Greeting

The International Center for Young Scientists (ICYS) was established at NIMS in 2003 with the goal of promoting the development of young researchers who will lead the next generation of materials science across the entire institute. At its core are two programs operated under the “In4” philosophy (International, Interdisciplinary, Independent, and Innovative): the ICYS PI program and the ICYS Research Fellow program. Both programs recruit outstanding young researchers as ICYS PIs or Research Fellows through international open recruitment. ICYS PIs and Research Fellows conduct independent research based on innovative ideas, using the Center as their base and fully leveraging NIMS's excellent research environment.

The ICYS Research Fellow program, which has evolved since the Center's founding, is positioned as a senior postdoctoral program. It aims to cultivate independent researchers capable of conceiving and developing original research. To date, we have received applications from over 90 countries and welcomed researchers from 30 nations. Many young researchers who have served as ICYS Research Fellows now hold positions as tenured researchers or faculty members at world-class universities, research institutions, and companies, including NIMS. Approximately 60 ‘alumni’ are currently active as tenured researchers at NIMS.

Starting in the latter half of fiscal year 2025, we established the ICYS PI program to accept young researchers at broader career stages. The ICYS PI aims to cultivate research leaders who can pioneer original new research fields by enabling them to form small research units. We expect ICYS PIs to go on to lead research groups at world-class universities, research institutions, and companies, including NIMS.

ICYS is designed so that members tackling themes from different fields share office space, facilitating daily-level interaction. The biweekly ICYS Seminar, where ICYS researchers present their research progress, provides an excellent opportunity to gain new ideas from colleagues and NIMS researchers through lively and stimulating discussions.

Needless to say, ICYS's lifeline lies in welcoming outstanding young researchers brimming with innovative ideas and ambition. We strongly encourage aspiring young researchers to actively apply for ICYS Principal Investigator (PI) and Research Fellow positions. We eagerly anticipate that you will actively leverage the unique research environment ICYS provides to play a vital role in advancing next-generation materials science and contributing to society.