Join Our Collaborative Research Team:

🔬 Join Our Collaborative Research Team

— Exploring Neuroscience and Language Acquisition —

Are you passionate about neuroscience, language acquisition, and experimental research?
Our lab investigates how the brain supports language learning, memory, and social interaction, combining methods from cognitive neuroscience, linguistics, and psychology.

We welcome motivated students and researchers who are eager to contribute to interdisciplinary studies on how humans learn and use language.

🎓 Master's and PhD Students Welcome

We are currently accepting students through the following graduate programs at Tohoku University:

📘 Japanese-language Program

Department of Applied Linguistics
Graduate School of International Cultural Studies (GSICS)
📅 April enrollment

📗 English-language Program

International Graduate Program in Language Sciences (IGPLS)
📅 October enrollment

For details, please visit the GSICS website or contact us directly.

✅ Ideal Candidates

We are looking for students with the following skills and interests:

• 📖 High proficiency in English for reading, writing, and academic discussion

• 💻 Basic programming/statistical knowledge (e.g., R, Python, MATLAB) and willingness to learn

• 🧠 Background in second language acquisition, psychology, or experimental methods

• 🧪 Strong motivation to pursue research and develop original proposals

• 🗣️ Basic Japanese skills to interact with participants and manage experiments

🔍 Direct PhD applicants should have prior research experience (e.g., a completed Master’s thesis or published journal article) or equivalent expertise in a relevant field.

📩 Contact: jeong [at] tohoku.ac.jp

👥 Co-Supervision Opportunities

If your interests align with second language acquisition and brain science, co-supervision is possible with faculty members in related fields.

🔗 Potential co-supervisors include:

• Dr. Takumi Uchihara — Applied Linguistics, IGPLS

• Dr. Aki Tsunemoto — Applied Linguistics, IGPLS

• Dr. Ryo Maie —  IGPLS

Please refer to their individual websites for more information about their research.

🧑‍🔬 JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Applicants

We welcome applications from JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship (PD) candidates.
If your research interests align with our lab, we offer full support in preparing a competitive application.

📬 Contact us early to discuss your proposal and suitability.

🌐 Location 

Our lab is located in the Graduate School of International Cultural Studies (GSICS) at Tohoku University. We conduct fMRI, behavioral, and physiological experiments to investigate language processing, bilingualism, and communication in social and cognitive contexts.

📍 Location: Kawauchi Campus, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
🔗 Visit our GSICS page