For International Students Interested in Joining Our Lab
(Japanese version here)

Thank you for your interest in our group! This page is intended for those who are interested in joining our lab as a graduate student. We would like to introduce the research philosophy of our lab, the way faculty and students work together, and the kinds of efforts we hope students will make in order to grow as researchers. If you are considering joining the lab, we encourage you to read through this page first. We hope it will help you decide whether our lab is a good fit for you.

If you would like to learn more about our lab, please feel free to contact Prof. Satoshi Okuzumi (see here for his contact information).

See also this page for information on how to apply for the International Graduate Program (IGP) at Science Tokyo.

1.  Our research 

We study planet formation and protoplanetary disks as birthplaces of planets. We aim to answer fundamental questions such as "When and where do planets with diverse compositions form?" and "How common is the formation of planets like Earth?".

Our research spans astronomy, astrophysics, and planetary science. One distinctive strength of our lab is that we place the overlap of these fields at the center of our work.

Our study follows two principles:

1. Gain a deep understanding of the physics of planet formation. There are many different approaches to understanding the origin of planets. We especially value approaches based on physics and theoretical modeling, and we aim to understand planet formation as faithfully as possible to the underlying physical processes.

2. Test and refine theories using the latest data. Modern planet formation research is in a fortunate position: observational data on exoplanets and protoplanetary disks are rapidly increasing, while meteorites and Solar System exploration continue to provide valuable clues about Solar System formation. We actively make use of these data in order to build theories of planet formation that are vividly supported by the latest observations.

Most members of the lab conduct theory-based research. In addition to constructing physical models of planet formation, we also develop methods for analyzing observational data, including machine-learning-based approaches. We also actively collaborate with observers and cosmochemists both inside and outside the institute.

For more information, please see our webpages for Research,  Publications, and Thesis titles.

2.  How Faculty and Students Work Together

In our lab, we hope that every student grows into an independent professional. By independent, we mean someone who can take initiative in planning their own research and even lead a team. By professional, we mean someone who possesses advanced knowledge, skills, and problem-solving abilities—and knows how to apply them effectively. 

To encourage students to take ownership of their research, professors in our lab intentionally avoid a traditional "top-down" approach to supervision. Rather than giving directive instructions, they act as collaborative research partners and advisors for your research journey. We’re always happy to offer advice or feedback when asked, and we do so wholeheartedly. But we want you to take the lead in shaping your own research. Think of the faculty as a resource, one you are encouraged to fully take advantage of to achieve your goals.

When a new student joins the lab, we do not assign research topics unilaterally. Instead, topics are decided through dialogue between the student and faculty. We begin by encouraging students to explore their interests through readings, discussions, and informal meetings. As these conversations progress, there often comes a moment when both the student and professor get genuinely excited about a research idea. Getting to that moment requires active discussion and self-driven exploration. The professors in this lab take pride in helping turn your ideas into something that is both feasible and scientifically exciting. Once you define your goals, we’ll provide as much guidance and advice as you need to move forward.

3. People in the Lab

Our lab includes people with diverse backgrounds, nationalities, personalities, and interests. We value our team vision.

4. Becoming an Independent Professional

In this section, we introduce the kinds of attitudes and practices that we encourage students to develop in our lab in order to grow into independent professionals.

(1) Take Ownership of Your Research

Once a research topic has been decided, students will regularly meet with their supervisor and collaborators to discuss their research. These meetings are held individually rather than as a single lab-wide meeting. 

At the beginning, meetings are usually scheduled once a week on a regular basis. However, once students become sufficiently comfortable with their research, we gradually shift to a style in which students themselves arrange meetings whenever they feel they are needed. When regular meetings become routine, it is easy to fall into the counterproductive mindset of “doing research because there is a meeting coming up.” Instead, we would like meetings to happen naturally as a result of there being something worth discussing.

Importantly, the “need for a meeting” does not have to mean having major progress to report. Whenever you have something you would like to discuss or ask about, please feel free to arrange a meeting at any time.

(2) Interact Actively with Others and Seek Advice

Becoming “independent” means taking responsibility for your own decisions instead of leaving them entirely to others. It never means handling every problem entirely on your own. In the course of research, there will be many situations where you are unsure about what to do — whether your current approach is reasonable, which of several possible ideas you should pursue, or whether you still lack enough information to make a good decision. When that happens, please feel free to consult more experienced members of the lab — senior students, postdocs, and professors — about anything.

(3) Continuously Engage in Activities That Help You Grow

Becoming a professional naturally requires a substantial investment of time and effort. We encourage students to spend their daytime hours on weekdays on their “work” (that is, research and study), as well as on interacting with people related to their research activities.

That said, anyone will eventually lose concentration after spending long hours in the same environment. One of the key challenges of research life is figuring out how to minimize that loss of focus. If you find it difficult to concentrate, feel free to work in one of the open spaces in the professors' offices. We will make sure there are always some snacks around.

(4) Learn About Professional Researchers and the Research Community

Learning from fellow students is important, but it is equally important to learn from professional researchers. How do researchers think and work? What kinds of career paths have they followed, and what kinds of paths are they pursuing now?

We encourage students to actively visit universities and research institutes both within Japan and abroad. At conferences, we encourage students to actively talk with researchers outside the lab. Whenever outside researchers visit our lab or nearby institutes, students are encouraged to join discussions with them and to share their own research.

In this lab, we also try to involve researchers in each student’s research team, including postdocs in the lab, professors from other labs, and external researchers. Through collaboration with many different researchers, students can learn that the research world extends far beyond their advisor and immediate lab environment. They can also gain perspectives and skills that no single professor alone could provide.

(5) Speak Up Actively in Front of Others

Being able to put your ideas and questions into words, and to express them in front of others, is an essential skill for becoming a professional and a leader. To help students develop this ability, our lab strongly encourages active participation in seminars, workshops, conferences, and other academic events through asking questions and making comments. In particular, students are required to either ask questions or make comments in order to receive credit for our lab seminars.

(6) Publish Your Own Papers!

When researchers make a new discovery, they summarize it in a paper and publish it in an academic journal. In general, research results only become part of the permanent academic record after they pass peer review and are formally published in a journal. In this sense, research is not complete until a paper is published.

In our lab, we encourage Master's students to publish a first-author paper in an international peer-reviewed journal. Writing a paper that can withstand peer review is itself an enormously valuable learning experience. It requires you to explain the background and goals of your research in your own words, thoroughly understand previous studies, fully grasp your own methods, and articulate the significance of your results. In fact, many students realize while writing a paper that they did not understand their own research as deeply as they thought. Writing a paper is not merely the tedious task of recording what you already know. It is also a process of deepening your understanding of your research!

For students planning to continue to a doctoral program, having published work is also highly beneficial when applying for competitive financial support programs, such as JSPS Research Fellowships and internal fellowships. In addition, in our department, students must publish at least one peer-reviewed lead-author journal paper to obtain a doctoral degree.