Ami Kaneko This page introduces students' life and their messages in the Ph.D. Program in Humanics, University of Tsukuba.

Incorporating new knowledge from different fields

I have been interested in Neuroscience since I was a high school student and entered the college of medical sciences at the university of Tsukuba. I have belonged to Hayashi lab (primary mentor's lab) since graduation research.

My research theme is "Elucidation of REM sleep-regulating gene." To elucidate genes, I have used transcriptome analysis from graduation research, and I realized that I have to do analysis using bioinformatics. Then, to do the analysis myself, I entered the Ph.D. program in Humanics, where I could study science, engineering, and informatics and be guided by an informatics sub-mentor. Also, since I had initially planned to go on to a doctoral program, the availability of financial support was attractive.

After the entrance, taking classes in science and engineering was hard for me because I did not study math, science, or engineering during my undergraduate studies. Also, it was not easy to balance the research I had been doing with my sub-mentor, Dr. Ozaki's lab. However, the sense of accomplishment I feel when I incorporate the knowledge I have learned in the bioinformatics lab into my research, and the number of times I think that I have imported practical bioinformatics knowledge into Hayashi lab, which is a physiology lab, has increased since my second year. I have realized the benefits of the Ph.D. program in Humanics.

The Ph.D. program in Humanics is a bridge-building program, and I am learning daily to become such a human resource.