Associate Professor Masaki Uchida of the Department of Physics, School of Science, and Associate Professor Wataru Hijikata of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, have been selected for the Special Award for Tokyo Tech Advanced Researchers (STAR) in FY2023. For this 11th call, two “STARS” were selected after consultation with the President and the Director of the Office of Research and Innovation.
Front from left: Associate Professor Wataru Hijikata and Associate Professor Masaki Uchida Back from left: Executive Vice President for Research Osamu Watanabe and President Kazuya Masu
The STAR grant, supported by the Tokyo Tech Fund, is awarded each year to promising young researchers who grapple with research topics that have the potential to become national projects in the future. Other recipients may include those who have achieved distinguished results in the fundamental sciences. Tokyo Tech’s STAR grant aims to support rising stars among the next generation of researchers.
Research Overviews and Researcher Comments
Associate Professor Masaki Uchida, the Department of Physics, School of Science
Research Overview: Exploration of anomalous magnetotransport phenomena in topological semimetals
Band structures are used to describe electrons in materials quantum-mechanically. Recently a new class of materials called topological materials, which focuses on the topological properties of electronic bands, has gained traction in research. Among topological materials, those known as topological semimetals, with a band gap closed at one point, have been discovered to have a low-energy band structure, a concept first proposed in particle physics. Topological semimetals were fabricated into very thin films of high quality using a technique known as molecular beam epitaxy, and the electron conduction phenomena are being studied. In this study, we hope to look into unusual conduction phenomena that arise from this point and connect them to future electronics applications.
Researcher Comment
I am very honored to be selected as a recipient of the STAR grant. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the donors of the Tokyo Tech Fund and the selection committee members. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my supervisors, collaborators, and laboratory members for their efforts. With such large-scale support, unparalleled by any provided by a university, I would like to further pursue my research.
