Category Archives: 独立した研究者になる方法

利根川進博士のぶっちゃけ話:研究者として成功できた理由および成功戦略

利根川進博士がマサチューセッツ工科大学(MIT)の学生に対して研究者のキャリアに関してざっくばらんに話をし、学生からの質問に答えている動画がYOUTUBEにありました。自分がどうして研究者として成功できたのかという話と、どうすれば研究の世界で成功できるのか(大きなインパクトを残せるのかという要件と戦略にについての非常に興味深いアドバイスが聴けます。

大学院進学を考えている野心的な学部学生、ポスドク先をどこにしようか悩んでいる博士号取得予定の大学院生、セカンドポスドクのラボ選びを考えている研究者、もう一花咲かせたいPIの人などに是非見て欲しい動画です。

「精神と物質」(利根川進、立花隆)でも研究キャリアの話がかなり詳細に書かれていて自分は研究キャリア形成の素晴らしい教科書だと思っていますが、このMITでの対談の場では、くだけた雰囲気の中でいろいろなことが赤裸々に語られていて、本の印象とはまた違った面白さがあります。

A Conversation with Susumu Tonegawa
MIT Department of Biology

挨拶

(13:13~)OK. So I find that this program is great. OK, I mean, we’ll see how it goes. But I think, I joke, but I think the department of biology is really getting humanized and culturalized and this is the part of that direction and I’m very pleased to be here. I don’t exactly know what I’m supposed to do but I have never had the chance to attend the previous ones. [INAUDIBLE] So I am guessing. We have about 45 minutes and my understanding is it will good if we save some time for questions and answers because it’s supposed to be a conversation, right? In any case I give you a little bit of a sort of a lead for conversations.

生い立ち&京都大学の学部学生のときの決断:分子生物学者になる

(14:10~) First of all, many years before most of you were born except Herman Eisen, [LAUGHING] I was a student at University of Kyoto, you know, Kyoto in Japan. I was in chemistry major. But toward the end of the four year schooling, I wasn’t sure whether I want to stay in the field of chemistry. And of course, chemistry turned out to be it’s still very exciting field but I did not know enough of it.  And I was looking for something new to do for graduate school. And someone told me that– this is 1962. So many, many years ago. Someone told me that the new biology emerging in America, primarily in the United States and partly in Europe, that it’s called the molecular biology. And I had no idea what it was but he introduced me to a couple of papers he recommended to me to read. And those adored paper were by Jacob and Monod, from Pasteur institute, and I hope biology student know these names. And so I read all those papers in the Journal called Journal of Molecular Biology, which was the cell of today at that time. And a long paper.  It opened on theory, and I was so impressed by this. And I immediately, instantaneously decided I’m going to be trained as a molecular biologist.

大学院:UCSDでの博士研究

But in Japan there was no molecular biology lab at all. My professor was kind enough to arrange me to study abroad and I ended up one of the most beautiful town in the United States, which is the La Jolla, UCSD was just starting. They had only one more year above me in a graduate school at UCSD. The second year in the history of the UCSD. There were no undergraduate student at the time. So it started as a graduate school university. I was trained as a molecular geneticist, molecular biology, molecular genetics. At that time unlike now, major thrust in molecular biology was not in eukaryotic systems but in the prokaryotic system. Bacteria and viruses which infect the phages. Molecular Genetics  I worked on phage lambda, transcriptional control  with some genetic components into it at my PhD thesis. This is all OK, but not something I’m particularly proud of.

研究者としてのキャリアを見据えたときに、ポスドク先で何を研究テーマにすべきか

Then in the ’60, late ’60s 1968, I was going to go do postdoc. Now, among at that time, among the students, my fellow students there was some concern about the future when molecular biology because it looked like the major fundamental problem in molecular biology, molecular genetics all being solved. Genetic code, protein synthesis, messenger RNA, all of those things were discovered and we are wondering  is there a future for us when we become independent after several years of postdoc training. Among us, I mean, my close surrounding thought we should go to a more complex system. So the animal cells or plants, something like that,  to study at development. Differentiation, cell growth, control, and things like that. But at that time there was no really good technology to do that in order to do rigorous research, and it was down in prokaryotic system. It was a difficult decision to make as to where to go for the postdoc.

1stポスドク:ダルベッコの研究室での20カ月

And I had of this institute called the Salk Institute, which is right across the street from North Torrey Pine road from UCSD and there was a lab which is run by someone called Renato Dulbecco. Now, amazing thing is among younger people here I don’t know how many percent of you know who Dulbecco is. Those who know please raise hands. You see it’s only older people. [LAUGHING] We don’t use Dulbecco medium anymore in tissue culture, we still use that. People know by the medium was named after him  but that’s not his major contribution to research science. And he is a virologist actually. But he comes from this old School of molecular genetics– molecular biology, which was started in Caltech and a few other places.  [INAUDIBLE] was a leader and Dulbecco was already there and a younger faculty member. He was the M.D. He was a virologist, but he was already exposed to what used to be called the molecular biology. He had a big lab and he’s main interest was tumor virology, to study load of viruses in tumorigenesis. Tumor Biology There you use the tissue culture from animal cells, and then you have a virus. They were at that time focusing on small genome virus, simian 40 virus, polyoma virus. They had no more than four or five genes in there, you can purify DNA, viral genome, and then you can infect in a culture in a condition where– lytic cycle where the cell host will die or you’ve done in a different type of cell that you can sort of transform them to make actual control for growth. So it sounded to me these are sort of a hybrid between the molecular genetics of prokaryotic system which we are used to, and at the same time you can learn something about the animal cell, the regulation in animal cells. I chose to apply that place and fortunately Renato took me and afterwards I found out several of the postdoc who joined the lab around the time I joined they had exactly the same consideration. They worried about their future and they wanted to have– they wanted [INAUDIBLE] work on the eukaryotic system but not purely animal system or plants or something like that. Postdocs That’s how I was exposed to the eukaryotic system, same eukaryotic system. And I also learned a lot in that lab although I was there only 20 months. And I tell you why I was there only 20 months in a minute. But lab was fantastic. They were very good postdocs, senior postdoc. The big lab, like 30 people. And Renato doesn’t, when you go there Renato doesn’t tell you what to do. He will say, oh, why don’t you just talk to people and try to find something interesting to you. And then he said he is happy to discuss it if I bring up some project ideas. But he will tell you what to do. And I learned a lot from these postdoctoral people, very good people, [INAUDIBLE]. And those people who later became very good senior scientist. Anyway, so I learned something there Trade Practical Training but it was relatively short as I said, less than 20 months.

J1ビザによる滞在年数の制限

And the reason why it was less than 20 months is because I came to UCSD with a visa called  J1 visa, exchange visitor visa. And nowadays there is some way to get around a little bit but at that time it was very strict. So actually 18 months after you finished PhD, which is called– this period it’s called trade practical training, you have to leave the country. You don’t have to go back to your native country but you have to go out of United States for at least two years, two years to come back. I had to leave the US. Leaving the US I was very happy with what was going on in Renato’s lab but I had to leave. Renato was concerned, very nice to me and he talked to some people in Canada, but Canada is close to US. And then if I stay at the shelter they are for a few years I may be able to come back. [LAUGHING] No, you may laugh this but a lot of people did that at that time.

カナダでのアシスタントプロフェッサー職

But my postdoc work was not so spectacular. So I could not expect to have best [INAUDIBLE] petitions Offer Assistant Professor but I ended up having offer assistant professorship in a small town about two or three hours east of Montreal in a town called Shellbrook. It’s a small town with a large hospital. And there were some research division there. I got an offer, I wrote a grant, MRC grant, Canadian MRC grant, and I got it.

ダルベッコからの手紙

And I was supposed to go in about three months when I received a letter, short letter from Renato who was traveling– he’s Italian-American, so he often goes to Europe. He was traveling in Europe and I still have that letter, I could have brought the copy, but I didn’t do it. [LAUGHING] It’s written in a small stationery with the logo of a very famous hotel in Rome, it’s called the hotel Hassler. Hotel Hassler is just above Spanish steps, it’s still there. He wrote this handwritten letter and to me, only 1 and 1/2 pages, small ones. And he said something like I don’t know what you decided about the place you have to go after you leave my lab. But if you have not completely decided here’s I want to suggest an alternative, that’s what he said. And he said something like, he believes. This is 1968. No, 1969 he said, he believes time is ripe for young scientists with good molecular biology training to go into immunology, that’s what he said. And if you are interested, he said, right to doctor– director [INAUDIBLE] 487 [INAUDIBLE] C84058 [INAUDIBLE],, Switzerland. [LAUGHING] And when I saw that email– Jim Watson the letter I took it downstairs in the Salk Institute, where  [INAUDIBLE],, you know [INAUDIBLE] is supposed to be an immunologist,  but also come from molecular biology. I went there and I showed this letter  to a postdoc whose name was Jim Watson. But not the one you know but another one. [LAUGHING] And because I knew him and he come from molecular biology, so I had some affinity to him. So I asked him, is there anything I can do in immunology which could be significant. And as I said he had some molecular biology background. He said, immediately said, no, they had nothing. I went back and put it in my– the letter in my drawer and I forgot it.

ダルベッコの直言

「ススム、これは本当に面白い方向だから、真剣に考えたほうがいいよ。」

And then about a month later, and it was almost two months before I was supposed to be deported unless I voluntarily leave. Renato came back and he came to tell me– he asked me whether I wrote the letter to [INAUDIBLE].. I explained to him that I did not, and I told him I don’t know anything about immunology, and I don’t even know Basel is, I didn’t know who [INAUDIBLE] is. I didn’t think that this is a good idea I told him. But now, I want to tell you something, it is really important. Renato as I told you doesn’t tell you what to do usually. Even do not recommend strongly to do anything but this case some way and it struck me because he said to me Susumu, this is really interesting direction you should really think about it or something like that. Montreal Then about 10 days later I visited Montreal which was the end of December.  [LAUGHING] And I was supposed to start in April but, I mean, and it was damn cold. [LAUGHING] I came back and I just–my mind flipped. I said, OK, I’m going to trust Renato  and I’m going to go to Basel.

バーゼル免疫学研究所に到着

「お前の研究は免疫学となんか関係あるのか?」「いや、なんの関係もないと思う。」

「T細胞とB細胞の違いを知ってるか?」「いや、知らない」

Basel Actually in February I left and went to Basel. And my intention was again, just stay there for two years  and continue to work– I was making some polyoma virus mutant, temperature sensitive mutants, which will be defective in transformation, cellular transformation. I wanted to continue that research. Fortunately, [INAUDIBLE] allowed me to do that although when he saw me a week after I arrived he asked me whether this had anything to do with immunology. So I said no, I can’t think of any connection. And the second thing he asked me is do I know the difference between T cell and B cells, and I had never heard of that. So I said no. And but he did not fire me, he let me do.

バーゼル免疫学研究所のフラットな体制:博士研究者はみな独立

Horizontal Structure And in Basel institute actually they had this what is called horizontal structure, which means if you have a PhD or a PhD equivalent you’re independent. It doesn’t matter whether you haven’t had any postdoc period or not. And you can corroborate that with anybody but you are given one technician and a half of a room, half of a lab, and a half of a office, and you can do whatever you want to. And you are supposed to do something relevant for immunology but I was ignoring that. [LAUGHING] Cellular Cellular Immunology

心境の変化:免疫学の世界へ

But in about two years I suffered actually, because I didn’t understand what they are talking about. There were a lot of seminars. Apparently there were very good immunologists who assemble there but there was no molecular biologist  or biochemist or anything like that. It’s pure immunology. At that time dominant area, dominant approach of immunology well it’s called cellular immunology. There are seminars and I mean, I try Research to go but I didn’t really understand. But then gradually my thinking sort of changed. I thought if I’m going to stay here surrounded by apparently very good immunologist I should learn something in immunology and I should try to do some research which interest them. Otherwise I don’t have opportunity to talk with them science.

免疫学における重要課題:抗体の多様性を生み出す遺伝学的なしくみ

I fished around and I ran into this problem of genetic origin Antibody Diversity of antibody diversity. When I was exposed to this problem. I actually honestly speaking I didn’t understand why they don’t study antibody genes rather than antibody molecules themselves because the only thing that people are doing at that time, as Lisa said but a lot of other people like [INAUDIBLE] and other people are [INAUDIBLE].. They were sequencing myeloma proteins which is monoclonal immunoglobin proteins. And they are hoping that if you sequence enough of them from that pattern you may be able to answer the genetic origin of antibody diversity and I thought that this is crazy. I mean, how can you do that when you have to look at the gene and compare the genes with the proteins, not just on one side it’s not going to solve the problem. Unfortunately, when I was in Basel– I mean Renato’s lab I already knew about restriction enzyme and also almost gene cloning, it almost becoming coming. That was the great thing about Renat’s lab. Renato’s in tumor biology was the Meca in tumor biology field. So a lot of people actually sent pre-prints to Renato’s lab to I guess to get some opinions or something like that. I already knew they are this in I think 1968, first paper with Smith and what is the other guy? Restriction enzyme applied to– AUDIENCE: Dan Nathan. SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Yeah, Nathan. Smith and Nathan. So I thought– when I heard that I immediately thought Radar the idea that I executed later.

抗体の多様性がDNAの組換えで生じているかを検証するアイデア(サザンブロット法以前の時代に)

That if you cut up genomic genes antibody producing gene versus no antibody producing genes, if there is any DNA rearrangement, if we cut them up, and if we have a probe by the way, hybridization probe, run the gel and the probe patent. Basically Southern blot, but Southern blot didn’t exist at that time. So that was a technical issue of how to do Southern blot equivalent because it didn’t exist. But theoretically, if you can do something like that one should be able to tell whether gene is rearranging or not automatically. Restriction I started by getting my myeloma cell line to grow them [INAUDIBLE] but at the same time I was always thinking about how to spread out restricted the genomic DNA. And we did something really not elegant because Southern blot it’s very elegant. But we run– people who works on the serum on the separate Electrophoresis proteins in the serum they use electrophoresis, horizontal electro– other electrophoresis. And we owned the preparative thing, they used very large one like 50 centimeter long and maybe 40 centimeter wide, or something like that. You have to run long time because it is a very large gel. And I saw that in the cold room the immunologist were using, so I thought, oh, maybe I can use this one put the DNA, restricted DNA and develop it electrophoretically. And there were a lot of trial and error but it turned out you have to do it very slowly because otherwise if you rush [INAUDIBLE] get constricted and distorted. It takes about 3 and 1/2 days to run. But and then you cut it up, and then extract DNA from each fraction, like 60 fractions. It’s not the Southern blot. And then they do the hybridization with probe, immunoglobulin gene probe, which itself there were no cDNA then. What we did is we purified as much as possible from myeloma cell line, the specific immunoglobulin lichen mRNA. I don’t think it went any more than 97%, 98% pure even if we did the many steps of purification. But then you iodinate. To label you iodinate and then use that as the probe. Iodine That’s how it went. I don’t tell you all of the detail.

But we have only 20 minutes left so maybe I should stop here. And only message I will give to young people is I’m so– of course, I’m so grateful to Dulbecco. And I think that he is a most sophisticated mentor without any intentional planning. He had this, in my view, he had this vision, where the science is going, where the exciting things are going to develop in five years 10 years, maybe 30 years. Immune RNA And he was not immunologist but someway he knew enough to suggest to I guess ambitious young student postdoc, to try. And I think as a matter of fact I’ll tell you a little bit more because he actually in the letter– I abbreviated– but he suggested something very specific it’s called immune RNA.

免疫RNA(でっちあげられた話)

Now, there was a claim was made around that, just before that one group in Harvard and one group in NYU or something. Independent. If you take a rabbit immunize with antigen Two papers and then afterwards extract RNA from spring, and they inject that RNA to a naive rabbit, that rabbit to become immune to that antigen and that RNA is called immune RNA. But it’s very crude. I mean you just take RNA and inject it. And there was a paper, there were two papers. And Renato happened to see those papers and he was– one thing he was thinking about is that. He was thinking, well, maybe one should study this more carefully and tried to characterize RNA and find out what’s going on. And that probably he mentioned that in this small letter I was wrong as an example of what I might consider doing. It turned out those two papers are fraud, so it was wrong. And some of you may know who the professor at Harvard. But in any case, it is already quite well-known, young professor and most of them are wrong– fraud. They’re made up.

メンターとしてのダルベッコ

He was completely wrong when he suggested something very specific to me but he was right in suggesting big picture, general direction. And I think this is a very important thing mentors should keep in mind. Mentor should not be just a coach, mentor should be a some [INAUDIBLE] giving person. This is the way I feel and– There are a lot of other things but I’ll stop stopped hereand then I’ll let you ask questions.

質疑応答 質問1:アメリカ留学後に京大に戻らなくても大丈夫だったの?

AUDIENCE: So when your professor from Kyoto sent you to US, didn’t he expect you to go back? SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Yeah. So when my visa is going to expire I did write to him of course. But I could not– he could not come up with attractive position for me. So oh, you mean, do I have a moral obligation to go back? [LAUGHING] No. I never feel that way. [LAUGHING] No, he was not unhappy that I didn’t come back. He was not unhappy. It was OK. People, one of the message I have is young people should go abroad. I mean, see the world and interact with the different people, and learn from them. I study memory, brain. Brain is so easily shaped by environment. You only think about with information you have in the head. You have to expand it by going to a new place interacting, with new people and exploring new things. But anyway so. Nobel laureates

質疑応答 質問2:ダルベッコ研究室の人々について

43:04 AUDIENCE: Renato’s lab produced many other people. Where people– SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Renato’s lab, yes. AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE] SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Yeah, yeah, it’s amazing. [INAUDIBLE] AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE] is out there, right? SUSUMU TONEGAWA: [INAUDIBLE] is amazing, OK. 43:17 Now, you help me to tell you a little story again. You know Renato’s lab, Renato himself is a Nobel laureate 43:25 and you know. And his mentor is a Nobel laureate who is Salvador Luria. 43:31 And Salvador Luria graduate student who overlapped with Renato’s postdoc period [INAUDIBLE].. 43:39 And then in Renato’s lab. So David Baltimore, Howard Temin, Lee Hartwell, 43:45 and myself. I mean at a different time. Lee Hartwell was when he was a Cal Tech professor graduate 43:52 student. He had four Nobel laureate from his lab. AUDIENCE: And I think I remember Paul Berg. 43:59 SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Yes, Paul Berg when he changed from protein synthesis, molecular genetics 44:07 to eukaryotic system, which led to this recombinant DNA 44:12 technology he spend the one year in Renato’s lab for a sabbatical. 44:18 So he was exposed to eukaryotic system in Renato’s lab. This is quite amazing. How did he do it 44:24 I mean, we asked him how you do it? How he does it? And of course, he doesn’t answer. 44:31 He doesn’t have any answer. That it just happened, he says. 44:38 The only thing is he does his own research, his own experiments. We had no idea what he was doing. And it was every six months or so, he send out notice– not the email. No email then— that he’s going to give a talk in the lab. So he gives a talk, and we don’t understand what he’s talking about when he is so far ahead. You know, 1960– just in the late ’60s, he was already thinking, talking about growth factor in a cell, which would regulate the growth of cells. And he was working under the assumption there was a receptor for the specific growth factor on the cell surface and then did a signal transduction for changing a transcriptional or replicational state. And he was thinking about that. But this is very ahead for everybody else. So we thought, oh, this is– I don’t know. This doesn’t look like hard science. 45:53 But later, we realized that he was just very ahead of everybody else, I think.

質疑応答 質問3:ノーベル賞の連絡があったときの状況

Telephone call AUDIENCE: Can you describe the telephone call you got from Sweden? I mean, where you were?

SUSUMU TONEGAWA: I was in bed. It’s early morning. So Boston time is a very early morning. So I was sleeping. But also, call was not from Stockholm. Call was from Tokyo because a reporter called earlier than Stockholm.

Anyway, yes, please?

質疑応答 質問4:脳科学で発展性のある分野は?

AUDIENCE: So if you had to make a suggestion Future of brain research to your student or the postdoc, what would be some exciting area– 46:47 SUSUMU TONEGAWA: For the future? AUDIENCE: Five, 10 years or [INAUDIBLE].. 46:53

SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Brain, brain. Well, you should know that everybody– there’s no such a thing as objective visionary. 47:05 So each one has their– is based on their– actually, based on the memory they have in their head 47:13 and what is called a taste. And well, I consider brain is a tremendous future. 47:24 And brain research can be done in many different ways. It’s totally interdisciplinary research. 47:30 You can do biologically. You can do physiologically. You can do behaviors. And a lot of new technology is needed, also. 47:38 More technology has to be invented, particularly if eventually, if we want to study human brain, rather than animals. 47:45 We need a real revolution in a non-invasive technology 47:50 to look at what’s going on in the human brain. So this is yet to come. 47:56 MRI– it’s good now, but it’s not good enough 48:03 for real understanding of human mind. So engineering is definitely there. 48:09 And I think that that’s all I can say. Interdisciplinarity I mean, a lot of people say the same thing. But the more I get involved in brain research, 48:24 the more I’m convinced. And important thing is you are very aware of that interdisciplinarity of brain research. So one should try to learn– train– trained in not in one level of analysis, 48:50 but at least two, maybe three levels, multiple levels, so that you can make a connection between processes, events happening in the different level of complexity– cellular, cellular interactions and physiology behavior, 49:05 and so on. But I also say that since this is a biology department, molecular biology will be powerful– continue to be powerful. There’s no doubt about it. You know this, right? Molecular biology is applicable for any area of life science. So it’s good to be trained as a good molecular biologist, by the way, when you are young. But then, you want to think about exploring new problems.

質疑応答 質問5:なぜ科学研究者に?

AUDIENCE: Can you say something about early influences in your life going into the scientific direction? I mean, did you have family members? Did you have a chemistry set? Did you tinker around in the basement?

SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Well, just again, I’m confirming what I already said. Human brain is easily shaped by environment. So the doctors’ children often become a doctor. Lawyers’ children often become a lawyer. Scientists’ or engineers’ children often become scientists or engineers, and so on. So I am not an exception to that. So in my bigger family, and the uncles, grandfather, they are mostly in science or engineering, including my father and my brother. My elder brother became a physicist, and so on. So that’s only world I knew when I was younger– you know, 50:39 teenagers. And it was very natural for me to go into some kind of science. 50:46 Then why chemistry? That’s a difficult question. I guess in high school, my grade in chemistry was good. So that’s why I thought I may have some talent in there. 51:00 But that’s not– yeah, they was just [INAUDIBLE].. How to become a scientist 51:06

質疑応答 質問6:免疫学から神経科学への転向について

AUDIENCE: Can you say a few words about your transition to neurobiology and how you prepared for it? SUSUMU TONEGAWA: How? 51:12 Transfer? Transition? AUDIENCE: Transition from– SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Yeah, transition– so that’s another thing. 51:17 That question is often asked. 51:24 You are young, but not so young. And I’m talking to younger people. You’ll excuse me for that. 51:35 You know, I think as a scientist, if we want to become a scientist, 51:41 I think the most important thing is your, as you say, 51:46 curiosity or your interest, scientific interest. 51:52 So as you do some research in some areas, of course, 52:00 there are other interesting things there. And you can never really finish it. 52:06 The question is, is it really interesting for you? 52:13 I mean, I think people should always think about, every few weeks, am I really doing– what I’m doing here, research, is it really worthwhile doing it compared to something else? And in other words, you should always assess what is called “importance,” which is also very subjective judgment. But that’s OK. Everything is subjective in this world. So you should assess whether you’re really looking at, seeking, something really– what is called “important” for you, important. So in immunology, I worked in so-called immunology. By the way, I never felt I’d been an immunologist, OK? I always felt that I’m a molecular biologist. I just use the molecular biology to study immunological problems. So I did that for, what, 15 years or so? 53:14 Maybe a bit more. And of course, there are still a lot of problems. But I started feeling I really explore something new. 53:24 I said explore something new. And there’s more subtle thinking on this.

サイエンスで成功するために必要なこと(53:32)

ひとつは、強い興味。

もう一つは、その研究領域の重要な問題にアプローチするための、自分だけの方法論を持っていること。

In science, as you know, if we want to have a really impact to that field that you are working on, I think you need a few things. One is keen interest. And the second thing is some kind of approaches, expertise, or techniques, or something, which you like, and that you think that you are pretty good at, but other people are not using to study certain problems in the field. So it’s almost like what is called interdisciplinary approach. Otherwise, I think it’s impossible to be able to contribute significantly to a field as a latecomer. You understand that? Because there are thousands of, maybe tens of thousands of bright people who have been thinking about the problems for many, many years. And then all of a sudden, you go in there. 5And if you use the same approach as they are using, or their same thought, applying the same thoughts, I think the chances are very small that you can contribute. So you have to run into something that nobody has done. 55:05 So when I went to Immunology Institute, nobody was doing the molecular biology of nucleic acids. Nobody in the world interested in the immunological problem was doing that. And I happened to be trained in that field in other areas. And all I did is combine the problem with the approach I had. Now, fortunately, nobody else was doing. And I did have competition later, by the way. César Milstein, [INAUDIBLE],, they also came into that.

免疫学の研究から離れた理由

But in any case, so the same thing in immunology, so I felt immunology is coming to the point where the people who have more medical training, medical, as well as PhD training, will probably have a better– more fun– to continue to study some of the remaining problem in the immunology, like tolerance and so on, or the immunity, or things like that. And I don’t have any medical training, and I didn’t want to let– how do I say? I didn’t feel that I’m the one who should be studying all those things.

神経科学領域への転身:分子生物学を脳研究に持ち込む

So I wanted to have something new. So there is a push and a pull. The push is what I just said. Pull is I was interested in the brain. I was interested in mind. 56:44 But I didn’t know for several years, I didn’t know how to study. In other words, I didn’t have this approach, which is unique, 56:51 or “almost unique,” to me or to my lab. But fortunately, toward the end of immunological research, we are using this transgenic gene knockout system to study immune system as a system. And then one day, [INAUDIBLE],, who is now professor at UCLA, came as a postdoc. When I was talking with him, we realized nobody has applied the transgenic or knockout mouse technology to study the mechanism underlying mouse behavior. Now, there are Drosophila people are already doing that– 57:38 been the study of that several years before that. But it was now possible also to do with mouse, but nobody was doing that. Never had anybody is starting doing that. So I thought this may be– 57:56 and that was a break with which I went in. We went in. It took about seven years to phase out immunology and go up 58:05 neuroscience. But it was a great change because my students are now postdocs. 58:11 Many of them also switched, and we learned together. 58:16 And then some of them know better than me. You know, like an MD postdoc, they know the anatomy of the brain already. 58:23 They tell me all these foreign names to me. And I learn from them. 58:31 And they’re not just anatomy, but many things. So it was OK. Really, I had– the luck I had is had Howard Hughes. 58:41 So we had stable funding. But actually, Max Cohen– I was on Howard Hughes’s own immunology program. 58:49 So when Max Cohen heard that I’m switching, he– 58:55 I don’t know what he did. He wrote to me or he called me, and he expressed his displeasure for my changing it. 59:04 He goes, hey, Susumu, you are in the immunology program. AUDIENCE: I can tell you what he said. 59:10 SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Huh? AUDIENCE: I can tell you what he said because– SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Well, what did he say? AUDIENCE: Yeah, because I was director of the Cancer Center Electrophysiology 59:15 at the time when you were making the switch. And you wanted a room to do electrophysiology. 59:21 And if you remember, I gave you one. And Max called me up and said, we’re not paying for that room. 59:30 We tried [INAUDIBLE]. And we got one to [INAUDIBLE]. SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Right, right. AUDIENCE: And I said, well, I don’t care what we pay for it. 59:38 He’s got the room, and he’s going to do neurobiology. SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Good. AUDIENCE: And he came around later. SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Later. 59:43 Yeah, came around. He came around. As soon the first paper was coming out, we agreed– change. 59:51 And he said, oh, it’s great. 59:58 So in that sense, Howard Hughes people are very good, very nice to us.

質疑応答 質問7:科学研究の最高峰に上り詰めてもなお自分を研究に駆り立てるものは何か?

生きている限り、何か面白いことをやらなきゃね。でないと死ぬほど退屈でしょ。

Yes, please? 1:00:04 AUDIENCE: What keeps you motivated? I mean– SUSUMU TONEGAWA: I can’t hear you. AUDIENCE: What keeps you motivated to continue 1:00:09 the work that you’re doing? Is it just the interest in what you’re doing? I mean, just what keeps you motivated to keep 1:00:16 going, to keep pushing forward in science? Because some people might have said that you have attained the peak of scientific achievement. So what keeps you going beyond that point?

人生を楽しむために

SUSUMU TONEGAWA: I never thought that I was at the peak. What do you mean? You still have to live. 1:00:39 So you want to do something interesting, right? You want to have fun in your life, as long as you are living. So you have to find something which you get excited about. Right?

素早く学ぶためには耳から情報を入れる

So it’s great if you change your field late, late, like I did, because you go back. You become student. You become a student. So you learn a lot of things very fast. It’s a lot like studying in a class and reading a book, textbooks, or things like that.  [INAUDIBLE] that’s too slow if we are changing a field. Because tomorrow, I have to talk to a very well-known neuroscientist for collaboration. So by tomorrow, I have to know the basics of what we are going to talk about. So I just ask around, the people, and by ears we learn things. I mean, it’s probably information is not very accurate this way. But at least you get the sound. That’s the way I think the sciences should be done. I mean, the science– it’s up to you.

面白いと思ったことをやる以外ない

I mean, if you’re interested, you do it. We have no other choice. Otherwise, you are bored to death– die. I hope it’s useful. I’m not sure. It’s OK? I want to emphasize molecular biology is important, although future is in brain neuroscience.

質疑応答 質問8(1:02:25)ヒトの脳をロボットで実現する日はいつ?

I have one question. How long do you think it’s going to take to actually model 1:02:32 the human brain with robots? SUSUMU TONEGAWA: Oh. 1:02:38 How long it’s going to take? I’m sure you can ask that question to somebody else. 1:02:45 You will get a better answer. But it’s tough. 1:02:51 You’re talking about a robot who behave, think, like human beings. That– I don’t think it will happen very soon, OK? 1:03:05 AUDIENCE: It could. SUSUMU TONEGAWA: I mean, actually– actually, it’s quite dangerous to do that because if a robot doesn’t like you, they could have much more power than you have, and a different order of magnitude of power. So they may attack you. So we have to– I don’t think– in that way, I don’t  think a robot will be ever be like a human being because human being will not allow that, right? But the question is, can robot– without given software– can this machine proactively not only respond to the stimulation, but have a thought? Planning of the behavior? I don’t think people have agreed to do that. So I think it will advance. Technology like that will advance [INAUDIBLE].. But to what extent we can do that, I don’t know. And when? It depends on what robot you’re talking about, what stage of robot. I mean, robot can now take care of patients, for instance– give the pills in the right time and say something soothing to you, to the patients. But that’s all software is there.  I mean, the human is giving them to do that. So they have to create their own– I mean, if you look at the human brain, the human brain’s hardware changes in response to environment. Hardware– it’s a network itself– changes to adapt to the environment. We incorporate information from environment. It’s a totally interactive machine with environment. So please ask someone in the– artificial intelligence people at MIT. You know, it’s very interesting because people who are really hardcore thinking-machine people, plus it’s people who are think about robotics, but also at the same time, a neuroscientist, they are viewed completely different.

テレンス・セジノウスキー

So I remember someone– yes, I tell you one little thing. I’m going to finish it, OK? Terry Sejnowski is a very good, respected neuroscientist at the Salk Institute who has a very broad understanding– biology to robotics to computational– everything. I really respect him. So he was telling me the other day that some years ago, when the thinking machine at MIT– people who are at the height of productivity– he was invited to give a seminar. And on the way to the lecture room, the host professor warned him not to criticize their robotics or their computers, supercomputers. So he thought about it. And then he said he started– just about he was try to start the lecture, fly, little fly, flew here. And immediately, he thought, you know, you just saw this fly flying here. You know, this little guy can find out where the food is. He knows how to reach there. He knows how to even store it. He can even reproduce himself. Now, I just saw this huge supercomputer in the basement yesterday in here. They can’t even move. They certainly cannot reproduce by themselves. So this was, as I said, many years, 10 years ago. So that’s the difference of a little, simple, relatively simple brain and a huge supercomputer. OK? [APPLAUSE] Thank you.

大学教員を目指す公募戦士の戦い方、デキ公募という難敵の回避方法など

大学教員を目指す全ての人にとっての最大の壁は、採用する人間がいるのに公募する、いわゆるデキ公募です。公募の大部分は出来公募と言われても、わずかにでも可能性があるのなら出さざるをえません。自分も任期切れ目前までひたすら公募に出しつづけて、その数は軽く100を超えました。

ポスドクや有期付きの助教が、期間の定めのない大学教員を目指す場合、JREC-INなどの公募情報を見てアプライすることが多いと思いますが、どうすれば採用内定を勝ち取れるのか、ネットの上の参考になりそうなものを紹介します。

出来公募は存在する

公募の何割が出来レースなのかは自分にはわかりませんが、「この公募は俺が採用されるためのだから、出しても無駄だから出すなよ。」と親切に教えてもらったことがありますので、世の中に出来公募があることは間違いありません。


どの公募がガチなのかは誰にもわからないため、どうせ出来レースかなと思いつつも、応募書類作成には一切手が抜けないので、莫大な時間を取られます。

”公募”という罪なやつ

あなたは出来公募には勝てない

当て馬が勝って生じる不測の事態

内部昇進を偽装公募する背景

出来公募には当て馬が必要

自分は採用側になったことがないのでわかりませんが、内部昇進だろうが出来レースだろうが、おそらく、面接には複数の候補を呼んでちゃんと決めましたという形を整える必要があるのでしょう。誰のために?

応募を続けると家計が逼迫する

応募書類を簡易書留で送るだけでも600~700円くらいしますし、地方の大学で面接に呼ばれようものなら、交通費と宿泊費で何万円もかかります。自分も地の果ての大学に面接に行ったことがありますが、事務員に案内されて部屋に入ってしゃべっておしまい、教員と話す機会はゼロ、聴きに来た先生たちもずんだれた服装でシラーっとした雰囲気でやる気無しみたいなことを経験しました。まあわかりませんが、これは当て馬に呼ばれただけだったのかなと思いました。人を馬鹿にするにもほどがあると思います。

出来公募は研究者の心を壊す

出来公募でない公募も存在する

公募要領を読み解く必要性について

 

ガチ公募の場合はその旨を発信すること

揺らぐJREC-INの存在意義

JREC-INへの要望:出来レースはみんなでチェック

出来レースには目印を

出来公募の特徴

古き良き時代への回帰を

 

関連記事 ⇒ 大学教員公募が必ずしも公募でない理由

 

面接に臨む心構え

書類選考を突破して面接に呼ばれる。とても嬉しいことですが、期待と不安、落胆いろいろ感情が大きく揺り動かされるイベントです。自分が経験した面接は、正直、自分は当て馬だったんじゃないかと思えるくらい最初から反応が薄い面接ばかりでした。しかし、書類選考で数人に絞りこんだあとの面接試験は、ガチだよというシニアの先生の言葉を聞いたこともあります。結局、大学にもよるし、そのたびごとにも状況は異なるのではないでしょうか。

  1. 大学教員公募戦士:面接に呼ばれるということの意味 退役軍人会 2022年9月30日 11:23 ¥100
  2. 大学教員公募戦士:面接で聞かれたこと 退役軍人会 2022年7月25日 21:35 ¥100
  3. 公募戦士の忘備録 ~自身のラボを立ち上げるまで 2022-03-12(blog.goo.ne.jp/radiologist-soma-tohoku)

模擬授業対策の方法

研究しかしてこなかった人間にとって、模擬授業をやらされるのはかなりツライのですが、今から振り返って考えると、模擬授業で学生(選考委員の先生たち!)を巻き込んだ魅力的な授業を実演してみせることは、非常に大事だったんだなと思います。ただそれも研究志向の大学か、教育重視の大学かによるでしょう。

  1. 【大学教員への道】 模擬授業 2014年10月13日 宮本園 ”一つの事例として捉えて頂きたい.また,結果的には不採用”
  2. 公募戦士 のための 『 大学教員公募 大全 』(面接・模擬授業対策) @applebenz2021 (公募への応募46件、うち、面接に呼ばれた回数大学7校、高専1校、専門学校1校 だそうです。非常に高い数字ですね。)

 

日本以外の選択


日本に職がないから欧米でというのは、実際のところどうなんでしょうか。もちろん選択肢を広くしたほうが機会は増えると思いますが、アメリカも競争が厳しくてアメリカ人のポスドクもアメリカで職が獲れずにヨーロッパのどこかの国とか、オーストラリアとかアメリカにこだわらずに職探しをしていました。

 

企業からアカデミアへ

大学教員の経歴を見ていると、企業勤めの研究者だった人がいきなりメジャーな大学の教授になっている例を見かけます。自分には全く見えない道筋なのですが、アカデミアからアカデミアを探すよりも、インダストリーに一度出てからアカデミアを目指すほうがひょっとして可能性が高いのか?と思ったこともあるくらいです。

  1. 大学教員への道、詰みました 2020-09-30 実務家教員、人生の岐路で生きる事に挫折した

 

参考

  1. 新・教員公募星取り表78 教員公募は「負けに不思議の負けあり、勝ちに不思議の勝ちなし」の世界。日々の研究・プレゼン能力・教育指導・実務経験の全てが問われる、真剣勝負の世界へようこそ。

アカデミアでの推薦状の書き方と文例(英・日)

アメリカでは学生やポスドクに頼まれた推薦状をPIが自分で書きますが、日本では推薦状を頼まれた教授は学生やポスドク本人に下書きさせることが多いようです。推薦状を書くことにも、英文を書くことにも不慣れな若い人にとって、これはかなりハードルの高いタスクではないかと思います。そこで、推薦状を書くにあたっての心構え、考え方、実際の文例をみておきます。草案を書かされる学生やポスドク、推薦状を依頼されたPIの双方にとって役にたつはずです。注意事項として、ネットで公開されているものは典型的な「型」を教えるものでしかなく、公開しても問題がない文例しかありません。実際の推薦状はもっとパーソナルなスタイルでその人固有のエピソードを交えて効果的に書かれると思います。日本と欧米とでは「推薦状」の意味するところが全く違うことにも注意を要します。

 

推薦状を教授が本人に書かせることの是非

アメリカでボスのPIに推薦状を依頼したときに、「草稿を自分で書いて」と頼まれたことはありません。逆に、日本の教授に推薦状を依頼したときに「草稿を自分で書いて」と頼まれなかったことはありません。日本では、教授に推薦状を頼むと教授は推薦状の下書きを学生やポスドクに要求するのが一般的です。

あなたの名前で学生自身に自分の推薦状を書くよう頼まないこと:不幸な事にこれはよく行われているが、私の意見ではこれは学問的不正(academic misconduct)のひとつである。これは推薦状を読む人への敬意を欠き、相手に損害を与える可能性さえある行為ある。なぜならあなたの真の意見が反映されていないからだ。(国外で研究職に就くには(2)西洋アカデミアを理解するために:求職者と推薦書執筆者へのアドバイス エヴァン P. エコノモ 沖縄科学技術大学院大学 生物多様性・複雑性研究ユニット 日本生態学会誌 66:735 – 742(2016)PDF

日本の教授が推薦状をゼロから書かない(ひょっとしたら学生が書いた文にサインしかしていない?)ことに関して批判的な人も多いようですが、現実がそうである以上、書いてもらう立場の人間にはどうしようもありません。そこで、ものは考えようです。日本から海外のポスドクに行くときには、英文の推薦状が2~3通必要になります。これは自分を3人の異なる人物の視点から見てみて、自分の長所短所を洗い出す作業になります。さらにそれを3通りの異なる英文スタイルで英作文するわけです。海外に出る前に推薦状の草案を自分で書くのは少々高いハードルですが、研究者になるためにはライティング能力は重要ですから、渡航前にこのハードルをクリアすることは自分のスキルアップになります。

 

こんなことを書く教授に推薦状を頼んではいけない

推薦状を書くことを引き受けてくれた人が、良い推薦文を書いてくれるとは限らないことに注意を要します。良い推薦状になりそうにないのなら、頼まない、引き受けないことが大事です。下は、悪い文例。

In my 2 years of knowing Sandy, I have seen him engaged only sporadically on campus. I have seen that he struggles in social settings, especially when working in team environments. I know he is working hard to improve this, but I feel that this makes him a weak candidate for the scholarship. (ucalgary.ca)

良い推薦状を書くつもりがないのなら断ってくれればよいようなものですが、欧米では、「推薦状を書く≠推薦の意思がある」とは限らないようなので、予め「良い推薦状を書いてもらえるか(=強く推薦してもらえるか)」を確認したほうがよさそうです。

 

推薦状を誰に頼むか、誰に頼まれた推薦状なら引き受けるか

海外では、強く推薦できる人にしか推薦書を書きません。無理にでも書く際には、事前に確認します。「Positiveな推薦書は書けないけど、それでもいいかい?」と。無理にでもいいところを探してpositiveな推薦書を書いてしまうと、推薦書を書いた人自身が信頼を失ってしまうからです。(人を推薦するにあたって 2015/10/29 海外で研究者や大学教授になる方法)

私は Northwestern大学,Pennsylvania大学,Columbia大学で,大学院入学委員会(Graduate AdmissionCommittee)の委員や委員長を勤めたことがあるので断言できますが,私の強い推薦状により入学した学生がカスだとわかれば,私の推薦状はそれ以降一切信用されません。そういうことになれば,私の推薦状によって正当な評価を受け,本人にふさわしい大学院に留学しようとする将来の学生に重大な不利益が生じます。(私が書く米欧の大学院向けの推薦状について 林 文夫 2004年9月14日)

 

推薦状とは何か

そもそも推薦状の意味や役割は何でしょうか?日本における推薦状の意味と欧米における推薦状の意味は大きく異なるようです。

推薦書は、文字通り候補者を褒め称える文書だと考えると痛い目にあう。そうではなく、少なくとも米国では、応募者の人となりや、研究に対する姿勢、ラボに対する貢献度、将来の資質などを「具体的な例を元に定量的に評価した文書」である。(研究室便り 徒然独立日記 〜黎明編〜 小島 志保子 Department of Biological Sciences, Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech PDF

推薦書は、候補者の採用・不採用を決定する権限をもつ者に、正確な情報を与え決定の助けをするためのものである。良い推薦書とは、第一に内容がinformative、つまりそれを読んだことで読まなければ知りえなかった有用は情報が読み手伝わるようなものでなくてはならない。 … 被推薦者をどの程度知っているのか疑わしいような、学部長や研究所の所長などからの推薦書は、良くても無視されるだけである。(アメリカのアカデミアにおける履歴書の意義 バージニア大学生物学部 川崎雅司)

日本人の先生に海外へ応募する職に必要な推薦状を書いてもらう場合には注意が必要かもしれません。

西洋人の私の眼からは、日本人応募者の書類は示すべき魅力に欠ける書き方がされていることが多く、とくに推薦状に関していえばその酷さは決定的だった。数百の推薦状を読んだが、日本人教授による推薦状には合衆国の標準から「良いレター」であると思えるものはただの一つもなく、多くが候補者のチャンスをみすみす潰すような代物だった。(国外で研究職に就くには(2)西洋アカデミアを理解するために:求職者と推薦書執筆者へのアドバイス エヴァン P. エコノモ 沖縄科学技術大学院大学 生物多様性・複雑性研究ユニット 日本生態学会誌 66:735 – 742(2016)PDF

 

推薦状の書き方に関するお国の違い

推薦状をどのように書くか、そのスタイルは国によってかなり異なるようです。大学のファカルティポジションは国際的な競争のため、推薦状の書き方の国民性の違いが審査に影響するかも?

アメリカ人が書く推薦状:
I have never recommended anyone more highly than this. Jones is, without doubt, the most agile thinker of his generation, and perhaps of any generation in living memory.  …

イギリス人が書く推薦状:
Jones is one of my PhD stuents. For a PhD student, his work is quite good. …

ドイツ人が書く推薦状:
I confirm that Jones has worked here as a PhD student. …

(引用元:How to Write a Recommendation Letter September 7, 2016 by Karen Kelsky THE PROFESSOR IS IN

上の例はジョークかもしれませんが、アメリカンスタイルの推薦状に美辞麗句が並ぶのは珍しくないようです。

Based on my experience with Susie, I can say without the shadow of a doubt that she is one of the most naturally talented and hardworking art students with whom I have had the opportunity to work. (引用元:Annotated Sample Letter of Recommendation purdue.edu)

 

推薦状を頼める人がいない悩み

大学や大学院でお世話になった先生と長い間疎遠になってしまうといざ推薦状が必要となったときに非常に頼み辛い状況になってしまいます。普段から義理を欠かさない生き方が大事かも。

 

推薦状の書き方

推薦状は何をどう書けば良いのかは悩むところです。推薦状を書く際の基本的な考えかたを解説したネットの記事を紹介します。

海外の大学院へアプライするときに必要な推薦状

どんなスキルを持っているのか、どんな作業がこなせるのか、なども分かるように、とにかく具体的で定量的な記述があると良い判断材料になります。(連載:留学前に教えてほしかったアメリカ大学院の仕組みと仕掛け(1) 効果的な推薦状を書いてもらうために PDF)

 

日本語の推薦状の文例

推薦状の実例は一番知りたい情報なのですが、日本語の場合なかなかネットにはありません。いくつか見つかった例文を紹介しておきます。実際には、キャリアアップに成功している先輩に頼んで草案を見せてもらうなどするのが良いでしょう。

…  以上のように、松尾君は研究者としての創造性に関する高い能力を有し、新しい情報に関する研究に対して高い意欲を持つ、今後の発展が大きく期待できる若手研究者である。海外研究が非常に効果的であると判断できるので、同君を推薦する。http://ymatsuo.com/papers/jsps05suisen.pdf

 

病院の研修先に提出する推薦書

…  以上の理由で、 君は貴院での初期研修を行うのにふさわしいと思われます。medic.mie-u.ac.

 

人の心に響く伝わる推薦状

どこに出すものであれ、推薦状は読んだ人の心に響いて、読んだ人を納得させるものが理想的です。そんな文例を下に紹介します(リンク先で全文をご覧ください)

アメリカの大学への留学を希望する高校生に対して書かれた推薦状

私は彼の担任の教師です。初めてアメリカの大学への推薦状を書きますが、私は彼ならば英語のハンディを背負っても決して困難にめげることなく目標を達成して卒業するものと固く信じています。 うちの高校では3年生ともなるとほとんどの生徒がタバコを吸い、酒を飲みますが、彼は決してそのようなことはありません。 … (アメリカ名門大学を含め卒業率90%以上/広島/留学のアメリカンドリーム

 

英語の推薦状の文例

インターネット上には推薦状の書き方に関するノウハウや推薦状の例文サンプルは、英語の場合のほうが圧倒的に情報があります。効果的に人を推薦することに言語の違いはないはずなので、日本語で書く場合にも参考になるでしょう。

自分が指導した学部学生が大学院または職に応募するときの推薦状のテンプレート

Dear [Name of Employer or Graduate School Committee]:

I am pleased to write a letter of recommendation for [name of student]. I highly recommend [name of student] to your organization for the position of [job title].

I have known [name of student] for the past [number of months, semesters, years]as [he/she] has taken the following courses that I teach: [list courses, give brief description of content of course].   …

(引用元:Recommendation Letter Template uwb.edu)

 

指導した学部学生がメディカルスクールに応募するときの推薦状の例

It is a true pleasure for me to write this letter of recommendation for Sandra Garcia, who was my student in Sociology 115, “Introduction to Sociology,” in the winter term of 2006. … I wholeheartedly recommend Sandra as a prospective medical school student. In fact, I can think of few students whom I would recommend as highly. … (umich.edu

 

学部時代に指導した学生が大学院に応募するときの推薦状の文例(文系)

I am pleased to write a letter of recommendation for Janet Lerner, an honors undergraduate student in our
program.  … (e-education.psu.edu

It is with much pleasure and enthusiasm that I am writing to you to support the candidacy of Elizabeth Hagen for admission to the English Department’s Graduate Program at the University of Tennessee. … (thebalancecareers.com

  • Letters of Recommendation for Graduate School___________For Faculty (dickinson.edu) 学部学生が大学院の奨学金を必要としている場合の推薦状の例文(英語)。
自分が大学院時代に指導した博士号取得者がファカルティポジションに応募するときの推薦状の文例(コンピューターサイエンス)

I am writing this letter to recommend Tom Lombardi for a faculty position. Tom is a graduate of our Doctor of Professional Studies in computing program. Tom was an excellent doctoral student. (csis.pace.edu)

自分のラボで博士号を取得し、助教授に応募しようとしているポスドクへの推薦状の文例

It is my pleasure to reommend Dr. Stephen Hoffmann for the position of Assistant Professor in your department. … (pdf sdbonline.org

  • Writing a Letter of Recommendation (PDF) Addendum to Making the Right Moves:A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty second edition (Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Burroughs Wellcome Fund) 上のサンプルレターが掲載されている冊子。
自分のラボで博士号を取得し、(多分教育大学の)助教授に応募しようとしている人への推薦状の文例

I am more than happy to present this recommendation letter to you for Dr. Neil Jenns as your next Assistant Professor. … (livecareer.com

 

テニュアを取得しようとしているファカルティメンバーに対する推薦状の書き方

  1. Guidelines for Writing Promotion and Tenure Letters for Faculty Members. (PDF) James P. Sampson, Jr., Marcy P. Driscoll, and Pamela S. Carroll. Dean of the Faculties Office Florida State University April 26, 2010

 

推薦状の封筒は本人が書いてもいいのか?

厳封された推薦状を受け取ったあとは、どうすればいいのでしょうか?参考になるかもしれないアドバイス。

人事を担当しています。先程、別の質問で回答させていただきました。大学所定の封筒には「表面:左側」に「教授推薦状在中」と記入し、その封筒を更に大きな封筒に入れ、その封筒の表面に「宛先」を記入し、左側に「推薦状在中」と記します。「裏面」に大学名」「名前」「日付」を記入すれば良いでしょう。chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp

 

日本人のボスに推薦状を依頼するときに心がけること

推薦状の下書きを書いてとボスから言われたときに、ボスが自分で書いてくれないんだとガッカリする学生やポスドクの人もたくさんいると思いますが、書いてもらえるだけありがたいと思ったほうが良いです。そもそも悪い推薦状を書かれるよりも良いわけですし。

ボスは忙しいし、あなたのことをそこまでよく知らないし、ひょっとしたらあまり良い文章が書けない人かもしれません。自分で自分の良いところをアピールする絶好の機会なのですから、ポジティブに考えましょう。推薦状の原案を自分で書くことにより、あなたは自分の長所を再確認し、自分の短所を長所に転ずる新たな視点の可能性を見出し、自分の能力をボスに再確認させることもでき、文章能力を上達させ、自分を客観視する能力まで身に付けることができるのです。自分の推薦状を書く作業を通じて、自分自身が成長できます。ボスがサインすれば済むくらいの完成度の下書きを書いて渡すようにしましょう。下書きを親しい同僚に見せて意見を求めるのも良いでしょう。

 

参考

  1. 国外で研究職に就くには(2)西洋アカデミアを理解するために:求職者と推薦書執筆者へのアドバイス エヴァン P. エコノモ 沖縄科学技術大学院大学 生物多様性・複雑性研究ユニット 日本生態学会誌 66:735 – 742(2016)PDF
  2. アメリカのアカデミアにおける履歴書の意義 バージニア大学生物学部 川崎雅司
  3. 私が書く米欧の大学院向けの推薦状について 林 文夫 2004年9月14日
  4. 研究室便り 徒然独立日記 〜黎明編〜 小島 志保子 Department of Biological Sciences, Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech PDF
  5. SAMPLE FACULTY REFERENCE LETTER (NACE, National Association of Colleges and Employers)

Research Statementの書き方

リサーチステートメントの書き方

How to Write a Research Statement  (Stony Brook University 2012/09/21 に公開 YOUTUBE Michael Hadjiargyrou  How to Write a Research Statement  April 11, 2012)

参考

  1. https://postdocs.cornell.edu/research-statement
  2. https://www.cmu.edu/gcc/handouts/research-statement-pdf
  3. https://career.ucsf.edu/sites/career.ucsf.edu/files/PDF/ResearcherResearchStatementTips.pdf
  4. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/how-to-write-a-research-statement
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_statement
  6. https://career.uci.edu/students/graduate/academic-careers/writing-a-research-statement/
  7. https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/annika_m_mueller/files/research_statement_annika_mueller.pdf

 

科研費応募のすすめ

研究費のボスは、ラボの運営に必要な資金を得るために科研費に応募するのは当然です。その下の助教などのスタッフもラボの運営を助け、また自らの独立した研究を推進するうえで、科研費の獲得は非常に重要です。

ポスドクの場合はどうでしょうか?ボスがしっかりお金を取ってくるラボであれば、ポスドクは自分で研究費を稼いでくる必要性をあまり感じないかもしれません。もちろん科研費の申請を出せない雇用形態もあります。しかし応募資格があるのにチャレンジしないのだとしたらもったいない話です。なぜなら、科研費獲得実績は、近い将来PI(Principal Investigator 研究代表者)のポジションを獲得するためには、論文業績と同じくらいに重要になってくるからです。

お金を集めてくるのがうまいボスが率いる大きなラボで、ポスドクとして長い年数研究に専念してしまった場合、ジョブアプリケーションの外部資金獲得実績の欄が空欄になってしまうという落とし穴があります。今の自分の業績では無理、などと自分で決め付けてしまわずにチャレンジしましょう。仮に自分の申請が採択されなかったとしても、自分の研究の強みや弱みを再確認してよりよい実験計画へ修正するいい機会です。