives, are permitted to apply if they are under 32 years of age.)

3) They should have not received a scholarship under the government-sponsored international student system, a research grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for special researchers, or any foreign government-financed scholarship.

4) They should not be employees or self-employed workers (including those on leave of absence and those who have retired). ^*3

^*1 Those who have completed (or are expected to complete) a master's degree course at a university other than SOKENDAI and have passed the third-year transfer examination for a 5-year doctoral course at SOKENDAI (transferred on April 1, 2021) are also eligible to apply.

^*1 Even if you are expected to meet the qualifications at the time of application, your application may be canceled if you are unable to meet the qualifications due to a leave of absence or other reasons.

^*2 Only students who belong to the departments listed in section "2" can apply.

^*2 Students in the long-term course system are not eligible to apply.

^*2 The period of a leave of absence (calculated by rounding up to the nearest month) during the doctoral course is not counted within the enrollment period. However, if the total leave of absence is less than six months, it will counted within the enrollment period.

^*3 Those who are temporarily employed (part-time job, research assistant, etc.) can apply.

Note: Once you have applied, you will not be eligible for future applications.

５.Period of appointment

3 years (from April 1, 2021)

Note: If you complete the doctoral course and obtain a doctoral degree during the period, the appointment will be

　　 terminated at the end of month in which you obtain the degree.

６.Scholarship

1) Fellowship (for living expenses)

The amount to be paid for the AY2021 is as follows. Please note that the amount of the fellowship is subject to change.

　JPY190,000 per month

2) Research grant

To support the research plan described in the application form, it is possible to receive a grant for research expenses (up to JPY 220,000 per year).

７.Guideline

「Guideline_SpecialResearcher_2021_English.pdf」

８.Application Forms

Application Form A	Application formA_for_SOKENDAI student.docx
Application Form A (For those who plan to enroll in April, 2021)	Application formA_for_Non-SOKENDAI student.docx
Application Form B	Application_formB_English.docx
Research grant application for AY2021	Research_Expense_Application.xlsx
Recommendation letter	Recommendation Letter.docx

＊If you plan to transfer in April 2021, please leave the student ID field blank.