Message from Alumni & Faculty
*Affiliations and titles are current at the time of publication
KOGANEBUCHI Kae
I have progressed so far by gradually working on ‘small short-term goals’ rather than ‘big long-term goals’. As a result, I have attended different universities and graduate schools for my undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees, and have also worked in sales and marketing in the private sector. I have chosen my career path, wondering what on earth my life would be like, but now I strongly feel that everything has supported my current research activities.
My twists and turns are described here: as a teenager, I was interested in many things, from animation production to research. When I was in high school, I thought biology, especially evolution, sounded interesting, however I was concerned about finding a job and wanted to learn about things that could be applied industrially as well, so I looked for a university where I could study a wide range of subjects, from basic biology to applied biology, and went on to higher education. I was then impressed by Dr Motoo Kimura's book ‘Considering Biological Evolution’ and anthropology lectures at the undergraduate level, which led me to start research in genome anthropology, which I still specialize in today, as a master's student.
Ever since I was an undergraduate student, I had always wanted to continue on to a PhD program and work in research, but I couldn't shake off concerns about my ability and finances, and I also wanted to work in the private sector, so after completing my master course I worked for three years as a corporate sales and marketing planner in an IT company.
After working away from research in the private sector, I gradually came to feel that what I wanted to do was research-related work and that I needed to get a PhD in order to get a professional job, so I took a leap of faith and entered a PhD course. Through my research and the writing of my thesis in the doctoral program, I successfully obtained my doctorate, but during the process I never lost my concerns about my abilities and finances, and I tried not to narrow my possibilities, thinking in my mind that if my research did not go well, I could still work for some company. After finishing my PhD, I thought about looking for a researcher job abroad, but I couldn't take the plunge, so I found a position in Japan and went to the University of the Ryukyus. I then moved to the University of Tokyo, where I am currently affiliated.
I have made both satisfactory and unsatisfactory choices, but I strongly feel that these choices have accumulated and that I am now able to work with many collaborators and carry out my research activities. From now on, I would like to have more research experience abroad and more joint research with national and international researchers, and I am gradually building up that experience.
If I were to tell myself as a teenager what I am now, I feel that I would say, ‘I can't believe it!’ I feel that I would say. If I had worked on what was in front of me little by little, I would have come a long way unexpectedly. I encourage you all to build on your choices and go further than you could ever imagine.
Publication Date: 2024.10.31