Researchers Voice

WPI Voices: Advancing World-Class Research in Japan

Across WPI centers, researchers and support specialists share firsthand perspectives on what makes WPI a distinctive place to work. Their stories reveal an environment where world-class research is advanced through daily exchange across disciplines among leading talents, access to outstanding resources, and strong support in both research and daily life. Together, they show how ideas grow, collaborations take shape, and ambitious work moves forward in Japan.

Behind the Scenes at WPI-QUP:
How Administrative Staff Build an Open and Flat Working Environment with Robust Support

What makes a world-class research center truly welcoming? At WPI-QUP, administrative specialists IKENOBE Noriko and KOBAYASHI Nobue are the answer. From navigating complex paperwork to building trust with international researchers, they have created a seamlessly supportive environment that lets scientists focus entirely on advancing fundamental physics based on quantum measurement technologies.

Tracing the Mechanisms of the Biological Clock through Interdisciplinary Science:
Senthilvadivel Vajravijayan at WPI-ITbM

At WPI-ITbM, postdoctoral researcher Senthilvadivel Vajravijayan decodes the atomic architecture of circadian clock proteins—work that could lead to drugs restoring disrupted biological rhythms. In a boundary-breaking institute where chemists, biologists, and physicists share open labs, he turns interdisciplinary collaboration into discoveries published in Nature Communications.

Exploring Virus-Derived Genes in Developmental Research:
Fiona Quirion at Keio University WPI-Bio2Q

German scientist Fiona Quirion studies the surprising roles of ancient viral genes embedded in our DNA at WPI-Bio2Q, where quantum computing and AI meet human biology. Joining the center in its early years, she has grown alongside an institution pushing the boundaries of what we know about embryonic development, the microbiome, and intractable diseases.

Supernova Tea Time: Robert Quimby and Kavli IPMU, WPI

“I study stars that explode.” From contributing to Nobel Prize-winning research on the accelerating universe to discovering supernovae ten times brighter than any seen before, Robert Quimby found at Kavli IPMU, WPI the perfect launchpad—an ambitious institution “doing big work” to unlock the mysteries of the universe, where personal and professional aspirations aligned.

Breaking Boundaries in Kyoto: Global Minds Driving Scientific Horizons: MATSUI Risa at WPI-iCeMS

From curious undergraduate to pioneering Ph.D. candidate, MATSUI Risa has spent seven years at WPI-iCeMS unraveling how membrane proteins govern cell behavior. In Kyoto University’s world-renowned center for integrated cell-material sciences, she pursues basic research at the frontier of biology—driven by the thrill of being the first to uncover truths unknown to anyone. Immersed in WPI-iCeMS’s international environment, interactions with researchers from diverse backgrounds have inspired her to embrace new challenges and take bold next steps in her career.

Fusing Neuroscience and Mathematics toward Future Clinical Applications in Spinal Cord Injury: YAMAGUCHI Reona at WPI-ASHBi

At WPI-ASHBi, assistant professor YAMAGUCHI Reona is uncovering how the brain recovers motor function after spinal cord injury by integrating neuroscience with mathematical modeling. His discovery that reduced neural inhibition—not increased excitation—drives recovery opens promising new pathways for clinical rehabilitation in an institute built for truly integrated interdisciplinary research, supported by WPI-ASHBi’s unique framework bridging life sciences and advanced mathematics.

Collaborating with Global Colleagues (and Local Babies) on Language Acquisition Research:
Irena Lovčević at WPI-IRCN

At WPI-IRCN’s Babylab, postdoctoral researcher Irena Lovčević studied how environmental factors shape language acquisition in infants—using innovative “Babyloggers” to capture real-world speech data. From Serbia to Sydney to Tokyo, her journey through WPI-IRCN expanded her research network and deepened her mission to bring developmental science to the parents who need it most.

Creating Breakthroughs through the Discovery of New Materials: HARADA Takayuki at WPI-MANA

Discover how Independent Researcher HARADA Takayuki is revolutionizing materials science through “nanoscale architectonics” at WPI-MANA. Operating with the freedom of an entrepreneur and the resources of Japan’s premier materials science institute, he creates uncharted heterostructures in a flat, international organization that empowers young scientists to lead their own breakthroughs.