First of all, thank you for your interest in our group! This webpage gives you some information about our policy and the attitude we would like you to have as a graduate student. If you are interested in joining our group, please read this page first. This will hopefully help you decide whether or not this laboratory is suitable for you.
If you would like to know more about our lab, please feel free to contact Prof. Satoshi Okuzumi. See here for his contact information.
See also this page for how to apply for the International Graduate Program (IGP) at Tokyo Tech.
1. About research in our group
We work on planet formation and its environment, protoplanetary disks. Our ultimate goal is to answer the following fundamental questions: When and where do planets with diverse compositions form? How commonly do planets like the Earth form?
Our research is interdisciplinary, spanning from astronomy and astrophysics to planetary sciences. We collaborate with observational astronomers and cosmochemists outside our group.
Our research is guided by two key policies:
Understand the physics of planet formation: We mainly use (astro)physics and computer simulations to study the processes of planet formation.
Test theory against observations: With the increasing astronomical data on exoplanets and protoplanetary disks, along with data from meteorites and solar system exploration, we aim to establish planet formation theory as an empirical science.
Our research is centered on theory, but some students develop methods for analyzing observational data (including machine learning techniques).
For more information, please see our webpages for Research, Publications, and Thesis titles.
2. Become an independent researcher
What kind of person do you want to grow into by joining a laboratory and working on your research? Everyone has different thoughts about this, including the faculty at each lab. Personally, I would like you to aim to grow into an "independent professional," to borrow the words of Kengo Tomida of Tohoku University. This applies not only to students who are aiming for a career in research, but to any student who will conduct research at our laboratory.
What does it mean to "become an independent professional"? I believe it consists of two elements: ‘becoming independent’ and ‘becoming an expert.’ Being independent means being able to think for yourself about your work, and being able to lead a team (it does not mean taking on problems by yourself). Becoming an expert means becoming someone who possesses advanced knowledge, skills, and problem-solving abilities, and who wields these effectively in their work. There might be those who think that it’s enough just to work hard to become an expert in the lab, but I would also like you to cultivate independence and leadership in addition to that.
Of course, there is no way anyone can become such a person as soon as they join a laboratory! Becoming an expert in particular requires daily effort, and you can gradually become one over time.
On the other hand, you can quickly become the leader of your own research. This means that you are assumed to lead your own research project and be responsible for it. There is no need to act as your supervisor’s ‘subordinate’ or think of them as your ‘boss,’ as your boss is YOURSELF, not your supervisor. While they will be happy to help you carry out your research and give you advice, your supervisor will not manage your plan and schedule. Instead, I hope that you will always think about how you should advance your own research.