Kunal is from Jehanabad, Bihar in India. He studied at IIT Guwahati before transferring to GSC.

How did you hear about GSC?

I initially applied to the University of Tokyo Research Internship Program (UTRIP) because I wanted to come to UTokyo as an intern. I then learned about GSC through an email from UTRIP.

What motivated you to apply?

I was doing a B.Tech in science and technology in IIT Guwahati and became interested in chemistry, especially physical chemistry, because of some of my teachers. But for an Indian student who is studying at an IIT, it is very hard to get experience in pure sciences as everybody in those universities is more focused on technological studies. Therefore, I was looking for a good program where I could study chemistry and found out about GSC. I looked more into this program and the ranking of the University of Tokyo. I also looked into each laboratory and their specialization. They were doing very cutting edge research, so I decided to transfer from my previous university to the University of Tokyo.

How did your friends react when you told them about your decision?

Most of my classmates didn’t know much about chemistry or the Japanese education system so they weren’t very encouraging. But a few of my teachers encouraged me and told me about chemistry research at the University of Tokyo, which helped in my decision to transfer.

How did you feel after you were accepted onto GSC?

I had never traveled before, not even in India, so I was very excited about experiencing very new things, new cultures and meeting different people.

Is life in Japan how you imagined it to be?

It’s a little bit different. When I was in India, I thought eating food and communicating with people in Japan would be difficult, but it’s not at all. I had many misconceptions but after I came here, I talked with many people and experienced new things. This changed my perspective. Now I am settled in and am doing very well in terms of my social life. I am enjoying Japan very much.

Have you had a chance to travel anywhere in Japan?

I like traveling to temples and when I came to Japan, I visited many, especially Buddhist temples. I went to Gotemba where there is a peace pagoda and a statue of Mahatma Buddha. I’ve also visited Mt. Fuji.

What are your main impressions of GSC?

In the first semester, we experienced lab rotations and it was really good for helping us to determine our research paths. If we didn’t have that kind of opportunity, we would not have known about our research interests and we would have decided on our research projects randomly, which may have led us on the wrong path.

Also, GSC has Project Assistant Professors and they personally helped us during labs and classes, and with whatever doubts or misconceptions we had about our academic or social life. This is one reason why we didn’t feel lonely when we initially came to Japan.

What has been your main highlight of the program so far?

I have enjoyed doing independent research in labs the most. I was shocked initially to see that each lab has its own equipment and you can use it whenever you want. In India, we have equipment but it’s shared. Research that took me one month to do in India only takes me one or two days here at UTokyo.

After doing the lab rotations, I wanted to do research in applied quantum chemistry so I joined Professor Ohkoshi’s Solid State Physical Chemistry Lab last winter for three months. His lab is working on lanthanide compounds which has very good luminescent and magnetic properties. You can modify the characteristics of these lanthanides by mixing them and can also transform these materials based on your requirements.

How has the School of Science Scholarship helped you?

Many Indian students wouldn’t be able to afford a foreign education without a scholarship. Especially in my case, my economic background is not so good. That’s why I was very worried initially and sent a lot of emails to the GSC office. I asked many questions about the concerns I had and they clarified everything.

Have you made friends on the program?

I have a good relationship with all the GSC students in my year. Back in India, I was kind of shy and conservative and wasn’t very friendly. I became very open after coming to Japan and now I talk to everybody. I also know most of my Japanese classmates and I started playing baseball with them. I had never played baseball before but those classmates are very friendly and invited me to play. There is a baseball tournament in the coming months and a team from each laboratory will play.

How has it been learning Japanese?

Grammatically, it is easy for me because Japanese is very similar to Hindi. However, the alphabet is very different so initially that was difficult, but after studying for one or two months, that also became easy. Learning languages was never interesting to me, but I knew that if I couldn’t speak basic Japanese, I wouldn’t be able to communicate with locals or go to stores. Now I try to speak in Japanese with the Japanese students.

How does participating in GSC help you achieve your long term aspirations?

Now I want to become a researcher, even a Nobel Laureate in chemistry. Living in Tokyo and doing research, a blend of both things, is what I want to do. I think because the culture in Japan is very similar to that in India, life here is very comfortable for me.

What fascinates me about Japan is the blend of its traditional culture with technology. In the modern era, you see everything technologically advance around you but still Japan has maintained its traditions. I want to take this idea back to India and try to apply it. In India, we have a lot of culture but we’re not a very technologically advanced country. I want to inspire people to carry their culture with them and blend it with technology.

Would you recommend this program to other students?

Yes, I would definitely recommend this program to students, especially the Department of Chemistry as every lab is doing cutting edge research. The laboratories at UTokyo are equipped with very high quality technological equipment, which is why the university has a high ranking. If someone is interested in doing research and also wants to explore the world and meet new people, I think GSC is an ideal program.