General Information:

Research expenses, including experimental equipment, tools and consumables, and travel for collaborative research and domestic or international conferences, are fully covered by the university and laboratory for all undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students.

In particular, graduate students will travel to conferences throughout Japan. If their work is accepted at an international conference, they also travel abroad to present it! Past research and conference trips with students have taken us to Australia, Spain, Kumamoto, Sendai, Tokushima, Utsunomiya and Shimane.

For Junior and Senior High School Students Considering University:

The laboratory opens to visitors at the annual Open Campus events (July–August) and university festival (November). These events are a chance to meet our students and faculty. Check the dates and come visit us in the newly completed Building No. 1 at Korakuen Campus, in central Tokyo, with convenient transport links and plenty of nearby amenities.

Our laboratory is one of the few places in Japan where you can study all three approaches: electronic systems as soft as living organisms, systems that make use of living organisms, and systems integrated with them. Join us in developing bio-integrated electronics that will help shape the society of the future.

For First- to Third-Year Undergraduates Considering a Final-Year Research Project:

Laboratory visits are always welcome. Please contact Yoshida to arrange a visit. You are also welcome to drop in without an appointment during Open Campus events and the university festival.

For the laboratory introduction session for third-year students, held around late October, please watch this YouTube video (password required; displayed on the laboratory door). In-person attendance is only necessary if you have questions, and you are welcome to arrive late.

For Prospective Master’s Students:

Current Chuo University students: please use the recommendation-based entrance examinations described here. Around February–March of the fourth year, academically strong students are granted eligibility for either an internal recommendation examination (interview only, with the written examination waived) or an internal selection examination (written examination and interview). In both cases, meet with Yoshida before submitting the application at the end of March, then take the interview in early April. These routes cannot be used while simultaneously pursuing employment or admission to another graduate school: recommendations are made on the understanding that successful applicants will enroll. If you want to pursue other options, take the summer general entrance examination, as external applicants do. Students who are not eligible for internal recommendation or selection are also encouraged to take the general entrance examination.

For students continuing from Chuo University, the admission fee is reduced by half. Please see the university’s fee information for details.

Applicants from other institutions: information on the general entrance examination and university scholarships is available here. Students from other universities and working professionals are welcome to apply. Some research can only be carried out here at Yoshida Laboratory, Chuo University. Please first email Yoshida to request a laboratory visit.

International applicants: Japanese proficiency at JLPT N1 level is required to attend graduate classes, earn credits, and conduct experiments using Japanese research materials in the laboratory. Please study Japanese thoroughly. Communication with the supervisor and laboratory members in English is possible.

For Prospective Doctoral Students:

The schemes below may provide a stipend or salary, together with funding for your own research, to support doctoral study. Funding is not guaranteed for everyone and advance consultation is essential. Please contact Yoshida as early as possible.

Please see the application guidelines here for entrance examinations and university scholarships. Working professionals are also welcome to contact us.

Current Chuo University students: information on the recommendation-based entrance examination, with the written examination waived, is available here. Consult Yoshida no later than February of your second master’s year; applications are in March and interviews in early April. For students continuing from Chuo University’s master’s program, the admission fee is waived and tuition is reduced by half. See the university’s fee information for details.

  • JSPS Research Fellowships for Young Scientists: apply for DC1 in the second master’s year, or DC2 in the first or second doctoral year, around May. Financial support is approximately JPY 200,000 per month, with research funding of approximately JPY 800,000–1,500,000 per year, during doctoral study (up to three years). See the JSPS website for details.
  • SPRING/D-CPRA: apply around April of the first doctoral year. Please consult us about the stipend and research funding, available during doctoral study (up to three years). Contact the Chuo University office as described on this page for details.
  • Research Assistant (RA), Institute of Science and Engineering, Chuo University: apply around January of the second master’s year. Please consult us about remuneration; support is available during doctoral study (up to three years).
  • Research Assistant (RA) on Yoshida Laboratory Projects, Including KAKENHI Projects: remuneration may be comparable to JSPS fellowships or SPRING/D-CPRA, depending on the project’s circumstances. Please consult us first.
  • Other Grants from Private Foundations: applicants should research and apply for these individually. Stipends and scholarships vary by foundation. Examples are listed below with typical application timing and amounts; this information may be outdated, so check each foundation’s website for details. Yoshida Scholarship Foundation (April, JPY 200,000/month); Asahi Glass Foundation (April, JPY 100,000/month); Hattori International Scholarship Foundation (April/September, JPY 100,000/month); Daiohs Foundation (May, JPY 100,000/month); Moriya Foundation (May, JPY 150,000/month); Nakatani Foundation (June, JPY 200,000/month); Kinoshita Memorial Foundation (June, JPY 250,000/month); Atsumi Scholarship (September, JPY 250,000/month); Honjo International Scholarship Foundation (late October, JPY 200,000/month); Amano Institute of Technology (November, JPY 125,000/month); Yamada Nagamitsu Foundation (December, JPY 120,000/month); JST ACT-X (research funding only, May, JPY 2 million/year).

For Prospective Postdoctoral Researchers:

Any plans to recruit postdoctoral researchers using laboratory funds will be announced on this page.

If you are considering applying for a JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (PD) to work in Yoshida Laboratory, please contact us as early as possible, preferably in the year before your application, to discuss the plan and a laboratory visit.