International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics

After three months at MANA, Dr. Chiaki Yoshikawa is already settled in and actively pursuing her research.

The current focus of her studies is polymer synthesis, in particular concentrated polymer brushes obtained by surface-initiated living radical polymerization. "I focused on this area because this could lead to a new kind of artificial tissue. At the moment, I'm trying to illustrate the interaction between polymer brushes and biomolecules. I think these polymers will find a wide variety of applications in new biomaterials, for example in artificial joints, blood vessels and contact lenses."

After graduating with a Ph.D. from Kyoto University, she did a year of post-doctoral work there and then moved to Tsukuba last year. She has been at NIMS since April 2007, and MANA since October 2007. "It has been just nine months since I came to NIMS, so there haven't been enough results to claim any real achievements, but my target right now is to establish my research as a NIMS researcher. At MANA I plan to continue my studies of concentrated polymer brushes and biomolecules," she said.

The collaborative research environment she works in at MANA is appealing, she said. "At NIMS, all researchers are independent but equal, and all the facilities at NIMS are well equipped. So the research situation is very nice. I expect to stay here a long time."

She likes Tsukuba's work environment, but it can feel a bit isolated. So she often indulges in a favorite activity, shopping. "There's only one department store here, so on weekends I go to Ginza," she said.

Young researchers at MANA have to study independently, but they still have to collaborate, she noted. "So ability, ideas and the researchers' personalities can all make a difference to their results. I think this is really a good opportunity for researchers. I recommend people join MANA."