Special Grant Program for International Students (April 2024)

Special Grant Program for International Students / Research Assistant Program of Graduate School of Environmental Science (April 2024)

This program will select students who can likely contribute internationally in their research field, from those applying to doctoral courses at the Graduate School of Environmental Science.
Participating in research as a Research Assistant (RA) is very meaningful to develop your research ability. Each Research Assistant must serve to achieve the objective of a research subject directed by a Graduate School of Environmental Science faculty member. The research subjects are listed below.

Period

Maximum 3 years, with the annual extension subject to evaluation of achievements by a faculty committee.

Qualifications of application (Eligibility):

Students (mainly from developing countries) who seek admission to the doctor courses of the Graduate School of Environmental Science.
〈Notes〉
If the students of this Special Grant Program are also selected as recipients of the “DX Doctoral Fellowship”, “Hokkaido University Ambitious Doctoral Fellowship,” or similar doctoral fellowships, they must choose one of them and decline the others.

Payment Exemption / RA Allowance:

Payment Exemption: Total amount of school fees is entirely covered by Hokkaido University (i.e., entrance exam fee of 30,000 yen, admission fee of 282,000 yen, and the 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 annually for three years)
The applicant should meet travel expenses for the entrance exam.

Application Deadline

15 December (Friday) 2023

Application for the program:

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

1. Curriculum vitae with the applicant’s photograph
2. Academic transcripts
3. Graduation certificate
4. A list of publications and presentations in scientific meetings
5. A 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

Academic Affairs Section
Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University
E-mail: kyomu (at) ees.hokudai.ac.jp

List of possible research subjects (April 2024)

Title: Development of Photoresponsive Porous Materials toward Environmental Remediation
Professor: Shin-ichiro Noro

Removal of contaminants from air and water is essential for human survival and its availability is vital for building a sustainable society. Adsorptive removal of contaminants by porous materials is one of the promising methods. Porous materials may be available for versatile applications if external stimuli can change adsorption properties. This research aims to develop photoresponsive porous materials that change porous properties by a light stimulus toward environmental remediation. A successful candidate is expected to have a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science at the time of joining, and he/she is required to have knowledge of synthetic chemistry, porous materials, and fundamentals of adsorption/desorption.

Title: Secondary metabolites from symbionts of shipworms
Professor: Tatsufumi Okino

Symbionts of shipworms attract attentions as a promising source of new bioactive compounds. This program deals with chemical diversity of shipworm symbionts. Secondary metabolites will be isolated from cultured symbionts. Bioactivity and biosynthesis of these compounds will be also investigated. This program aims to understand function of bioactive compounds in shipworm symbionts.

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. 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.

Title: Controlled self-organization of small molecules directed for smart nanomaterials 
Professor: Katsuaki Konishi

Self-organization is a general phenomenon ubiquitously found in nature, and has attracted attention as a key-technology in the bottom-up design of environmentally benign smart materials from well-defined molecular precursors. This project utilizes atomically precise molecules as fundamental components, and explores novel functional self-organized assemblies for the development of smart materials that show unique optical, adsorption and catalysis properties. A successful candidate is expected to have a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science at the time of joining and he/she is expected to have sufficient knowledge of synthetic organic/inorganic chemistry, optical spectroscopy and microscopic techniques.