March 22, 2024

The 12th SOKENDAI Award

SOKENDAI Award is founded in Academic Year 2018 to commend the students who have accomplished their outstanding research and have been conferred their degrees with the excellent doctoral thesis.

The 12th SOKENDAI Award was held in Hayama campus on March 22, 2024.

Comments from Winners of the 12th SOKENDAI Award

YU Xuejian

School of Cultural and Social Studies, Department of Japanese Studies

Doctorial thesis
Adaptations of the Chinese Dream stories in Japanese Classical Literature

Comment
　The Japanese Studies Program, which I completed, served as a platform for advancing Japanese studies through an international and interdisciplinary approach, bridging the distinct realms of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. In this program, by taking courses such as "Theory and Methodology in Japanese Studies" and "Interdisciplinary Research", I was able to solidly establish a foundation in the theories and methodologies of Japanese studies. Furthermore, by actively participating in various programs, including collaborative research projects, comprehensive lectures, and Thursday seminars, I deepened my connections with an international network of researchers, which brought new perspectives and inspiration to my research. This program can be considered an ideal learning environment for researchers aiming to explore the frontiers of Japanese studies.

YU Xuejian

NAKAYAMA Tomonari

School of Physical Sciences, Department of Fusion Science

Doctorial thesis
Modeling and co-simulation of global transport dynamics in turbulent plasmas

Comment
　The Department of Fusion Science is located in the National Institute for Fusion Science in Toki City. In this course, a broad range of research is available, mainly on plasma physics and fusion science, including plasma experiments, fusion reactor materials, superconductivity, and theory and simulation. SOKENDAI also has a large number of researchers enrolled. This allows you to do research according to your own interests and to actively discuss your research with a variety of researchers. An extensive research support system is well developed, and I was able to join an international academic conference with the support of the SOKENDAI Student Dispatch Program. In this way, SOKENDAI is a place with a lot of freedom, and it is a good atmosphere for those who want to pursue research independently.

NAKAYAMA Tomonari

KAWASHIMA Takahiro

School of Multidisciplinary Sciences, Department of Statistical Science

Doctorial thesis

Probabilistic Models Characterized by a Kernel Matrix and Their Learning Methods

Comment
　I entered the Department of Statistical Science (now Statistical Science Program), at the Institute of Statistical Mathematics in April 2021 and obtained my Ph.D. degree. At SOKENDAI, which does not have undergraduate organizations and operates on small-scale programs, you may worry about limited opportunities for honing your capability as a researcher with peers. However, the reality is quite the opposite. Each institute, serving as a Inter-University Research Institute Corporation, plays a pivotal role as a hub for its research field. This facilitates many opportunities for students and researchers both inside and outside the institute to participate in research meetings and seminars. The closeness to faculty members from different labs allows for equal discussions and extensive feedback. Why not aim for a unique degree experience at SOKENDAI?

KAWASHIMA Takahiro

NISHIMURA Ruka

School of Life Science, Department of Genetics

Doctorial thesis
Ancient Viral Discovery and Characterization Using Ancient DNA Sequencing Data

Comment
　Throughout my doctoral studies, I was enrolled in the Department of Genetics at the National Institute of Genetics in Mishima, Shizuoka. Our institute actively conducts both experimental and computational research in genetics. A notable feature is our seamless collaboration with researchers from diverse labs, which greatly enhances our research capabilities. We receive invaluable guidance from professors across various disciplines and regularly attend seminars covering cutting-edge research topics. This unique environment fosters continuous learning and enables us to forge connections with experts in different fields. Based on my experience, I wholeheartedly recommend our department for its role in honing research skills and facilitating interdisciplinary networking during doctoral studies.

NISHIMURA Ruka