Special Grant Program for International Students (October 2020)

Special Grant Program for International Students / Research Assistant Program of Graduate School of Environmental Science (October 2020)

This program will select students, who can likely contribute internationally in their research field, from those students applying to doctoral courses of Graduate School of Environmental Science.

It is very meaningful to participate in research as a Research Assistant (RA) for the development of your research ability. Each Research Assistant must serve to achieve the objective of a research subject directed by a faculty member of the Graduate School of Environmental Science. The research subjects are listed below.

Period

Maximum 3 years since the first year although the achievement of the objective must be evaluated each year by the committee of the faculty.

Qualifications of application (Eligibility):

Students (mainly from developing countries) who are going to seek admission to the doctor courses of Graduate School of Environmental Science.

Payment Exemption / RA Allowance:

Payment Exemption: Total amount of school fees are entirely covered by Hokkaido University (i.e., entrance exam fee of 30,000 yen, admission fee of 282,000 yen, and annual tuition fee of 535,800 yen for each of three years). RA Allowance (depending on the actual working time): Total: 3 million yen (1 million yen for each of three years)
Travel expenses of entrance exam should be paid by applicant.

Application Period

Until June 22 Monday, 2020

Application for the program:

Applicants are required to submit the documents listed below. The documents should not be written in a language other than English.

1. Curriculum vitae with the applicant’s photograph
2. Academic transcript
3. Graduation certificate
4. List of publications and presentations in scientific meetings
5. Research proposal
6. Direction and comments of potential supervisor and at least one co-supervisor, including proofs of communication between you and the potential supervisors
7. Master’s thesis or other documents in proof of your research ability

Reference and address to apply

Kyoumu-Tantou
Graduate School of Environmental Science
Hokkaido University
Kita 10, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-0810 Japan
E-mail: kyomu (at) ees.hokudai.ac.jp

List of possible research subjects (2020)

Title: Study on water purification using metal-organic frameworks

Professor: Shin-ichiro Noro

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) constructed from metal nodes and organic bridging ligands are next-generation porous materials showing excellent gas adsorption/separation, catalytic, and conducting properties. This study aims at investigating adsorption properties of MOFs for environmental contaminants in water toward future practical applications.

Title: Study on coastal ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR)

Associate Professor: Masahiko Fujii

Ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) is a concept to alleviate natural disasters to human societies by maintaining ecosystems and natural capitals. This study aims to issue scientific guidelines for applying the Eco-DRR to local societies in coastal regions, especially enhancing various ecosystem services of coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs, seaweeds and mangroves. Successful candidates are required to have already acquired or will acquire skills soon after starting the Ph.D. course that are necessary to engage in relevant studies, such as numerical modeling, remote sensing and monitoring (observation).

Title: Molecular mechanisms underlying responses to mineral nutrient stresses in plants

Associate Professor: Kyoko Miwa

Sustainable agricultural production is one big challenge for sustainable society in the world. For this purpose, it is crucial to improve plant productivities in unfertile soils with low input, and development of crop cultivars tolerant to environmental stresses is one of the most effective strategies. This study aims to identify the key genes required for tolerance to mineral nutrient stresses and reveal the molecular mechanisms by molecular genetics with a model plant. Successful candidates are required to have knowledge on genetics and basic experimental skills for molecular biology.