We are accepting international students (Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University) and postdocs. Japanese skill is unnecessary, as we use English in all the communications within the lab. So far, our lab has accepted, Taiwanese, British, German, Chinese, Dutch, Swiss, Thai, Turk, and Singaporean. We seek highly motivated students/postdocs who eager to study neuroscience and become the next leaders in the field, irrespective of his/her background. We can also accept a limited number of intern students (basically undergrad students). Please contact us by email with your CV and essay (early before formal application). Without an essay (detailing what you have done, why you are applying to our lab, and what you want to accomplish in the future), we are unlikely to reply. We would like to know your passion, vision, and logical thinking in science.
Admission information is posted in the official website of Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University (Admissions for Master Course and Ph.D. Course). The deadlines for application are June for Master, and Aug or Dec for Ph.D. Applicants do not need to come to Japan to take the exam; we can judge based on an essay (statement of purpose) and Skype interview (presentation and Q&A). We will evaluate English skill, basic knowledge in molecular-cellular biology (textbook: Essential Cell Biology, 5th ed) and neuroscience (textbook: Principles of Neurobiology), past achievement, and your future goal.
International students are strongly recommended to apply for MEXT scholarship. Here is a call for FY2018 from MEXT. Application call for the university recommendation is in Dec, and application deadline is Feb. If successful, you can enroll from Oct.
Here is information from International Affair Department of Kyushu University. Here is additional information on scholarship programs available in Japan. Please prepare for it early. If accepted, we will help VISA application. If not funded, we can cover a minimum amount of salary for graduate students.
If you are interested in studying at Imai lab in Kyushu University, we also recommend visiting a website for International Student and Researcher Support Center at Kyushu University.
Postdocs are strongly recommended to apply for fellowship programs, while we can hire 1-2 people from our grant. Here is information for JSPS fellowship program for foreign researchers. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Imai on application.
We can also host intern students (1 week to 3 months, at any time for selected students). We hold a summer internship program every summer (1 week, up to several students). Details will be announced in the top page. Please cover all the expenses yourself. If you apply early, we may be able to find a dorm. It is very difficult to pay salary/stipend to non-Japanese students due to the regulation of the short-term sightseeing/student visa. Here is a report for 2018 summer internship.