[No. 166] Yuichi Ishikawa

I am currently engaged in education and research at Yokohama City University. As I will mention later, I spent 17 years at Keio, from high school through a period of study abroad, in the roles of student and faculty member. Please forgive me if this essay seems a bit disorganized.

After taking the high school entrance exams, I somehow managed to get into Keio Senior High School, but perhaps as a backlash from all the exam preparation, I became a complete underachiever. I still remember getting a score of only 16 out of 200 on a math test. Although I was not good at math, I was interested in chemistry, so I chose the Faculty of Science and Technology when I advanced to university and somehow managed to get in.

Thinking I could manage if it was chemistry, I entered Stream 3 (now Gakumon E), which allowed advancement to the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Applied Chemistry, but I continued to struggle with math and physics. Amidst this, Chemistry III, a required course in the second semester of my first year, would determine my future path. Chemistry III was a fundamental course in organic chemistry, and at the time, it was mandatory for all 1,000 first-year students in the Faculty of Science and Technology, who were divided into four classes. The professor in charge of my class was Dr. Shosuke Yamamura. Looking back, it seems to have been a difficult lecture for first-year university students, but I feel I caught a glimpse of Dr. Yamamura's passion for chemistry. This lecture sparked my interest in organic chemistry, and I decided to advance to the Department of Chemistry, where the Yamamura Laboratory was located. I still have fond memories of pulling an all-nighter at a friend's house to study for the final exam for this course, and I still meet up regularly with those friends to catch up.

At the time, the Yamamura Laboratory, led by Dr. Yamamura, had a structure where Dr. Shigeru Nishiyama vigorously pursued the synthesis of natural products and electrosynthesis, Dr. Seiji Kosemura researched plant phototropism, and Dr. Minoru Ueda studied plant nyctinastic substances. As I was interested in the total synthesis of natural products, I was allowed to join the group researching the synthesis of bryostatin 3, a marine natural product.

For my graduation research, I needed to assist my senior colleagues and synthesize a large amount of the starting material for the target compound, bryostatin 3. The experience of conducting numerous reactions at this time became a great asset. I am also very grateful to the senior members of the lab at that time. In late-night discussions, I was able to participate in wide-ranging debates that covered not only my own research but also the latest research trends, and I believe this formed the foundation for my subsequent research life.

Dr. Yamamura retired at the time I was entering my second year of the master's program, so I completed my master's and advanced to the Doctoral Programs under the guidance of Dr. Nishiyama, who took over. I continued my research on the total synthesis of natural products, but when I was in my second year of the doctoral program, I was hired as a Research Associate (fixed-term) in the Department of Chemistry. From then on, I was engaged in education as both a doctoral student and a faculty member. Although I had looked after junior students as a student myself, being in a position to guide them as a faculty member was a different matter, so I spent three years working through a process of trial and error. During that time, I obtained my degree, and after my three-year term ended, I went to study abroad in Germany.

From 2005, for about two years, I was an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow (postdoc) in the laboratory of Professor Giannis at Leipzig University. Professor Giannis, who is from Greece, has an unusual background, having obtained a medical license in Germany before earning a degree in organic chemistry. His laboratory also operated both an organic synthesis lab and a biological assay lab simultaneously. While most projects were on the theme of organic synthesis, I learned a great deal from Professor Giannis's unique sense in selecting compounds to synthesize, which reflected his perspective as a medical doctor.

From 2007, I was hired again as an Assistant Professor in the Nishiyama Laboratory at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology. Although my tenure was only four years, I hope I was able to give back a little by contributing not only to research and education but also to the administration of the department and faculty. From my undergraduate days until the second time I left Keio, I was truly indebted to Dr. Nishiyama.

In April 2011, I moved to Yokohama City University, where I am currently affiliated. The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in March of that year, making the move a very hectic one, and I faced some difficulties at first, but I have managed to get to where I am today. Currently, I am conducting research on the total synthesis of natural products, my original specialty, and the creation of new biologically active substances based on them. I intend to devote even more effort to research and education in the future.

This has been a rather rambling account, but there is no doubt that my 17 years of experience at Keio University have become the great foundation of who I am today. Thank you very much.