“I've never thought of basic research as boring – not for one second.”
This is a leader who pours his energies into cultivating his juniors in the field of basic research.
PhD (Engineering), Research Scientist Quantum Optical Physics Research Group, Optical Science Laboratory NTT Basic Research Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Yoji Kunihashi
Pioneering untrodden fields of knowledge, “basic research” is precisely the starting point of all research
Take marathons. When you are aiming for the finish line, thinking about how much time and energy you need to allocate along the course is an essential calculation that you need to make in order to win. Not just sports, but almost all things have an end or a conclusion that can be called a “finish line.” There is, however, a field in which not having any hint of an indication of a finish line, much less a course, or even a clear starting point is completely normal. That field is “basic research.” Generally, the basic research done at a typical company is conducted in reverse, wherein the company explores the technology necessary for the development and production of a product it wishes to develop. Conversely, it can be said that basic research is a matter of searching not for an “exit” (which in a typical company is the development of a new product or technological improvement), but for an “entrance” leading somewhere we do not fully understand. Basic research unravels fundamental truths that have not yet been revealed, and pioneers untrodden fields of knowledge. One of the few researchers to have undertaken this mission is Dr. Yoji Kunihashi. He works at NTT Basic Research Laboratories, a laboratory belonging to a company in Japan conducting rare basic research, and has been conducting research into spintronics. He has a dream in his heart – one he calls his “ultimate goal.”
Believing in a future transformed by spintronics. A researcher who also possesses the qualities of a leader.
Just as the moon revolves around the Earth, electrons revolve around the nucleus inside an atom. Thanks to electronics utilizing this principle, devices such as personal computers and smart phones have developed rapidly. And now, the utilization of electrons that spin just as the moon revolves on its axis, is garnering attention. If the direction of an electron's spin can be controlled by electricity instead of magnets, it is thought that devices capable of handling even more information will emerge. This is the field known as spintronics, which is the subject of Dr. Kunihashi's research. “We are trying to make electron spin visible using high-sensitivity microscopes, and apply this knowledge. However, it's quite difficult for the general public to understand this. To put it in a way that is easier to understand...” Dr. Kunihashi repeatedly tries to explain in a way tailored to the listener's level of understanding. From his enthusiastic attitude, the description “research group leader” fits him better than “solitary researcher.” He says, “Up until two years ago, I was serving as 'recruitment communicator.' My job was to explain our company's work to university and graduate school students. During my graduate school days, it was fun seeing my juniors whom I was supervising grow, and feeling how worthwhile it was. By nature, I was never really that good at teaching, but I think I've changed somewhat since my graduate school years.”
Finding out for the first time about the existence of “what's beyond university” and “Tohoku University.” “If I'm going to do it, I might as well go all the way to the end.”
Ever since he was a child, Dr. Kunihashi associated “mysterious, wondrous things.” with “chemical things.” There were even times when he secretly disassembled fireworks in order to understand how they worked. When he started studying science in middle school, he realized that he liked the fields of physics and chemistry more than nature and biology. He chose a technical high school to continue his studies. The teachers in his classes were all professors with doctorate degrees, and it was the first time he heard about “what's beyond university” – graduate school. “I thought, if I'm going to do it, I might as well go all the way to the end. I thought, I'll try and get a doctorate degree at grad school,” he says. However, he didn't know how to choose a university, and he thought any place would be good if he could study materials engineering, which was what he was interested in at the time. But he took the advice of his technical high school teacher, who told him that if he were to study materials engineering, it had to be Tohoku University, so he prepared for the Tohoku University entrance exam. After passing, he found out that Tohoku University is one of the top universities in the world for materials engineering. He says, “I transferred to the School of Engineering, Tohoku University, in my third year, and I was surprised at the overwhelmingly high level of research. But it's a field in which world-class papers and attending international conferences is an everyday occurrence, and in a good way the large gap from what I imagined the research to be was stimulating. And I had an unforgettable experience at one international conference that became a turning point.”
PhD (Engineering), Research Scientist Quantum Optical Physics Research Group, Optical Science Laboratory NTT Basic Research Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Yoji Kunihashi
After graduating from the Department of Chemical Science and Engineering of the National Institute of Technology, Tokyo College, transferred to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tohoku University (3rd year) in 2005. Entered the Department of Materials Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University in 2007. Completed his doctoral course at the Nitta Laboratory of the Department of Materials Science, and received his doctorate degree in 2012. In the same year, joined Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, and was assigned to NTT Basic Research Laboratories.