[No. 192] Kentaro Toyoda

I am currently engaged in blockchain research at A*STAR, a research institute in Singapore. Before that, I spent a total of 12 years at Keio University, from my undergraduate studies to my doctorate, and also as a faculty member. As this column is primarily for high school students, I would like to recall and write about how I chose my career path back then, what I learned at Keio University, and how I got to where I am today. I hope this will be a helpful hint for those of you who are deciding on your future path.

At the high school I attended, we had a summer assignment to go to an open campus and write a report. I visited several universities, but when I joined a laboratory tour for the Department of Information and Computer Science at Keio University, the students who showed us around seemed to be having so much fun presenting their research results. I remember going home with a strange intuition that this was the university where I would study. I also thought the title "researcher" sounded cool, and since I had to write for my high school graduation yearbook around that time, I wrote that I would become a researcher.

After successfully enrolling, I entered the Department of Information and Computer Science. At our Faculty of Science and Technology, students are assigned to a laboratory from their fourth year, so when I went on another lab tour in my third year, I was at a loss—every lab looked fun. However, when I visited Professor Iwao Sasase, who was researching wireless communications and networks, he said something shocking: "You can research whatever you like." As someone who dislikes being told what to do, I thought this lab was a perfect fit and joined the Sasase Laboratory. The first piece of advice the professor gave me was, "In studying for exams, the problems are given and the answers are fixed. But in research, you first find the problem yourself, and you are free to decide how to solve it." I was terrible at solving difficult problems in mathematics and physics, but I felt that this freedom might be right for me. "Research isn't just about solving difficult problems. You just have to solve problems you can solve, in your own way."

In my first year of graduate school, I had the opportunity to present the results of my undergraduate thesis at an international conference. Having been born and raised in Japan, I had never written a paper in English before. However, thanks to dozens of back-and-forth revisions with Professor Sasase, my paper was somehow accepted, and I had to give a presentation in English for the first time in my life. When I actually attended the international conference, I was shocked at how poorly I spoke English. But an attendee who listened to my presentation told me, "It's amazing you could do this for an undergraduate thesis." Looking back, I think it was just a compliment, but I came back feeling great, thinking, "Even undergraduate-level research can be recognized globally, and best of all, I can travel the world for conferences. How wonderful!" That's when I decided to pursue the Doctoral Programs.

After entering the Doctoral Programs, my perspective broadened, and I found myself drawn to various interesting research topics. Since there wasn't nearly enough time to do it all by myself, I got permission from my professor to also mentor junior students who had not yet decided on their themes. When a paper I wrote with a student was accepted by a journal, I was as happy as if it were my own. Furthermore, seeing a student decide to enter the Doctoral Programs, saying, "I want to be like you, Toyoda-san!" made me feel happy for the first time in my life that I had been useful to someone. Hoping to inspire even one or two more people like that, I wanted to become a university faculty member after getting my PhD. As fate would have it, I had the opportunity to become an Assistant Professor under Professor Tomoaki Ohtsuki in the same department.

When it became clear I would be able to get my PhD, I had about a month of free time. I took advantage of a program called the "Special Program for Fostering Young Researchers," which allows you to stay at an overseas university or research institution for a certain period, with the university covering living expenses and research necessities. Through this, I conducted collaborative research for about a month under Professor P. Takis Mathiopoulos at the University of Athens. It was during that time that I came up with the idea for research on blockchain, the technology born from the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. After returning to Japan, I continued this research under Professor Ohtsuki.

Professor Ohtsuki was always challenging himself with top-tier international conferences and journals, and from him, I learned the attitude of aiming for a higher level in my own research. The Ohtsuki Laboratory also had many international students, so my English improved even while in Japan, and I gradually began to want to work abroad. Then, I happened to remember that an international student who had obtained his degree in the Ohtsuki Lab was working at the research institute A*STAR in Singapore. I contacted him, and soon after, I heard from his boss and had an interview. I ended up starting work there as a research scientist the following April.

Although the country is different, the way of doing research is universal. What I learned under Professor Sasase, Professor Ohtsuki, and Professor Takis is still very much alive in my work. It's hard to believe that almost three years have passed since I came to Singapore. I'm excited to see what opportunities and choices await me next.

You never know when or where you will encounter an opportunity or a turning point. For me, it was through the open campus, choosing a laboratory, academic conferences, and meeting professors, senior students, and junior students. I think there are many of you who are worried about choosing a career path, thinking, "I don't have anything I want to do." It's okay; don't rush, and just start with what you can. First, try looking into what kinds of universities there are, what kinds of professors are there, and what kind of research is being done. It might be good to look not only in Japan but also overseas. That first step might lead to a wonderful opportunity.