Rayendra Anandika

How I managed in following my research plan:

Before the program started, I discussed with my host researcher about what I would do during the program. We didn’t plan to do too much work within 2 months. That’s because I wanted to spend my time in Japan in a calm pace. In this way, I could have time to enjoy life in Japan, expand my network by visiting various colleagues both in industry and academia, and experience the Japanese mindset about work and life in general. Since our plan was to continue our work when I came back to Sweden, I am still working on the research that I initiated in this program.

Accomplishments and experiences I would never have gotten unless I joined the Summer Program:

One valuable thing that I got during this program was that I met a lot of researchers and professionals that work in my research field. During the program, I had the chance to visit East Japan Railway Company’s (JR East) Research and Development Department and presented my research to them. Besides this, I also visited some researchers: Prof. Takahiro Saitoh in Gunma University, and Prof. Yoshihiro Mizutani, Prof. Eiichi Sasaki, and Prof. Tinh Quoc Bui in Tokyo Institute of Technology. All of them appreciated my work and gave me precious insights about my research that can make my work better.

How I can make use of this experience in my future research:

Having met many researchers who work in the same research field certainly enriched my views about my research, both from industrial and academia views. Furthermore, I plan to do collaborations with them in the future. There are some research grants that can be applied to fund international research collaboration, including JSPS grant programs.

Message for future participants:

This program is really awesome! JSPS held all events within the program perfectly. You will enjoy every single day from the beginning. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to be careful in choosing supervisor. In Japan, the supervisor takes an important and central role for all lab members, including you. Your work pace depends on your supervisor’s work pace. You can be working intensely or moderately because of your supervisor. So it is good to do some “research”about your future supervisor before you contact anyone, so that you can find a supervisor that matches with your preferred work style.