JAIST International Student News（2021）

We release the current statuses of international students in JAIST and the former international students of JAIST who are successfully working all over the world.

1．message from Alumni (Ms.Kulisara BUDPUD)

2．message from Alumni (Mr.SAIFULLAH)

Dear international students who plan to enroll in JAIST

Could you imagine studying abroad in a charming city with a full scholarship? Here in JAIST, there are various financial support options offered for both tuition fees and living expenses.

I am a Thai student who received a Monbukagakusho: MEXT scholarship to pursue a master’s and a doctoral degree at JAIST. The opportunity helped me to accomplish my goal of earning the doctoral degree, gaining advanced research experience, and enjoying life in Japan. I started my master’s degree in 2016 and finished my PhD in autumn 2021 from the School of Material Science. Five years in Japan was a priceless journey for me. Hence, it gives me great pleasure to share my story in order to affirm that JAIST is one of the best options for international students pursuing not only academic success but also amazing life experiences.

In JAIST, we have three main pillars; School of Knowledge Science, School of Information Science, and School of Material Science. Knowledge science brings together learning areas in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences on the cutting edge of knowledge creation. Information science is interdisciplinary among engineering, computer science, and general science used to solve critical social problems through the information processing. Lastly, material science aims to solve human and social issues through studying and developing materials. We can join any classes that we want to learn from every school. This practice is referred to as cross-disciplinary learning. Moreover, JAIST also provides grants for students who wishes to join an international conference in other countries. This could be a great chance to broaden your base of knowledge worldwide.

Life in JAIST let us take full advantage of the four seasons in Japan with a number of activities such as bicycling in the summer, red leaf sightseeing in the autumn, skiing in the winter, and viewing blooming Sakura (Japanese cherry blossom) in the spring. All facility is provided from the student section. Furthermore, we can participate in social gatherings such as women gatherings, sports clubs, and Japanese classes, starting from the basics. You may relieve and refresh yourself at any time by doing anything that you prefer, and you can never feel lonely.

I could not believe that time flew so fast because I had such a good time in JAIST. Thanks to my dear professor and colleagues in the Kaneko laboratory, who were always incredibly supportive of me. I could not achieve my goal and enjoyed this much without them.

Please do not hesitate to choose JAIST as your next journey. Nothing needs to be concerned if you want to know more detail about JAIST because the staff are friendly to all international students and are eager to assist you with any requests you may have.
JAIST family is waiting for you. :)

JAIST degree
conferment ceremony

Wearing YUKATA
(Japanese traditional cloth)

Spring time at JAIST

JAIST scenery in four seasons

Presenting in ACS conference
at Orlando,USA

Presenting in
a conference at TOKYO

Kulisara BUDPUD
Ph.D. in Material Science (2021)

Dear international students who plan to enroll in JAIST

Are you looking for a post-graduation degree with excellent support? Do you have a splendid research idea but cannot execute it due to a lack of support? You got the right place here at JAIST and it’s welcoming you to accomplish your goal and uncover your glorious future. Here are the reasons why you should not miss an opportunity to study at JAIST based on my personal experience for the last five years.

Let me introduce a bit about myself. I’m Saifullah, a former international student from Bangladesh, successfully completed the Master of Science (MS)in 2016 and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in 2021 in the area of Bioscience and Biotechnology from School of Materials Science, JAIST.

1.Your idea is well appreciated by a professor
If you have a novel and excellent idea of research for addressing a social problem, please do not wait to share it with your future supervisor/advisor during the initial communication or soon afterwards. JAIST encourages you to generate your own idea and helps you to execute them in the laboratory. This is really a good momentum when you succeed in a project with all your effort and ideas with the guidance of your supervisor. My professor always encouraged us to conduct experiments by ourselves and to solve arising problems by figuring out our own way. This is how it works here. Although it was difficult for me in the beginning but ultimately it improved my capability of dealing with the issues and potentiality of critical analysis.

2.Financial support for tuition and living expenses
I know some of you are willing to hear this out. Haha!. No worries, JAIST has different support systems for international students. I received the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Japan(MEXT :Monbukagakusho in Japanese) scholarship for both MS and Ph.D. It is a full-ride scholarship in Japan which will support your full tuition fees, part of living expenses, even airfare. Additionally,there are other funding opportunities like JSPS fellowships for doctoral students, and many scholarships funded by private companys or organizations for both MS and Ph.D. I hope you will achieve one based on your interest .

3.Language barrier? English is completely fine
Many of you may afraid of the language barrier in Japan. Don’t worry at all. JAIST is a place where you can communicate in English comfortably with anyone including your professor, office staff, lab fellows, and friends as well. Most of the courses are conducted both in English and Japanese. In addition, you will not feel lonely even, this is because almost 50% of students are from overseas. You will find friends from different backgrounds and also there is a possibility from your own country. 　

4.Bright future
Post-graduate students fuel research success and often contribute to exhilarating, cutting-edge discoveries. JAIST is well recognized not only in the Japanese community but also globally (QS World University Ranking #401-450 in 2020). It is worth noting that JAIST does not offer undergraduate courses, therefore the QS ranking may not reflect the real performance. Many labs have published their research works in top journals like Nature Methods. JAIST will support you to disseminate your research outcome at any international conference overseas with a full registration fee and travel allowance. Moreover, the career section cordially supports you to get a job in Japan after your graduation.

In parallel with research/study, you will experience a vibrant atmosphere at JAIST and the surrounding area where you can enjoy all four seasons,for instance, a beautiful cherry blossom in spring, swimming in a nearby sea in summer, the beauty of maple leaves turning to red and yellow in autumn, snowing everywhere in winter (ski is popular in winter). As I love to explore, I visited different fantastic tourist spots in Ishikawa and nearby prefectures with friends, especially in winter and summer vacations. Therefore, I would encourage you to make time for any activity (even occasionally) entirelyunrelated to your scholarly activity that will give you unprecedented happiness, retain you in touch with the world outside the university, will replenish fuel to boost-up research activity.

You have freedom of choice and you have the power to determine how the next few years of your life will unfold. Consider what is important to you right now. What are your priorities in terms of health and well-being, as well as social/family life? What do you want from your MS or Ph.D.? What can you do-from the first day-to create your degree into exactly what you want it to be?

Eagerly waiting to hear from you as well soon.
Best wishes for your bright future!