URA as a research supporter

After graduating from Hokkaido University School of Science of Science, I received my PhD in 2018 and started working as a URA at Hokkaido University. URA originated in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Development of a System for Developing and Retaining Research Administrators" project, and since then has been gradually introduced at universities nationwide. URA was introduced as a new profession to support university research. In 2012, our university also established a URA station to provide research support for the entire university.

The content of research support is wide-ranging, including support for acquiring research funds (external funds) such as Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, analysis of research results, public relations, and operation of shared facilities. At our university, as a “business management type URA,” we plan and implement plans related to the operation of the university as a whole.

PhD experience and URA

As a URA, you have many opportunities to interact directly with faculty members within the university, and your degree is a great advantage. When I talk with researchers, the ability I cultivated in my doctoral course to understand research content and methods is very useful. My experience in the doctoral program allows me to interpret the data and understand the content logically even when talking to researchers in different fields, not to mention the field of life science, which is my specialty. increase. Furthermore, being different from your research field can work in a positive direction. When applying for large-scale external funding, etc., it is necessary to get researchers (jurors) from different fields to understand the research. That is why perspectives from different fields are so important. Regardless of the research field, I feel that understanding the research story correctly can contribute to brushing up the application form.

Good things about becoming a URA

By becoming a URA, I was able to come into contact with a wide range of research, and I was able to learn about the diverse developments of research and how it relates to society. In a word, there are various kinds of research. At the same time, I was surprised by the fact that despite the diversity, there was a logical part in common.

I am also experiencing the depth of the humanities and social sciences through the humanities and sciences fusion project I am currently involved in. While making fresh discoveries through the humanities and social sciences, I felt that there are some commonalities with science and engineering. I would like to work hard to successfully combine these commonalities and differences to advance the project.

Furthermore, it will be important to connect with companies and people in the community, not just within the university. For that reason, it is important to disseminate scientific activities outside the university, including science and humanities. In addition, it will be required to communicate in various ways, not just sending out messages. As a URA, I would like to practice not only the fusion of disciplines, but also the creation of connections between science and society (science communication).

Efforts of Ph.Discover

Ph.Discoverの取り組みによって、博士課程に在籍している院生や進学に迷っている学生にはとても有益な情報源になると思います。（私が博士課程に在籍していたときには、Ph.Discoverのような取り組みはありませんでした。）これからは、社会そのものが大きく変容するため、既存の枠組みを見直し、物事をゼロから考えられる人材が求められるようになります。研究の成果やその分野の専門性だけでなく、博士課程で身につく汎用的な能力が重要になるのです。Ph.Discoverのような取り組みを通じ、学位取得後にどのように社会で活躍するか想像できるようになると思います。私もPh.Discoverに掲載される記事を見て、新たな活躍の仕方を知ることが一つのモチベーションとなっています。今後もPh.Discoverの活動に注目していきます。