- HOME
- Careers
- Researchers Voice
-
Intellectual Diversity Fosters Innovative Approaches to the Origins of Life: Hye-Eun Lee at WPI-ELSI
At WPI-ELSI, materials scientist Hye-Eun Lee investigates hydrothermal vents—potential cradles of life on Earth and beyond. In an institute where nanoscientists, planetary scientists, and chemists converge to explore life’s origins, her research bridges past and future, connecting ancient chemical processes to tomorrow’s sustainable technologies.
-
Where Global Minds Pioneer the Future of Matter: David Weston Burke at WPI-SKCM²
At WPI-SKCM², assistant professor David Weston Burke designs programmable porous materials that can capture atmospheric CO₂ or purify water—materials that change properties in response to light, force, or chemistry. In Hiroshima’s WPI Center, he has found the ideal environment for boundary-crossing science that merges mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology.
-
Unraveling the Nature of Sleepiness in a Global Research Environment: IWASAKI Kanako at WPI-IIIS
IWASAKI Kanako grew from curious undergraduate to Nature-published neuroscientist at WPI-IIIS, where she studied the molecular mechanisms of sleepiness under world-leading mentorship. Now at Stanford University, she credits WPI-IIIS’s “under one roof” fusion of neuroscience, pharmacology, and medicine for transforming her into a researcher who engages with the world’s leading scientists as an equal.
-
From Mongolia to Japan, Tackling the Unknowns of Nanoplastics with
Cutting-Edge Research Infrastructure: Batdulam Battulga at WPI-AIMECAt WPI-AIMEC, postdoctoral researcher Batdulam Battulga from Mongolia pioneers methods to detect and characterize nanoplastics—particles so tiny they evade conventional analysis. With access to the state-of-the-art NanoTerasu synchrotron facility and a center integrating ocean physics, ecology, and data science, she tackles one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.
-
Cutting-Edge Science on Historical Premises: Tengyi Liu at WPI-AIMR
At WPI-AIMR, assistant professor Tengyi Liu converts CO₂ into useful compounds through electrocatalytic reduction—research that could help decarbonize our world. Drawn to Tohoku University by its rich scientific legacy, he found in WPI-AIMR a supportive environment where shared instrumentation, interdisciplinary tea-time discussions, and comprehensive mentorship give early-career researchers everything they need to lead.
-
Tracing the Mechanisms of the Biological Clock through Interdisciplinary Science:
Senthilvadivel Vajravijayan at WPI-ITbMAt 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-Bio2QGerman 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.
-
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.
-
Collaborating with Global Colleagues (and Local Babies) on Language Acquisition Research:
Irena Lovčević at WPI-IRCNAt 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.