Message from Alumni & Faculty

*Affiliations and titles are current at the time of publication

MATSUI Chihiro

She received her Ph. D. in Physics from the Faculty of Science at the University of Tokyo in 2012. She was a JSPS Research Fellow in 2011. In 2012, she joined the JST FIRST Aihara Advanced Mathematical Modeling Project as a researcher. In 2013, she became an assistant professor at the Department of Mathematical Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo. In 2017, she joined the Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Tokyo as an associate professor.

Ever since I was impressed in an elementary school science class by the fact that “natural phenomena can be described by mathematical formulas”, I have been pursuing my dream of understanding the world in my own way.

Although I had vaguely wanted to study physics since junior high school, I could not narrow down my choice to a single discipline when entering university. I therefore enrolled in the University of Tokyo’s College of Arts and Sciences, Division II, which also offers biology experiments. I struggled with biology, a subject I had not studied in high school, but I was able to take courses such as psychology, Greek, and history of science—subjects I might not have encountered at other universities. In hindsight, these became valuable experiences for me.

At the time of choosing my department, there was a prevailing mood of “Physics is the foundation of everything!” Believing that true understanding must ultimately come from physics, I stayed true to my initial aspiration and chose the Department of Physics. However, I often could not grasp explanations in lectures that started with “Physically speaking…”, which made me feel I lacked physical intuition. That led me to shift toward mathematical physics, closer to mathematics—the “common language” of all sciences. Later, after various twists and turns, I moved from information science to mathematics.

Although my career path has followed my shifting interests, at its core there has always been a strong desire: “I want to understand the world through mathematics!” I continue working hard every day, until the day finally comes when I can say with conviction, “I get it now!”

Message to junior and senior high school girls, and female students:
Unlike before university, what matters most in studying and researching at university is how long you can keep alive that burning passion of “I love this!” or “I want to know more!” Perhaps this is true for any career. Please cherish the interests you discover when you are young, and let’s pursue our own passions together!

Publication Date: 2025.9.1