Recruitment - 4th batch (2012)

Recruit information

※The 4th period (2012) open call for participants has ended.

In 2009, Kyoto University inaugurated the Hakubi Project to Foster and Support Young Researchers, in which the University appoints promising young researchers as program-specific faculty members (associate professor/assistant professor under the annual salary system) and supports their research activities on themes of their own choices, so as to develop visionary researchers who will pioneer new paths in their respective academic fields. Kyoto University calls for applicants in 2012 as described below.

1．Objectives

Research activities at universities are driven by the researcher’s unlimited inspiration, intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm in quest of truth. Therefore it is of paramount importance to develop human resources with extraordinary creativity, originality and a willingness to take on new challenges over a wide variety of academic fields.

Fostering such human resources is also essential for Kyoto University. In response to the progress of globalization, it is particularly important to foster human resources with superb creativity, as well as broad perspectives and a flexible mindset, all of which are important to be able to pioneer new academic frontiers. With this view in mind, during 2009, Kyoto University inaugurated the Hakubi Project to Foster and Support Young Researchers, in addition to augmenting efforts in various existing initiatives taken by individual faculties/schools. In the Hakubi Project to Foster and Support Young Researchers, the university employs promising young researchers as program-specific faculty members (associate professor/assistant professor with an annual salary) and supports their research activities on themes of their own choosing.

2．Target Research Areas

Research programs in every range of basic and applied studies in all academic fields, from the humanities, to social and natural sciences.
【Reference】Research field

3．Eligibility

Researchers with a doctorate degree (or equivalent research abilities).
All nationalities are accepted.

4．Employment

Up to 20 applicants will be appointed as program-specific faculty members (associate professor or assistant professor with an annual salary).
In principle, the term of appointment will begin on April 1, 2013. The term can be adjusted, however, according to the requirements of individual researchers.

5．Employment Conditions

Selected applicants will be appointed as program-specific faculty members (associate professor or assistant professor with an annual salary) in compliance with the Rules of Employment for Fixed-Term Program-Specific Faculty Members. Although their period of service will be five years in principle, it may not extend over more than five academic years. These individuals will be referred to by the title of “Kyoto University Hakubi researcher” in recognition of their excellent research abilities to pioneer a new path in their respective academic fields.

6．Affiliation

To implement the Kyoto University Hakubi Project to Foster and Support Young Researchers, the university has established the Kyoto University Young Researcher Development Center, to which Hakubi researchers are affiliated.

7．Research Funds and Facilities

The university will provide each researcher with an annual research fund of approximately 1 to 4 million yen, depending on a number of factors such as the research plans of each individual. The center itself does not have any research facilities. Accordingly, individual researchers are asked to make their own arrangements where possible, by finding a “host” (researcher/institution/faculty) within Kyoto University that is willing to provide suitable research facilities.

8．Research Reports and Presentations

Researchers on this project shall prepare annual reports on their research activities, and are also required to give presentations on their research results at the end of their fixed term.

9．Screening Method

• Primary screening:
  A committee of specialists at the Kyoto University Young Researcher Development Center from their respective academic fields will examine application documents, focusing on academic achievements and research plans.
• Secondary screening:
  The Hakuraku Council under the Kyoto University Young Researcher Development Center will conduct interviews. In addition to applicants’ academic achievements, the Council will evaluate their potential to become leading figures in the future global academic community. An additional interview will be carried by the President of Kyoto University or other individuals of similar standing.
• Third screening:
  The Steering Committee of the Kyoto University Young Researcher Development Center will make the final decision as to who is accepted as Hakubi researcher, considering the results of interviews held by the Hakuraku Council, etc.

10．Results of Screening

Results of the screening will be notified to all applicants by e-mail.
Please note that information on the process of the screening and reasons for pass/fail will not be provided.

11．To Apply

Register the applicant’s information using the form available on the website below, and send in a proposal for the Kyoto University Hakubi Project to Foster and Support Young Researchers by e-mail. Applications are accepted only after both the registration form and e-mail with the proposal have been received. Please note that both conditions must be fulfilled for evaluations to be made.

13:00 (Japan time), Tuesday May 8, 2012 The deadline has passed.

12．Documents to Submit

Proposal
【Reference】Guidelines for Preparing a proposal

13．Deadline

We must receive all necessary documents (website registration and e-mail with proposal) by the following:

13:00 (Japan time), Tuesday May 8, 2012

14．Proposals should be e-mailed to the following:

Proposals should be sent in the form of PDF file to the following e-mail address:

Kyoto University Young Researcher Development Center
E-mail: hakubi*mail.adm.kyoto-u.ac.jp （Please replace “*” with “@”.）

* Type your name AND “Application for Hakubi Project” in the subject box of the E-mail.
* An e-mail will be sent out approximately one week after the application deadline, confirming your submission.

15．Hakubi Application Information Meeting

Meetings providing information on the Hakubi Project will be held as detailed below. Send an e-mail to register your participation to the e-mail address also below, including your name, affiliation, position and telephone number. We must receive it at the latest, one day before each meeting, respectively.
However, you may participate in the meeting without prior registration.

e-mail address for registration: hakubi*mail.adm.kyoto-u.ac.jp (Please replace “*” with “@”.）

[Explanation Meeting in Kyoto]

• Date and Hour: 18:00~, Tuesday, March 13, 2012
• Place: Kyoto University Clock Tower International Conference Hall II
  http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/clocktower/

[Explanation Meeting in Tokyo]

• Date and Hour: 18:00~, Monday, March 19, 2012
• Place: The Kyoto University Tokyo Office Conference Room 2, 3
  http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ja/tokyo-office

16．Contact Information

To obtain further information, please contact us either by e-mail or facsimile. Inquiries will not be accepted by phone.

Kyoto University Young Researcher Development Center
E-mail：hakubi*mail.adm.kyoto-u.ac.jp (Please replace “*” with “@”.)
FAX：+81-75-753-5310

17．Note

• Personal information contained in the application documents will be used solely for the purpose of screening applicants, and never for any other purpose without applicants’ consent.
• Expenses needed to apply for this project shall be borne by applicants in principle.
• Kyoto University supports a gender-equal society. We hope that many female researchers will apply for the Hakubi Project.
• If you have any further questions regarding this application procedure, please refer to the FAQ pages.

【Reference】FAQ

[Data of applicants in 2011]

Number of applicants	Number of successful applicants	Competition rate
416	19	21.9 times

	Number of applicants	Percentages(%)	Number of successful applicants	Percentages(%)
Male : Female	335 : 81	80.5 : 19.5	14 : 5	73.7 : 26.3
Arts : Sciences	143 : 273	34.4 : 65.6	7 : 12	36.8 : 63.2
Kyoto U Affiliate : Others	131 : 285	31.5 : 68.5	7 : 12	36.8 : 63.2
Address Japan : Other Countries	342 : 74	82.2 : 17.8	18 : 1	94.7 : 5.3
Associate Prof. : Assistant Prof.	161 : 255	38.7 : 61.3	9 : 10	47.4 : 52.6
Average age (Associate Prof.)	－	－	35.6 years old	－
Average age (Assistant Prof.)	－	－	31.7 years old	－

* Classifications based on the proposals written by applicants

Informal appointment for Hakubi researchers

To foster prospective young researchers, Kyoto University established the Kyoto University “Hakubi Project” to Foster and Support Young Researchers in 2009 and has accepted applications. Until now, strict examination has been held such as applicant screening by the expert committee of the Hakubi Center for Advanced Research and interview by the Hakuraku Council. As the results of deliberations by the Steering Committee of the Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University decided informally 19 researchers who will be hired in the Kyoto University Hakubi Center for Advanced Research.

List of prospective Hakubi Researchers in the Kyoto University Hakubi Center for Advanced Research

Name	Research Topic	Position	Current Affiliation/Position
Knut Woltjen	Functional Evaluation of Non-coding DNA via Human Stem Cell Genetic Engineering	Associate Professor	Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) and Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University
Erdenchuluu Khohchahar	Re-examining Mongolian Legal History: A Study on the Basis of Original Legal Texts	Assistant Professor	JSPS Research Fellow (DC1), Graduate School of Law, Kyoto University
Liulan Wang	Chinese Diaspora in Asia and the Search for a New Paradigm of Multi-Diversified Co-existence	Associate Professor	JSPS Research Fellow (RPD), Center for Integrated Area Studies, Kyoto University
Kiyokazu Okita	God as Paramour: Ethic and Aesthetic of Emotion in Early Modern South Asia	Assistant Professor	JSPS Research Fellow (PD), Faculty of Letters, Kyoto University
Yumi Kato	Plantation Development and People’s Livelihood Stability in Tropical Areas	Assistant Professor	Research Associate, Center for Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University
Yohei Koide	Identifying Genetic Mechanisms of Inter-specific Hybrid Sterility Toward Creating Inter-specific Compatible Genes in Rice	Assistant Professor	JSPS Research Fellow (PD), Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
Kei Kobayashi	Visualization of Interactions between Biomolecules and Water Molecules	Associate Professor	Assistant Professor, Office of Society-Academia Collaboration for Innovation, Kyoto University
Hidetsugu Komeda	Psychological Mechanisms of Emotion Processing in Autism	Associate Professor	Research Psychologist, Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, Carnegie Mellon University
Takayuki Saito	Study of the Emission Mechanism of Pulsars With Very High Energy Gamma-rays	Assistant Professor	Postdoc Researcher, Max-Planck-Institut für Physik
Masaki Shigemori	String Theory and Physics of Black Holes	Associate Professor	Assistant Professor, Kobayashi-Maskawa Institute for the Origin of Particles and the Universe, Nagoya University
Vincent Giraud	The Japanese Path Beyond Metaphysics: The Kyoto School and Neoplatonism	Assistant Professor	JSPS Research Fellow, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University
Marc-Henri Deroche	The Nature of Mind according to the Philosophical View of Dzogchen	Assistant Professor	Japanese Ministry of Education (MEXT) Doctoral Fellow, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University
Steven Trenson	Kami-Buddha Combinations in Medieval Japan	Associate Professor	Associate Professor, Institute for the Promotion of Excellence in Higher Education, Kyoto University
Noa Nishimoto	Number Concepts in a Non-literate Society in Austronesia: An Ethnomathematics Approach	Assistant Professor	JSPS Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University
Masanori Hanada	Numerical Approach to Open Problems in Particle Physics	Associate Professor	Assistant Professor, KEK Theory Center, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK)
Takashi Haramura	New Method for Controlling Invasive Animals from the Viewpoint of Evolutionary Ecology	Assistant Professor	Researcher, Minami Kyushu University
Keisuke Fujii	Quantum Fault-tolerant Theory for Scalable Quantum Information Processing	Assistant Professor	Postdoctoral Researcher, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University
Takashi Fujii	Greek Thanatology in Epigraphy	Assistant Professor	Junior Researcher (ERC Project The Social and Cultural Construction of Emotions: The Greek Paradigm), Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford
Masaki Hoso	Evolution of Left-Right Asymmetry in Animals	Assistant Professor	JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow for Research Abroad, Naturalis Biodiversity Center

Status of Application and Informal Appointment

Number of Applicants	Number of Informal Appointment	Competitive Ratio
655 people	20 people	32.8 times

 

	Number of Applicants	Ratio	Number of Informal Appointment	Ratio
Male/Female	511 ：144	78.0%：22.0%	17 ：3	85.0%：15.0%
Humanities/Science	300 ：355	45.8%：54.2%	10 ：10	50.0%：50.0%
On-campus/Off-campus	144 ：511	22.0%：78.0%	9 ：11	45.0%：55.0%
Domestic/Overseas	427 ：228	65.2%：34.8%	15 ：5	75.0%：25.0%
Associate Professor/RatioAssistant Professor	248 ：407	37.9%：62.1%	8 ：12	40.0%：60.0%
Average age （Associate Professor) （Assistant Professor）	－	－	36.3	－
	－	－	31.6	－

*Reprinted from proposal.