My career began in materials science research, where I worked on a wide range of themes: synthesising and analysing carbon nanotubes and metal oxides, and exploring energy applications for nanogenerators, among others. Most recently, I researched breath analysis at the University of Tokyo, combining measurement techniques — integrated gas sensors and mass spectrometers — with machine learning to develop algorithms for detecting people's health conditions. Along the way, I began to ask myself, 'Is my research really helping anyone?' I was inspired by my supervisor's passion for research, but the real turning point came when I heard the CEO of a medical robotics startup talk about 'using technology to improve people's lives'. From then on, I decided I wanted to seriously pursue research that actually helps people.

It was around that time that I came across the MI-6 website. The moment I saw the concepts behind miHub® and lab automation, I thought, 'This is exactly the solution to the problems I've experienced in research.' Many researchers spend 70 to 80 percent of their experiment time on simple data collection and processing. Processes that have to be redone because of a small mistake, know-how that stays locked in one person's head, the difficulty of training people up — these were struggles I had experienced myself. I was strongly drawn to the vision of automating that work with miHub® and robotics, creating an environment where researchers could focus on the creative work they should really be doing. And above all, I became convinced that this was a place where my research could genuinely help someone — because I believed that kind of change could accelerate not just individuals and companies, but society as a whole.

I currently lead an R&D team working in spectral analysis and feature extraction. Beyond providing technical solutions to clients' problems, I also put real effort into technical guidance and feedback, so that team members can stay highly motivated in their work. In R&D, we often run into failure and stagnation. At times like that, I've come to feel that keeping sight of the goal and moving the whole team forward takes more than just technical skill — supporting the people is essential too.

One project that really stands out for me involved analysing mechanical test data for a manufacturing client. Previously, they had been using existing, low-performance software to process hundreds of data points by hand, which took a great deal of time and effort. We developed an algorithm that could automatically extract more than 100 features in a matter of seconds, helping the client build a high-quality predictive model. That success raised the profile of spectral analysis within the company, and led to the launch of MI-6's first dedicated spectral analysis team.

The biggest difference between academia and MI-6 is the yardstick by which research results are judged. At university, novelty and getting published matter most, but here, results are judged by how useful they are to a client's work, and whether they're reproducible and ready to use in the field. That came as a real eye-opener for me, and I find it deeply rewarding to see my skills put to practical use out in the world.

On top of that, the data I work with is remarkably varied. Dealing with spectral data from XRD, Raman, GC-MS, IR and more — each from a different field with entirely different characteristics — calls for working out the best way to pre-process, extract features from, and analyse every single one. Having spent my university years focused deeply on a single subject, I find that tackling a different theme every time is, in itself, an opportunity to grow. How do you build a technique that is both general-purpose and flexible enough to adapt to the field? Facing that question day after day is what keeps pushing my expertise to the next stage.

MI-6's culture has also helped me a great deal on a personal level. As someone who doesn't speak Japanese, I've been genuinely reassured by the support of both my international and Japanese colleagues, which has let me settle into my work with real peace of mind. The flexibility of the way we work is another thing I value about MI-6. There was a time when my father fell seriously ill and I wasn't able to be with my family. That's exactly why I feel so grateful now to be in an environment where I can properly attend to both my research and my family.

At MI-6, you're encouraged to take the lead on your own ideas and bring them to life, regardless of seniority or title. If your beliefs align with the organisation's direction, anyone can become a project leader. Working here has helped me build a concrete picture of how I can contribute to society as a researcher. I think this is an ideal place for anyone who wants to show leadership within a team, or bring their own ideas out into the world. I would like to work alongside people who have a vision and want to make it happen themselves.

What we're focused on right now is developing a platform that fully connects robot-run experiments with miHub®'s data management, through spectral analysis. At the moment, analysing and interpreting experimental results still requires a human hand. If we can remove that bottleneck — automatically extracting physical and chemical features from data measured by robots and feeding it straight into miHub® — researchers will be able to focus their energy on more creative questions, and both the speed and accuracy of research will improve dramatically. I believe this will become the new standard for R&D.

If a platform like this becomes a reality, research will become faster, more accurate, and more open. Results that once only experts could reach will become something more people can reproduce and apply. That would accelerate individual growth, help companies develop faster, and ultimately speed up technological progress across society as a whole. Automating research is by no means about taking people's jobs away. On the contrary, it is a technology that frees up more time and energy for the things only humans can do — thinking, asking questions, and finding meaning. My goal is to help build that future, even if only bit by bit, with my own hands.