Aoyama Gakuin University
Cutting-edge research
Aoyama Gakuin University attracts attention for its research capabilities
Aoyama Gakuin University, which has also made remarkable progress in research in the School of College of Science and Engineering, received high praise in the "Science and Engineering University Rankings" published in the May 2021 issue of the scientific magazine Newton, and was ranked first among MARCH universities in both the "Ranking of Employment Rates at 400 Well-Known Companies" and "Ranking of Space Science Research." We spoke with Professor Huang Shinji, Assistant to President in Charge of Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration, about policies and environmental improvements to further develop the development of excellent students and practical research.
Shinji Huang
In 2000, he completed his doctoral studies in the Department of Physics Engineering at the Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo. He received his PhD in Engineering from the University of Tokyo. After working as an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo, an assistant professor at Tohoku University, and an associate professor at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology, he was appointed associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Aoyama Gakuin University in 2013, and became a professor in 2018. He is the director of the Nano Carbon Device Engineering Institute, director of the Integrated Project Research Institute, and deputy director of the Liaison Center. His specialties are crystal growth, physical property evaluation, and device applications of functional materials. He began full-scale research on the crystal growth and device applications of graphene (a sheet-like material composed of carbon atoms) at Aoyama Gakuin University, and is currently working on the thermal CVD growth of single-crystal graphene on iridium, graphene transparent antennas, and graphene electrochemical devices. He is a member of academic societies such as the Japan Society of Applied Physics, the Electrochemical Society, and the New Diamond Forum.
Flexible operation to stimulate research
General Project Research Institute
In 2018, Professor Osamu Hashimoto of the Department of Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics Faculty of College of Science and Engineering, who was Vice President at the time, played a central role in establishing the Integrated Research Organization, headed by President. The Integrated Project Research Institute (IPRI) was newly established as a pair with the long-established Integrated Research Institute. The Institute of Environmental Electromagnetic Engineering, headed by Professor Hashimoto, and the Nanocarbon Device Engineering Research Institute, headed by me, also belong to IPRI. While the Integrated Research Institute is run by internal funds, IPRI is a system in which faculty members who have acquired medium- to large-scale external funding can set up externally funded project research institutes with names that correspond to their research content, and also provide budgetary support. In addition, IPRI allows appointment as visiting researchers or special researchers based on evaluation of practical achievements even without a degree, and is designed to allow a wide range of people, including researchers affiliated with external research institutions, to participate in research projects. The purpose of establishing a new flexible system with a high degree of freedom in both funding and human resources is to further stimulate research.
Building a university-wide research organization
Since the establishment of the Integrated Research Organization in 2018, the "AGU RESEARCH REPORT" is a pamphlet that we hope will help our faculty members learn about the research being done in other laboratories and to give birth to new ventures. Since 2014, my research lab has been working with Professor Hashimoto's research lab on a number of collaborative research projects, and one of these projects, "Successful research on high efficiency triple-layer graphene transparent antennas by carrier doping" was published in an overseas academic journal and received high praise. They succeeded in creating a highly efficient transparent antenna using an extremely thin carbon material called graphene, and the student who conducted this research completed his doctoral course this spring and took up a research position at a major telecommunications company. We have high hopes for his future success.
Made from special carbon material
Highly efficient transparent antenna
Opening the future of communicationsVIEW DETAILS →
AGU RESEARCH REPORT 2019
Acting as a bridge between industry, government and academia
Liaison Center
I have been promoting research revitalization as the Director of the Institute of Integrated Research Projects since 2018, but since 2017, I have been working on industry-government-academia collaboration as a faculty leader within the framework of the Liaison Project. Since welcoming Mr. Yuji Baba as the URA (University Research Administrator) dedicated to the Liaison Project in 2017, we have taken several measures, such as holding the first JST New Technology Briefing at our university, in order to "make Aogaku 's research known to many people." We are actively building connections with the outside world by holding the industry-academia collaboration event "Meet up in AGU" and events in collaboration with the Southwest Forum, a local business consortium. In addition, from 2018 to 2019, we exhibited at "Innovation Japan - University Trade Fair & Business Matching", the largest university trade fair and business matching exhibition in Japan, and in 2019, we exhibited at "CEATEC 2019 Co-Creation PARK", an international exhibition in the fields of CPS (Cyber Physical Systems) and IoT (Internet of Things), and received a great response.
Also exhibiting at the international exhibition "CEATEC 2019" Co-Creation PARK
As the faculty leader of the Liaison Project, I exhibited technological seeds such as graphene transparent antennas at these various exhibitions, and received inquiries from dozens of companies. In fact, we have begun joint research with several companies, and we feel that we have made great progress. The Liaison Project, which was a one-year project, was established in 2019 as a permanent organizational liaison center within the Institute for Integrated Research. Through this center, I would like to make the research and technology of as many faculty members as possible known to people outside the university, and increase the opportunities for joint research with companies. As an assistant to President, I plan to continue promoting the policies of the General Project Research Institute and the Liaison Center, and contribute to the revitalization of research activities at our university with new ideas.
College of Science and Engineering Initiatives
Improving research environment and student support measures
College of Science and Engineering has five facilities: the Instrumental Analysis Center, the Center for Advanced Technology Research and Development Center for Advanced Technology（CAT）, the Center for Advanced Information Technology Research (CAIR), the Isotope Experiment Center, and the Machine Workshop. Each facility plays a different role and provides strong and efficient support for research activities. For example, the Instrumental Analysis Center, which centrally manages large analytical equipment, is shared by each laboratory and is often used by students in my laboratory. In addition to improving the research environment, we are also focusing on measures to increase the number of students who go on to graduate school, and the Faculty of Science College of Science and Engineering has increased the number of students who advance to the master's program from the top 50% to 65%. In addition, to reduce cases where excellent students give up on continuing their studies due to financial reasons, the Graduate Graduate School of Science and Engineering master's program offers full or half tuition exemptions for students with excellent grades. In the doctoral program, tuition is effectively waived in full thanks to the Aoyama Gakuin University Young Researcher Development Scholarship.
Thanks to this system, the rate of students going on to graduate school has been steadily increasing in recent years, and the number of female students in the Faculty of Science and College of Science and Engineering has also been increasing. In particular, for women, it can be difficult to return to work after leaving work due to childbirth and childcare, but by acquiring expertise, it becomes much easier to return to work. In my field of expertise, automobiles will shift to electricity in the future, and electronics are now indispensable in our lives, not only in communication but also in medical care and welfare. There is certainly a demand for it, and it will continue to increase in the future. By acquiring expertise and engaging in high-level research, regardless of gender, you will be able to hone your humanity and grow as a person, and obtaining a degree such as a master's or doctorate will be a great weapon in your life. Please take on the challenge of research that creates new things at our Faculty of Science College of Science and Engineering, where you can acquire expertise in a variety of fields.
Center for Advanced Technology Research and Development Center for Advanced Technology（CAT）
Systems to support research activities at graduate schools
Young Researcher Development Scholarship
The full tuition fee for the standard period of study for the doctoral program and the 3rd to 5th years (3 years) of the integrated doctoral program will be waived.
This is our university's unique grant-based scholarship that supports the learning of talented young people, with the aim of revitalizing our graduate school and nurturing young researchers with advanced expertise and research capabilities who can contribute to society.
This scholarship is open to those who are under 30 years of age at the time of enrollment and who pass the selection process.
International Conference Presentation Support System
Support amount: Participation in domestic conferences: up to 70,000 yen, participation in overseas conferences: up to 150,000 yen
To support global education and foster young researchers, we provide partial or full support for presentation expenses (including travel expenses) for graduate students presenting their research at international conferences held in Japan or overseas.
Early Eeagle Research Support Program
<For doctoral students> *There is also a separate support system for assistants and assistant professors.
Support amount: 250,000 yen
The award is open to original and pioneering research by young researchers (doctoral students) and research that is expected to develop into something similar.
After enrolling as doctoral students, the students will be screened during the first semester, with around 12 projects being selected from within the university.
Graduate Student Assistant Program
Starting in the 2020 academic year, we have launched a new system to employ doctoral students and graduate students in their third year or above of integrated doctoral programs as "graduate student assistants." This system allows our graduate students to be employed as assistants at the university, and while prioritizing their research, they also perform advanced support tasks such as lecturing and training for undergraduate students and running international conferences.
The purpose of this program is to provide a research environment in which graduate students can concentrate on their research by offering a place where they can gain practical experience as assistants and by providing financial support, thereby helping to improve their capabilities as researchers.
[Scholarships and financial aid (for current students)]
*For details of each program, please check the website or application guidelines.