[No. 103] Atsushi Kimoto

I am currently working as a university faculty member in Hyogo Prefecture, where I was born and raised. From university entrance until recently, I spent about half of my life in the Kanto region, centered around Keio. After completing graduate school and leaving the Kanto region, I have come to feel strongly the great love I have for my alma mater. I would like to introduce my story, focusing on my student days, which influenced the formation of my character as a researcher.

At my parents' house, there was a chemistry dictionary that my parents, who graduated from a pharmacy university, seemed to have used during their student days. Although I couldn't understand the content, I was exposed to chemistry beyond what I learned in high school. I was also blessed with great teachers in high school, which naturally led me to love chemistry, and I enrolled in School 3 of the Faculty of Science and Technology. The first shock I received was in the first-year required course, Chemistry A (taught by Professor Koji Kaya), at the Faculty of Science and Technology. Chemistry A was a lecture that interpreted the structure of atoms, the units of chemical substances, using the concepts of quantum mechanics, and I was overwhelmed by the numerous mathematical formulas, including the Schrödinger equation. Even though I thought, "I chose chemistry because I disliked physics...," I remember being strangely excited, feeling as if I was touching upon the origins of chemistry that are not taught (or are omitted) in high school chemistry.

As for clubs, I joined a band club in university, partly because I had been in the brass band club until high school. However, I felt the limitations of playing songs created by others in a cover band (you can never surpass the original), so I quit the club with some of my peers and started a band that played original songs, performing live at music venues. In the end, I continued my band activities while balancing them with my research until I earned my doctorate. I believe I must have caused a great deal of trouble for those around me.

After that, I chose the Department of Chemistry and joined Professor Kimihisa Yamamoto's laboratory for my graduation research. Professor Yamamoto had just moved from Waseda University at the time and was launching the functional development of new molecules called dendrimers to pioneer a new field of chemistry. I was fascinated by the beauty of the dendrimer structures shown in the department's introductory brochure. I was then able to engage in dendrimer research until I completed my Doctoral Programs. Fortunately, many of my peers in the Department of Chemistry also advanced to the Doctoral Programs, and we had a great time together outside of research as well. In particular, during my second year in the Doctoral Programs, we voluntarily started a study group with our peers to discuss each other's research, thinking that we naturally needed to know what was happening in other laboratories.

After obtaining my PhD, I went through positions in a private company, as a postdoctoral fellow, a university faculty member, and a researcher at an independent administrative agency, before fortunately settling into my current post. I truly drifted from one place to another. There were times when I was forced into situations where I had to give up on research, but I kept Professor Fukuzawa's words, "Those who do not advance will decline; those who strive without retreating will surely move forward," in my heart and devoted myself to my work. I believe I am who I am today precisely because I took this roundabout path (often called a "unique career"). After all, there probably aren't many university faculty members who have experienced positions in industry, academia, and government.

Currently, I am teaching students as a faculty member in the Department of Functional Molecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Konan University. In fact, it has something in common with the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University. That is, despite being a private university, the department has a small class size, allowing for close interaction with students. Considering that the small class size of the Department of Chemistry was one of the reasons I chose it as a student, my current position of teaching a small number of students feels like a strange twist of fate. I hope to continue conveying the appeal of small-group education that I experienced while I was in the Department of Chemistry.