MEXT Support Program for the Development of Human Resources in Science and Technology
Published
March 2024

Initiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research Environment

Diversity and Super Global Training Programfor Female and Young Faculty

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

Office for Promotion of Gender Equality, Kyushu University
744 Motooka Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395 JAPAN
TEL.+81-92-802-2034 / FAX.+81-92-802-2038
E-mail：office@danjyo.kyushu-u.ac.jp URL：https://sentan-q.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/

Ky u s h u U n i v er s i t y

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

【SENTAN-Q WEBSITE URL】
https://sentan-q.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/

Contents

Greetings

2

President Tatsuro Ishibashi (SENTAN-Q supervisor)

2

Executive Vice President Satoko Kanzaki (SENTAN-Q implementer)3

Senior Vice President Kaoru Tamada (SENTAN-Q coordinator)

3

1 General Description of SENTAN-Q

4

2 2023 Report

6

STEP1

Selection of 5th term trainees

6

STEP2

University governance, diversity and inclusive education(on campus)

6

STEP3

Teaching methodologies for active learning in English(on campus)

6

STEP4

Directed study and guidance of international students(on campus)

6

STEP5

Up-to-date field-specific recurrent training (on campus)

7

STEP6

Teaching and directed study (overseas)

7

3 Topic

8

STEP2 lectures provided onsite by an overseas lecturer fromUC San Diego

8

SENTAN-Q Mid-Term Report Meeting held in March 2023

10

4 SENTAN-Q Program Completion of 3rd term Trainees

11

Report of Graduation Ceremony of 3rd term Trainees

11

SENTAN-Q Program Completion of 3rd term Trainees

12

5 Profiles of Trainees

18

4th term Trainees

18

5th term Trainees

22

6 Outlook26

7 Appendix

27

Unconscious bias Checklist

27

2nd term Trainees’ Program Achievements (August 2020-July 2022)

28

3rd term Trainees’ Program Achievements (August 2021-July 2023)

30

Guideline for 6th term Trainees

32

Request for Support for SENTAN-Q Project Fund

38

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

1

Greetings■ SENTAN-Q Supervisor■ SENTAN-Q Implementer

President, Kyushu University

Executive Vice President, Kyushu University
Director, Office for Promotion of Gender Equality

Tatsuro Ishibashi
Kyushu University was selected as a Designated National University
Corporation in 2021 and based on this, the Kyushu University VISION
2030 was developed. The vision sets out the policy that Kyushu
University, while respecting diversity, uses integrative knowledge thatfuses the entire spectrum of knowledge—from the natural sciences tothe humanities and social sciences and even design—to solve social
problems as a “university that drives social change with integrativeknowledge”.
“Diversity and Super Global Training Program for Female and Young Faculty (SENTAN-Q)” is a key
project for the Kyushu University VISION 2030. The aim of SENTAN-Q is to identify and nurture
faculties with research and educational skills that meets the highest global standards. Each fiscal year,
about 10 trainees are selected from outstanding female and young faculties. They strengthen theirresearch and educational skills to become active in the world’s academic research by two-years training
course offered by world’s top-class researchers. Trainees who reach the targeted learning level will be
granted one level promotion. Of the 31 graduates from the 1st to 3rd generation, who completed thetraining program, 30 have been promoted to higher-ranking positions.
This year marks the fifth year of SENTAN-Q. 10 people were newly selected as the 5th trainees and thetraining program commenced in August 2023. In December, as the COVID-19 related travel restrictions
had been lifted, an overseas lecturer was invited from our partner university to conduct onsite lectures
for the first time in 4 years. The 4th trainees have entered their 2nd year of the program and are now
actively conducting lectures and offering student research guidance at overseas universities as STEP6.
Kyushu University will utilize this project and educate outstanding female and young researchers whowill lead the future of world’s academic research to appeal their skills to the world. We appreciate yourunderstanding and support of this project.

Satoko Kanzaki
In June 2023, I assumed the position of Executive Vice President of Kyushu University
in charge of public relations, diversity, harassment prevention and citizen science, while serving as the Director of the
Office for Promotion of Gender Equality. As I was involved in gender equality administration prior to assuming thisposition, I have always taken a personal interest in gender equality initiatives of my alma mater, Kyushu University.
I have been particularly proud of the "Diversity and Super Global Training Program for Female and Young Faculty(SENTAN-Q)," which has received high acclaim both in Japan and abroad.
The SENTAN-Q program provides opportunities for female and young researchers to strengthen their research andeducation skills to meet the highest global standards, and grants promotions to successful trainees. As the namesuggests, SENTAN-Q, in which Sentan means “cutting-edge” in Japanese, is a leading-edge project that intends tonurture the next generation of leaders in education and research, while also promoting diversity.
In FY2023, ten trainees have started their training for the 5th term of the program, while eleven from the 3rd term
have completed theirs. A total of 14 male and 17 female trainees have completed the SENTAN-Q training, of which
13 males and 17 females have been granted promotions. The program was affected by COVID-19 pandemic right after
its beginning in 2019. In this fiscal year, however, we are able to provide the full training contents originally intended
under the program, by inviting lecturers from overseas for the first time in four years to carry out face-to-face sessionsof the STEP 2 training for the 5th trainees.
In FY2024, trainees to be selected for the 6th term will be the last group sponsored under the program. We would liketo express our sincere gratitude for the efforts of all those involved and ask for your continued support and cooperation.

■ SENTAN-Q Coordinator
Senior Vice President, Distinguished Professor, Kyushu University
Deputy Director, Office for Promotion of Gender Equality

Kaoru TamadaThis year, SENTAN-Q will complete its fifth year of operation and move to the final,
sixth year. In August, we will welcome the 6th trainees, the final candidates as originallyplanned. We are very happy that SENTAN-Q has received increased social attention, as featured on NHK news last
March, and we think this is due to the efforts of all the trainees who participated in this project. Through the successesof the trainees, myself as a coordinator have been once again realized how important an environment connects to theglobal society is, for the growth of female and young faculties.
In Japanese society, people tend to be embarrassed by the situation “cannot do” and tend to avoid taking risk and doing
challenge, but this is wrong decision. I believe that human potential is limitless and that everyone can do more thanthey imagine. Once you overcome something difficult, it becomes something you can do easily the next. I hope that thetrainees understand human and academic diversities and refine their global sense, and gain new possibilities that were
unimaginable before starting the program. We look forward to watching the future of the trainees, expecting that their
aspirations will create new waves at university and change Japanese society. We appreciate your continued cooperationand guidance for the SENTAN-Q program.

2

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

3

1

General Description of SENTAN-Q
Kyushu University was selected for funding under "Initiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research
Environment", MEXT Support Program for the Development of Human Resources in Science andTechnology in 2019. The aim of this program is to improve diversity in the research environment by
providing female researchers with opportunities for conducting overseas research and encouraging
their active participation upon their return to Japan. It also funds the program which accelerate thepromotions of female researchers to high-ranking and management positions.
To this end, Kyushu University has launched “Diversity and Super Global Training Program for
Female and Young Faculty (SENTAN-Q)” in 2019. The aim of SENTAN-Q is to provide outstanding
female and young faculty members with opportunities to challenge the world's top-class researchand education and accelerate their promotions to high-ranking and management positions at theuniversity. Our goal is to create the research and educational environment that will be recognized as
truly global and lead the world academic research.
SENTAN-Q consists of STEP1 to STEP6. Trainees are selected through highly transparent
screening process from outstanding female and young faculty members, who are recommended bydepartments and expected to attain promotions within a few years (STEP1). After being selected byuniversity-wide committee, trainees start their two-years program. They will take on campus training
from STEP2 to STEP5 then proceed to the final examination as STEP6, which consists of overseas
training for more than 8 weeks (please see the following pages for further details).

Trainees who reach the targeted learning level will receive certificates. A tenured position or a onelevel promotion will also be given. The program lasts two years including the overseas training.
However, we can adjust the duration to accommodate maternity, child-rearing, or nursing care

SENTAN-Q
6 STEPS training
SENTAN-Q

needs. SENTAN-Q will aim to produce 60 trainees through 6 application rounds. Information about

6 steps

On Campus

the program’s progress as well as trainees’ accomplishments are published in Polymorfia (ISSN
2424-1113), the journal of the Office for Promotion of Gender Equality, Kyushu University. We will

※ D ist rib ut io n o f un co n scio us b ia s ch eck sh eet
Highly transparent university-wide examination committee (substantial promotion
examination)
10 people / year male : female = 1:1, humanities : science = 1:1

STEP 1S elec t io n o f t rainees

STEP 2

Univers it y g o vernanc e, D ivers it y and I nc lus ive educ at io n

STEP 3T eac h ing m et h o do lo g ies fo r ac t ive learning in Eng lis h

STEP 4
STEP 5

Lecturers: Vice President or former Vice President, from world's top-class universities

Intensive and interactive lectures

D irec t ed s t udy and g uidanc e o f int ernat io nal s t udent s

Learn how to conduct research guidance in English for international students while receiving guidance from a worldʼs
top-class senior researcher as a mentor

Up- t o - dat e field- s pec ific rec urrent t raining

F inal Exam inat io n: t eac h ing and direc t ed s t udy (o vers eas )Conduct lectures and student research guidance in English
The writing of international co-authored paper as PI

Period:2 years for domestic and overseas training

Certification

4

Diversity Super Global faculty

SENTAN-Q is being carried out under a university-wide cooperative framework as a core project fordeveloping human resources with world-class research and education capabilities while ensuring
diversity, as part of the universityʻs aim to become “Driving Social Change with Integrative Knowledge”.
Implementation
SystemSENTAN-Q teamPresident (Program Supervisor)※One-level promotion within one year of thecompletion of the program※Promotion of 60 trainees (FY2019-2024)

� Final certification

Office for the Promotionof Gender Equality

Data science (AI or IoT), SDGs or
entrepreneurship , etc.

Overseas Program/More than 8 weeks
STEP 6also work with the All Nippon Diversity Network to share our findings and insights across Japan.

� Program planning� Promotion diversity
� Support / training female researchers

Collaboration
Cooperation
International
Connection� SHARE-Q Office

Training / support
researchers
� IAS

� AiRIMaQ

Collaboration
Cooperation

Plan training / Dateanalysis
� UEII� Selection of trainees from the candidates
� Enforcement the training (on campus / overseas)� IR office

Departments

� Recommendation of candidate
� Support for participation training� Promotion to high-rank position

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

5

22023 Report
The program has been conducted both on-site and online in FY2023. The 3rd trainees successfully completed their
2 years program of SENTAN-Q after having completed STEP6 in July. The 4th trainees completed STEP4 in July

STEP5

and started STEP6. The 5th trainees were newly selected in July and started their two-years program from STEP2 toSTEP5. The event calendar of FY2023 is shown in the following page.

STEP1

Selection of 5th term trainees

The nomination process for the 5th trainees took place between March 1 (Wed) and May 10 (Wed). After the screening

by CV and interview in English, 10 trainees were selected. The Kick-Off Meeting was held on July 27 (Thu). The 5th
trainees started their 2 years program from August.

STEP2

Lecture 1
OnlineDate: August 24 (Thu) from 8:00 to 9:30 (JST)
Lecturer: Prof. Corinne Peek-Asa
Vice Chancellor for Research			
University of California San Diego
Theme: Motivating new leaders and strengthening teams

Lecture 2

Date: December 4 (Mon) from 10:00 to 12:00 (JST)
Lecturer: Ms. Tamara Cunningham
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Initiatives
University of California San Diego
Theme: Strategic Internationalization and the Global Research Agenda
Venue: Ito Guest House, Ito Campus, Kyushu University

Lecture 3

Date: December 4 (Mon) from 13:00 to 15:00 (JST)
Lecturer: Same as above
Theme: Intersections of Internationalization and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Venue: Same as above

STEP3

Trainees take STEP5 recurrent training just after starting their SENTAN-Q program. They select two or more courses
from their extra-professional fields after consulting with faculty members of Kyushu University as lecturers. Sometrainees have submitted reports indicating that STEP5 can help them incorporate new knowledge from different
research fields and enhance their research activities. Some of them have also initiated the joint collaborative researchwith STEP5 lecturers from different research fields. STEP5 can be completed after STEP6 during two-years program.
The list of STEP5 lectures are shown in the Appendix.

University governance, diversity and inclusive education (on campus)

5th term trainees

STEP6

and educational skills that meets the highest global standards. The 3rd trainees started STEP6 from August 2022. After
Japanese government’s travel restrictions had been lifted, all the 3rd trainees conducted onsite lecture and researchguidance of students at overseas universities. In July 2023, they successfully completed STEP6 after the submissionof international co-authored paper. The achievements of STEP6 overseas training are shown in the Appendix. From
August 2023, the 4th trainees started STEP6 and will complete in July 2024.

SENTAN-Q Calendar for FY2023
Year

Month

Day

2023

March

1th

Nomination for the 5th trainees opened

May

10th

Nomination for the 5th trainees closed

June

13th

Screening of the 5th trainees by CV

July

3rd

Screening of the 5th trainees by interview

27thKick-Off Meeting for the 5th trainees held

31stCompletion of STEP6 of the 3rd trainees <final exam>

Teaching methodologies for active learning in English (on campus)

Date: February 29 (Thu) from 8:00 to 9:30 (JST)
Lecturer: Dr. Carolyn Sandoval
Mr. Paul Hadjipieris
Ms. Sarah Carvalho
Teaching + Learning Commons, University of California, San Diego

Lecture 2
OnlineDate: March 7 (Thu) from 8:00 to 9:30 (JST)
Lecturer: Same as above

Lecture 3
OnlineDate: March 21 (Thu) from 8:00 to 9:30 (JST)
Lecturer: Same as above

STEP4

research guidance to international students at Kyushu University for thesis writing. The 4th trainees made up of

8 females and 2 males, started STEP4 from August 2022. They completed in July 2023 after the submission ofinternational co-authored papers. The 5th trainees started STEP4 from 2023 to 1 year. Trainees can proceed to STEP6

overseas training after being certified of the completion of STEP4. The list of overseas mentor are shown in the

The 5thtrainees

The 4thtrainees

The 3rdtrainees

STEP5

STEP4
STEP6

STEP1

All trainees

STEP5 can becompletedafter STEP6
overseas
training

Completion of STEP4 of the 4th trainees
August8th
The completion of STEP6 of the 3rd trainees certified at
SENTAN-Q committee <final exam>

STEP4

Certificationof thecompletion of
STEP4

The completion of STEP4 of the 4th trainees certified at
SENTAN-Q committee

October

Directed study and guidance of international students (on campus)

Trainees select an overseas mentor for STEP4 themselves. After consulting with overseas mentor, trainees conduct

Teaching and directed study (overseas)

Overseas training as the final examination of SENTAN-Q. It determines whether the trainees have acquired research

5th term trainees
Lecture 1
OnlineUp-to-date field-specific recurrent training (on campus)

December

2024

STEP2 lecture for the 5th trainees <lecture1>

25th

Guidance of STEP6 for the 4th trainees

12th

Graduation ceremony held for the 3rd trainees

19th

Pre-course of STEP3 lectures for the 5th trainees provided till
Nov. 30

4th

STEP2 lecture for the 5th trainees <lecture2>

STEP2

STEP2 lecture for the 5th trainees <lecture3>

STEP2
STEP3

February

29th

STEP3 lecture for the 5th trainees <lecture1>

March

1st

Nomination for the 6th trainees opened

7th

STEP3 lecture for the 5th trainees <lecture2>

21th

STEP3 lecture for the 5th trainees <lecture3>

Graduates will
be promoted
within one
year of thecompletion of
SENTAN-Q

STEP2

24th

Certificationof thecompletion of
SENTAN-Q

STEP6

STEP3
STEP3

Appendix.

6

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

7

3

Topic
STEP2 lectures provided onsite by an overseas lecturer fromUC San Diego
STEP2 lectures were provided onsite on December 4 (Mon), 2023. After COVID-19 related travel restrictions
had been lifted, an overseas lecturer was invited from our SENTAN-Q program model school, Universityof California, San Diego (hereinafter referred to as UC San Diego) to provide onsite lectures for the 5th
trainees.

Lecture Part2
Date: December 4 (Mon) from 13:00 to 15:00(JST)
Lecturer: Ms. Tamara Cunningham
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Initiatives, UC San Diego
Theme: Intersections of Internationalization and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

This year, we welcomed Ms. Tamara Cunningham, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Initiatives at UC San
Diego. Assistant Vice Chancellor Cunningham has years of experience of promoting international strategicplan on research, building international research and educational partnerships, and students exchange.
Based on her outstanding knowledge and experience, she provided two onsite lectures on strategicinternationalization and DEI respectively.

Lecture Part1
Date: December 4 (Mon) from 10:00 to 12:00 (JST)

Venue: Ito Guest House, Ito Campus of Kyushu University

The second lecture is “Intersections of Internationalization and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion(DEI)”. Assistant Vice Chancellor Cunningham explained the definition of “internationalization”
and “DEI” and their historical background in the US. She also emphasized the importance ofensuring fair access to global education and research for underrepresented groups.
After the presentation, trainees exchanged their views on intersections of internationalization
and DEI.

Lecturer: Ms. Tamara Cunningham				Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Initiatives, UC San Diego
Theme: Strategic Internationalization and the Global Research Agenda
Venue: Ito Guest House, Ito Campus of Kyushu University

The first lecture is on “Strategic Internationalization and the Global Research Agenda”. AssistantVice Chancellor Cunningham explained the importance of global research and introduced how
UC San Diego has been implementing strategic internationalization plan. She also introduced
the strategies to support global research and the risks associated with global research.
Furthermore, she emphasized that faculties should always keep in mind how their research cancontribute to the globalization of students and university itself.
After the presentation, trainees exchanged their views on promoting global research atuniversities.

8

On December 5 (Tue), round table discussion was held with Assistant Vice Chancellor
Cunningham, SENTAN-Q trainees and graduate under the theme of “Initiatives on Global
Research”. Participants asked the questions on how they can expand research collaborationand how they can educate future generations. The discussion proceeded in a friendly andharmonious atmosphere. At last, Assistant Vice Chancellor Cunningham encouraged participantsand emphasized that trainees should take over what they learned from SENTAN-Q program tofellow colleagues.

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

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3

Topic

SENTAN-Q Program Completion of 3rd term Trainees

SENTAN-Q Mid-Term Report Meeting held in March 2023

Report of Graduation Ceremony of 3rd term Trainees

SENTAN-Q Mid-Term Report Meeting was held in a hybrid format on March 24 (Fri), 2023. The
meeting was held concurrently with International Symposium for “Completion of the Project ofOverseas Survey Analysis on Research Activity of Women Researchers for their Empowerment
2021-2022”. In total, we had about 250 participants from different countries including online
participants.

The Graduation Ceremony of the 3rd trainees was held in a hybrid format on October 12 (Thu), 2023.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic and the effect of approaching typhoon, Graduation Ceremony was held
online in FY 2021 and FY 2022 respectively. This year, Graduation Ceremony was held onsite for the
first time and everyone involved including trainees came together at Shiiki Hall of Ito Campus.

First, Senior Vice President Tamada gave an overview of SENTAN-Q as a coordinator, including
selection process of candidates, program contents and trainees’ achievements. Then video
message was delivered by Dr. Machi Dilworth, as a selection committee member of SENTAN-Q(Former Vice President of OIST). Dr. Dilworth said that SENTAN-Q is a model DEI program forpromoting gender equality at all universities in Japan. The congratulatory message was extended
to Prof. Sean Garrick, as an overseas lecturer of STEP2 (Vice Chancellor of University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign). Prof. Garrick said that SENTAN-Q is a comprehensive program for thedevelopment of female researchers and its values should be widely shared within society.
After the guests messages, presentations were made by 3 trainees; Prof. Mai Bando as the 1st
trainee, Assoc. Prof. Shinri Ohta as the 2nd trainee and Assist. Prof. Gu Yujie as the 4th trainee.
They introduced their achievements through SENTAN-Q and future goals in their academic
careers. They also said that they would like to promote international educational and research
activities through the practical skills in lab management and collaborative research they learned
from SENTAN-Q program.

4

The 3rd trainees were selected as a group of 7 males and 4 females in July 2021 and started their
SENTAN-Q training from August 2021. STEP1, which constitutes the substantial promotion exam,and STEP2 and STEP3 lectures had to be conducted online due to prevention measures of COVID-19
infection.
However, as COVID-19 related travel restrictions had been lifted, all 3rd trainees conducted onsite
lecture and research guidance of students at overseas universities as STEP6 final exam before the endof July 2023.
At the beginning of Graduation Ceremony, certificates were given to graduates by President Ishibashi.
He congratulated graduates on their successful completion of each STEP and on achieving outstanding
results. He also expressed his expectation that graduates will contribute to the advancement ofJapan’s academic research by leadership acquired through SENTAN-Q program.
After the congratulatory speech by President, graduates made brief presentation on their achievementsof SENTAN-Q. One of the graduates reported that the international joint research is currently being
conducted by the network created through SENTAN-Q. The other graduates told the plan to accept
doctoral student to his laboratory from overseas mentor university of STEP6. Their lively, delight
expressions showed that they had gained confidence by overcoming difficulties themselves throughtwo-years training.
As a closing remark, Senior Vice President Tamada gave a message as the SENTAN-Q coordinator. She
expressed her expectation that graduates will constantly work hard and make positive efforts during
their future research careers.
For graduates who reached the targeted level, tenured position or one level promotion will be given
within one year of the completion of SENTAN-Q. Two of the 3rd trainees had got promoted before theGraduation Ceremony, which was held 3 months after the completion of SENTAN-Q. The promotion
process is being processed smoothly for the other graduates.

10

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

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SENTAN-Q Program Completion of 3rd term Trainees

Third term Trainees
No.1

No.3

IKEGAYA Naoki

Professor

Affiliation

Faculty of Engineering Sciences

Affiliation

Research Field

Outdoor Environmental Engineering

Research Field

The program provided me various opportunities to become a top-level researcher based on two-year
intensive courses to gain genuine global competitiveness and to learn the importance of diversity
inclusion. As a third term trainee, I deeply appreciate these great opportunities. Additionally, I am
proud of the successful accomplishment of the training courses. By completing various steps,
such as lectures on teaching methods, outlines of university governance, recurrent learning, andsupervising students with the assistance of outstanding mentors, the program significantly enhanced
the international network in my research fields and improve my supervising skills as an educatorand researcher. The improvement of my research and educational skills is essential to maximize theoutcomes from my research group as a principal investigator. In retrospect, although the program
was very intensive in the short term, I understood that the most important steps in the program, suchas the recurrent learning and cooperation with top-level researchers, were indeed activities that we
could engage in whenever we are motivated with lasting enthusiasm for research. To lead an attractive
research group for many overseas students and researchers as a hub in my fields, I would like tocontinue learning as well as activities that the SENTAN-Q program provided me.

INOISHI Atsushi
Affiliation
Research Field

Assistant professor

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dental Science
Immunology

I have just completed my training at SENTAN-Q. Although I was initially apprehensive, I learned a lot
about diversity and inclusiveness. I broadened my perspective by interacting with researchers andstudents from diverse backgrounds, and I also realized that my research would be greatly developed
through collaboration and cooperation. I also reaffirmed the importance and satisfaction of education.
In STEP 6, I gained experience giving lectures to students in the United States. I feel that I prepareda base for future international joint research by consulting with many overseas researchers, brushingup on the content of lectures, and negotiating with them to give lectures. Furthermore, STEP 6 hasenabled us to start joint research with overseas researchers.
I will use what I have learned in this training program and continue my studies to become a diversity
and super global faculty who can compete with the rest of the world.
Finally, I would like to thank all the teachers and staff at each STEP, including those at the SENTAN-Q
office.

No.4

No.2
Associate Professor

Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering
Electrochemistry

As a third term trainee, I had successfully completed the SENTAN-Q program. The lectures on
governance and diversity, which I don't usually have the opportunity to learn about, was very
meaningful as it gave me an opportunity to think about the future of the university. The recurrent
education in STEP 5 also allowed me to learn a new field that was different from my specialized field,
and I was able to connect with its professor. During the education of students and lectures in STEP
4 and 6, I was able to gain valuable experience by discussions with mentors and students in English.
I also learned a lot about the educational policies of my mentor observing them firsthand. By being
able to stay safely in abroad during STEP 6, I was able to build a stronger relationship. I discussed not
only with my mentor, but also with the students and postdocs who belong there, and we continue to
conduct joint research. I hope to further advance our joint research in the future, contribute to Kyushu
University, and grow into a world-class researcher. Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude
to everyone involved for giving me this opportunity and for their tremendous support.

12

KANEKO Naoki

KUSABA Akira
Affiliation
Research Field

Associate Professor

Research Institute for Applied Mechanics
Materials Engineering, Crystal Growth

These past two years, dedicated to the SENTAN-Q training program, have been an important period
for my career development. The knowledge and perspectives I gained on university governance anddiversity inclusion during the training are something I wish to share with the organization. Additionally,
the experience in recurrent education highlighted the importance of continuously learning newacademic subjects and ways of thinking.
The lectures I conducted overseas were in two countries: the UK and Poland. Negotiating to lecture
at top-level overseas universities was not easy; it necessitated effectively conveying the appeal andvalue of my lectures, providing me with an opportunity to learn practical negotiation skills. In theselectures, the students' enthusiastic participation was particularly striking, and it gave me confidence
in the quality of my lectures. My research supervision in Poland, where I stayed for two months, wasalso an enlightening experience. I was amazed at the students' eagerness to acquire new skills.
Building connections with not only leading international mentors but also young researchers and future
generation scholars was a significant asset for me. I am deeply grateful to the SENTAN-Q office andeveryone involved for providing me with such an opportunity.

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

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SENTAN-Q Program Completion of 3rd term Trainees

Third term Trainees
No.5

No.7

LIU Huixin
Affiliation
Research Field

NAKABAYASHI Koji

Professor

Affiliation

Faculty of Sciences

Research Field

Space Physics

As the first SENTAN-Q trainee from Faculty of Sciences, I completed the six required STEPs over two the past
years. These steps involved on-campus training on university governance, diversity and inclusion, workshops onteaching methodologies, supervision of international students in Kyushu university and overseas. I also taught
courses at the University of Oslo, Norway and also the University of Rostock, Germany as part of the STEP6. Forme, learning about university governance was very unique. It expanded my professional capacity, from just caring
about research and education in my own lab, to considering it at a university-wide scale. It was also eye-opening
to realize that there is more student representation in governance at overseas universities, something that Kyushu
University could consider implementing in the future. The recurrent education was also very beneficial, as itallowed me to forge connections with other faculty members in different fields. In the area of humanities, I learned
about multicultural communication, which helps me to better understand and instruct foreign students in classes,
and in my lab too. In the area of science, I learned about satellite orbit control and design, which is the engineeringside of space science and exploration. Through this program, Kyushu University has been able to speed up careerdevelopment for female and young faculty members. Furthermore, SENTAN-Q’s focus on international exchange isa key step toward making Kyushu University an institution with world-class excellence in research and educationthat attracts the best minds, both domestically and internationally.

No.6

Research Field

Associate Professor

Faculty of Design, Department of Media Design
Computer Graphics

The third-term trainees kicked off their training in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly
through online sessions. Though most of our activities, like facing to other trainees, English lectureson advanced university management methods, supervising international students with mentors, andtaking on-campus courses, happened online, it turned out to be quite interesting and a great learning
experience.
In the latter part of the program, we got the chance to do some in-person overseas training as the
COVID-19 situation lingered. Preparing for English lectures was a tough with all the content, however
I obtained feedback from students in a different setup. It turned out that many are into my computer
graphics field, which made me feel the importance of my research all over again. Furthermore, theextended time spent with overseas researchers proved to be an invaluable experience, offering insights
into their methodologies and approaches.
In conclusion, I extend my sincere appreciation to the professors and staff for their unwavering
support. Gratitude is also extended to my peers, with whom meaningful interactions were maintained
despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. Special thanks for professors from the first and second
terms who solidified the training content, and to the Dean of the Faculty of Design for his support.

14

Department of Advanced Device Materials /Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering
Carbon Material, Carbon Neutral Society

I was selected as a 3rd term trainee. And I have successfully completed the SENTAN-Q program.
During these two years, I was able to learn many things through the training. During this period, I
was able to experience a wide variety of events, including governance education related to university
organization and management, recurrent education, which is difficult to experience in everyday life, andpractical training in education at a world-class university. Through these events, I felt the warmth ofpeople. Recurrent education and overseas training are training in new encounters, and many situations
can be difficult. Even in such situations, I was able to find a way to solve the problem by having asolid dialogue with the other party, and I was able to go through the experience of solving the problem
together toward the goal. I am convinced that these series of experiences will be a great asset in myfuture career as a researcher.

No.8

MORIMOTO Yuki
Affiliation

Associate Professor

SUEMATSU Koichi Associate Professor
Affiliation
Research Field

Department of Advanced Materials Science andEngineering / Faculty of Engineering Sciences
Functional inorganic materials, electrochemistry

Through the SENTAN-Q training program, I got the valuable opportunity to obtain knowledge on
university governance, diversity and inclusion, and teaching techniques for active learning. In STEP4
and STEP6, I engaged in research and education to students continuously in contact with the overseas
mentor. Especially during the STEP6 training while staying at the University of Tubingen in Germany, I
repeatedly discussed with students at the University and learned about the importance and difficultyof progressing the research without deviating from its fundamentals and conducting a discussion that
does not confuse the student. It was a valuable and precise experience for advancing my researchand education performance. After completing the SENTAN-Q program, I have been constantly
communicating with my mentor and the students, and I hope to develop international joint research in
the near future actively.
Finally, I would like to significantly appreciate all the members who provided this valuable training
program, the instructors, and my mentor.

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

15

4

SENTAN-Q Program Completion of 3rd term Trainees

Third term Trainees
No.9

No.11

Ade Irma Suriajaya
Affiliation
Research Field

Associate Professor

Faculty of Mathematics
Mathematics (Analytic Number Theory)

The third-term of SENTAN-Q Program ended last summer and in fall I was promoted to a tenured
associate professor position. During the program, we had lectures on university governance andteaching skills, completed two student supervision projects, and had the opportunity to discussresearch with professors in completely different fields as a part of recurrent education. I work in
Mathematics which completely rely on perfect theories and this time I took the chance to study
developmental psychology and applied linguistics. Thanks to this opportunity, I got to learn how
research is conducted in social sciences and I also learned tricks and important points to notewhen conducting an experiment. Learning from the first student research guidance, I could conduct
the second one more easily. Now that I have started officially supervising graduate students, I am
making use of those experiences to do even better. In addition to two student projects, we also got
the opportunity to teach abroad which I enjoyed very much and was, for sure, a helpful experience.
SENTAN-Q Program was a very fruitful faculty development program, and I am proud to be part of the
program.

No.10

TUDA Midori
Affiliation
Research Field

Professor

YOSHIOKA Hiroaki
Affiliation
Research Field

Assistant Professor

Department of Electronics /Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering
Laser engineering

I am researching printable micro lasers that are useful in advanced applications such as nextgeneration integrated quantum optical devices and optical integrated circuits. I participated in
SENTAN-Q program because I wanted to use it as an opportunity to increase my presence in theseapplied fields that require international competitiveness.
Through the training, I feel that I have acquired sufficient skills to manage an independent researchlaboratory after being promoted to a higher-level position. I got confidence in not only providing basic
education and research guidance to undergraduate students assigned from within the university, butalso particularly proactively acquiring external members and building research groups in order to realize
diversity and globalization. Specifically, the STEP6 lecture led to me accepting a student from thedoctoral program into my laboratory who became interested in my research. Currently, he is a master's
student in the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Carsten Schuck (integrated quantum optics) at the University of
Münster, Germany, who was his mentor at STEP6, and is co-supervising his master's thesis as partof an international joint research project. Additionally, I am in the process of accepting a student (fromEurope) who I met at a local international conference that I attended in conjunction with my STEP6 trip
to my laboratory from the master's program. Having had the experience of attracting such a several
number of global members, I would like to continue to actively strive to build a diverse and global
research laboratory and become a world-leading research group.

Department of Bioresource Sciences / Faculty of Agriculture
Population ecology, community ecology, evolutionary ecology,
molecular ecology, population genetics, biological control

In STEP6, I selected researchers from abroad with close research interests as mentors, and delivered
face-to-face lectures in English at five research institutes and universities in three European countries,
targeting audiences from undergraduate students to postdoctoral fellows. The Q&A sessions were
lively with waiting lists for participants to ask questions. Researchers also attended these lectures,
leading to close and meaningful exchanges of research perspectives. It was inspiring to observe how
all the mentors led their educational and research activities with passion and a sense of mission. In
my conversations with the professors, I was able to learn about the challenges they face, which will
be valuable for the management of my laboratory and university departments. Next year, a graduate
student who attended my lecture at Humboldt University will carry out a short-term study under mysupervision. The mentors and I are planning to apply for a grant for joint research. I have also begun
joint research with a SENTAN-Q trainee in a different field. Moving forward, I’d like to keep paying
attention to the personalities and current situations of students to increase their potential for success.
I’d like to host more young postdocs and mid-career researchers from abroad while also sending
Japanese researchers to institutions abroad to promote dialogue and to invigorate the educational andresearch activities of not only my own laboratory, but Kyushu University as a whole. Finally, I intend
to support an inclusive and equitable academic community, with special consideration of women inscience.

16

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

17

5Profiles of Trainees

Fourth term Trainees

No.3

Affiliation

In July 2022, 10 faculties were selected as the 4th trainees and their two-years training began in August.

There are 8 females and 2 males. They took STEP 2 and STEP 3 lectures and then proceed to STEP4. In

STEP4, trainees conducted research guidance under the supervision of overseas top-class mentors andcompleted writing international co-authored papers against international students. From August 2023,

they have been conducting overseas lectures and research guidance for international students, including

overseas travel of more than 8 weeks. The part of their lecture was broadcast on NHK TV program on
April 28, 2023.

You can watch the introductory video of the 4th trainees here: (https://sentan-q.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/
trainee/)

No.1

GU Yujie
Affiliation
Research Field

Assistant Professor

year. During STEP4, I collaborated with mentor from overseas university to guide international student

at our university in conducting research. Among other achievements, new international joint research on
Trustworthy AI has been initiated, and I have developed new skills in guiding future student supervision.

Currently, I am preparing for STEP6, which involves conducting teaching and research guidance atoverseas university. This experience is expected to advance cutting-edge research, as well as the future
educational and research activities.

No.2

HIROSE Masayo Assistant Professor
Affiliation
Research Field

Division of Industrial and Mathematical Statistics,
Institute of Mathematics for Industry (IMI)
Statistical Science

I am not only interested in statistical science and statistical mathematics but also in applying to social

science. Therefore, the SENTAN Q is an excellent opportunity for me because the program requires
trainees to study other research fields. Also, I can expect to expand my view of mutual understanding
between different research fields.

Such new knowledge and viewpoints can help more profound research in the future, taking into accountthe practical side. And then, in the future, I hope to contribute to society from a statistical mathematics
point of view.

Although I am still in the middle of the second year of training, I feel how important diversity is. I am
grateful to everyone who helped me in this program.

18

Research Field

Associate professor
Faculty of Engineering
Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics and Nuclear Safety

STEP4 was completed on schedule in July 2023. Regarding STEP 5, recurrent education in the latest
disciplines, etc., one course (Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence) was completed with a reportsubmitted in August 2023. Taking this course gave me a chance to participate in Graduate Program of
Mathematics for Innovation (GPMI) to help educating students in the School of Science. The other course(Civil Procedure law) has started from September 2023. We have had lots of discussions and the course
is expected to be completed as early as February 2024. As for STEP6 of the overseas training program,we signed an agreement with KIT Germany in 2023 to conduct joint research and student exchange. I am
travelling to KIT from mid-February to mid-May 2024 to give lectures on specialized subjects and supervise
KIT students to conduct joint researches. In addition, I have become friends with other female researchers I
have met through the SENTANQ program. We have deepened our interactions not only in our research andcareers, but also in our personal lives.

No.4

Department of Informatics,
Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering
Information Security, Mathematical Informatics

As a SENTAN-Q trainee, I have engaged in fulfilling research and educational activities over the past

LIU Wei

MATSUMAE Akane Associate Professor
Affiliation
Research Field

Human Life Design and Science, Faculty of Design
Creativity Studies, Social Innovation Design

In STEP4, with the mentorship of Prof. Amaresh Chakrabarti (Indian Institute of Science), a world-classresearcher in the field of design research, I supervised my student to conduct research which resulted in apaper accepted for publication in the Q1 journal. I learned not only the method of research supervision, butalso the attitude with the highest priority in caring human issue even during extremely busy schedule, andthe importance of management based on legitimacy in an international academic society where diverse
values are intermingled. On the other hand, it is not easy to apply the lessons learned in the STEP2 Diversity
Equity & Inclusion training at the level of individual faculty members in the situations they face in our daily
work, especially during the transitional period when old values still unconsciously dominate due to theoverwhelming quantitative bias. FD program on DE&I that is applied widely among faculties and focused on
specific situations will help to improve this situation.

No.5

MATSUSHIMA Ayami
Affiliation
Research Field

Associate Professor

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences
Biochemistry, Nuclear Receptors, Peptide Science,
Risk Science, Opioids

In this SENTAN-Q program, trainees who are certified for completion of each training STEP are awarded one
level of internal promotion, generally within one year. This is the main reason why I applied for SENTAN-Q.
Each STEP2 to STEP6 training program itself is also an attractive program. These are good opportunities
to get to know faculty members from different fields. It is difficult for us to meet each other even within
the university when our campuses are far apart, but SENTAN-Q is a good opportunity for us to promotecollaborative research within the university.
I am currently studying various nuclear receptors, conducting structure-activity relationships, and analyzing
the effects of toxic environmental chemicals. Nuclear receptors are transcriptional factors that regulate thetranscription of their target genes. In the future, I would like to discover the analgesic control mechanism
involving the transcription mechanism for human happiness. Furthermore, as an alumna of Kyushu University,
I am happy that my alma mater will become more attractive, and I will contribute to this end.
SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

19

5Profiles of Trainees

Fourth term Trainees
No.6

MIYAUCHI Shoko Assistant Professor
Affiliation
Research Field

Department of Advanced Information Technology,
Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering
Medical Image Processing, Childcare Assistance Technology

It was a year of learning, including up-to-date field-specific recurrent training, teaching methodologies for
active learning in English, and directed study and guidance of international students.
In particular, the recurrent training allowed me to learn about developmental psychology and serious gamedesign, which are very different from my research field, and to broaden my knowledge and research topics.
In the directed study and guidance of international students, I was able to refine and present our research
results through close communication with my overseas mentor, which gave me confidence for future study
and guidance.
I would like to use these experiences to make the final overseas training, teaching and directed study, fruitfuland fulfilling.

No.7

OKUMURA Takamasa Assistant Professor
Affiliation
Research Field

Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering
Plasma Agriculture

I'm passionate about developing the principles of plasma agriculture. Specifically, I find it intriguing that abrief exposure of seeds to plasma irradiation for only a few seconds to a few minutes determines the plant's
subsequent life. Currently, I'm delving into understanding this mechanism and working on integrating it into
society. As part of STEP6, an ongoing program, I spent over two months in 2023 in Professor Nicholas
Provart's laboratory at the University of Toronto. I'm currently providing weekly research guidance to thestudents online with him. Additionally, we've initiated new collaborative research with renowned researchers
including Prof. Eiji Nambara from University of Toronto and others from the University of Saskatchewan,
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Ontario Tech University. Our aim is to build a strong researcher
network to expedite establishing scientific principles and implementing plasma agriculture socially. We aspire
to promote methods for increasing food production without relying on fertilizers and to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions.

No.8

No.9

YAMASHITA Naoto
Affiliation
Research Field

Assistant Professor

Department of I&E visionary,
Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering
Semiconductor spintronics

In Steps2 to STEP5 so far, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to advance my research as aprincipal investigator (PI) and efficiently, in a year, to acquire knowledge ranging from micro-level insights(the assembly of modern active learning educational curricula) to a macro-level vision (the connection

between science and society). Through this training, I not only identified new role models for my career
but also achieved the publication of an internationally co-authored paper as an outcome of STEP4.

Currently, I am engaged in the final step of this training. I am committed to forming an internationaland diverse network, contributing to the education and research at my university, and continuing todisseminate noteworthy achievements from Kyushu University to the world.

No.10

YASUKOCHI Tomoyo Associate Professor
Affiliation
Research Field

OBT Research Center, Faculty of Dental Science
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Oncology

After receiving a certificate of STEP4 completion this year, I had been conducting STEP6 training at

Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University for about 12 weeks from midAugust 2023. It was a meaningful opportunity for me to improve research and educational skills that canmeet global standard, re-consider my role as a researcher/educator, and eventually build confidence.

Through each training STEP, I always feel that my domestic and international research network is
expanding, and I am convinced that SENTAN-Q training will be an extremely important milestone in myfuture career development.

I will continue to work hard to achieve my best results.

Ellen VAN GOETHEM Associate Professor
Affiliation
Research Field

Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities
History of Ancient Japan, History of Ideas

In this second year as a SENTAN-Q trainee, I continued to focus on expanding my global network andupdating my teaching and mentoring skills. During the Fall semester of 2023, I focused on STEP6 of the
program and gave tutorial lectures at the University of California Santa Barbara, Ghent University, theUniversity of Vienna, and SOAS University of London. In addition to supervising my own MA and PhD
students, I was also involved in the mentoring of a PhD student at Ghent University. Finally, for STEP5 of
the program (recurrent education to acquire familiarity with the latest research in a new academic field) I
completed courses with my colleagues Prof. Yūki Katō of the Faculty of Design and Prof. Ryū Kojima of theFaculty of Law. For the remainder of the program, I look forward to continuing my tutorial lecture series at
European universities and collaborating with my mentor and mentee at Ghent University.

20

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

21

5Profiles of Trainees

Fifth term Trainees
In July 2023, 10 trainees were selected as the 5th trainees and their two-years training began in August.

There are 7 females and 3 males. In December 2023, an overseas lecturer was invited from University of

No.3

California Dan Diego (UC San Diego) to provide STEP2 lectures for the 5th trainees. From February 2024

Affiliation

to March 2024, trainees have been taking STEP3 lectures. They also started STEP4 from the beginning of

their SENTAN-Q. In STEP4, they select overseas mentors and conduct research guidance for international
students to write international co-authored papers under the supervision of overseas mentors. You canwatch the introductory video of the 5th trainees here:(https://sentan-q.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/trainee/)

No.1

ESAKI Takehiro

Assistant Professor

Affiliation

Department of Earth Resources Engineering

Research Field

Resource Engineering, Chemical Engineering

I believe that knowledge about diversity and the state of the university will be extremely important in addition
to my research activities, especially in view of the future research and social context. I want to build strong
relationships with overseas researchers and learn from the experiences of our overseas colleagues. I would
like to apply the knowledge and experience gained at overseas training sites to my students' education. I
like to apply the knowledge and experience gained in our overseas training programs to the education of ourstudents.
In the future, I would like to continue to grow and become a leading researcher at Kyushu University and inJapan by advancing critical technology development, seeking collaboration with other countries, and leading
efforts toward a decarbonized society.

No.2

HIRAMATSU Chihiro Associate professor
Affiliation
Research Field

Faculty of Design
Visual Psychophysiology

Understanding how subjective experiences, such as color perception, are produced by physiologicalprocesses is considered a challenging problem in science. My motivation for research and education stems
from the desire to address this issue and contribute as much new knowledge as possible. Achieving thisgoal requires active participation in international research activities and collaboration with researchers fromdifferent countries. Therefore, I have decided to participate in the SENTAN-Q program to further develop
my knowledge and experience in conducting international research and education. By maximizing thisopportunity, I aim to expand my global network and create an active research and educational environmentthat embraces diversity and continuously stimulates human knowledge.

22

KASAHARA Tamao Associate professor
Research Field

Faculty of Agriculture
Forest Ecosystem Management

It has been about 5 months since the SENTAN-Q training program started, and I am already inspired inmany ways. We first participated in the series of lectures on university governance, diversity and inclusion,
which made me think more about the mission, direction and management of the university, and the role that
we as faculty members can and should take. The lectures on conflict resolution was also interesting, as welearned the tips in solving conflicts and also realized our week points in negotiating setting. The program has
just started, and there will be several more STEPs on the way. I look forward to learning and absorbing a lot
through those STEPs, which will broaden and strengthen my research and educational career.

No.4

LI Xiaoyan
Affiliation
Research Field

Associate Professor

School of Interdisciplinary Science and Innovation
Cross-cultural Communication,
Interdisciplinary Education and Research

My current research themes are cross-cultural communication and interdisciplinary education research. They
are closely related.
Each discipline has its own unique culture (i.e., patterns of thinking and behaviors) and language(vocabulary and writing style). When designing a course for an interdisciplinary education program, multiple
instructors from several disciplines bring their disciplinary knowledges to co-create a course content as aninterdisciplinary and integrated knowledge (this process itself is interdisciplinary research), and they facecommunication difficulties due to differences among multiple disciplinary languages/cultures. I have been
thinking of how to solve this problem with a cross-cultural communication approach.
The SENTAN-Q Program provides me with opportunities of interdisciplinary cross-cultural communication
on campus and a real experience of an interdisciplinary and international research project. I have highexpectations about how far these opportunities would expand my horizons.

No.5

MATSUSAKA Toshiki
Affiliation
Research Field

Assistant Professor

Faculty of Mathematics
Number Theory

Research has rapidly advanced by dividing its study areas into more specific fields. However, as research
becomes increasingly specialized, communication among experts in different or even the same fields is
becoming limited. I feel that this situation creates an environment where students and non-experts findit challenging to enter easily. My goal in SENTAN-Q is to enhance skills that facilitate collaboration andinformation sharing in research, transcending differences such as fields, expertise, age, and occupation. I
aim to encourage interdisciplinary cooperation and strive to contribute to the overall progress of academia.
This way, I hope to create an environment where individuals can easily participate and make contributions,overcoming the barriers posed by the growing specialization in academic areas.

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

23

5Profiles of Trainees

Fourth term Trainees
No.6

NISHIDA Hiroko
Affiliation
Research Field

Associate Professor

Faculty of Design
Musicology (Music Theory and Analysis, Music Culture andHistory, Music Management)

I am participating in SENTAN-Q to make musicology more open and international and improve my skills
to lead international students, especially through STEP4 and STEP6. Furthermore, I would like to acquire
more knowledge and skills in analyzing quantitative data on music.
Every program is exciting, useful, and challenging to me. The training under senior researchers expands
my mind to have a more global perspective. The experiences and opinions shared by other trainees fromdifferent fields are invaluable.
I have two goals for the future. First, to enhance communication on various levels. For example, to ensurethat minority voices can be heard by the decision-making members. Second, to create collaborative
opportunities to utilize music at our university.

No.7

OGINO Yukiko
Affiliation
Research Field

Associate professor

Center for Promotion of International Education and Research,
Faculty of Agriculture
Endocrinology, Evolutionary developmental biology,
Environmental Science

I decided to apply for the SENTAN-Q training program because I believe it is an excellent opportunity togain the multifaceted perspective and experience necessary for research and education. This program isalso effective in acquiring advanced skills for research and education on the international stage. I havealready had great opportunities to gain many insights through lectures on governance, diversity, andinclusion, and group work training in English. I would like to broaden my research through communication
with overseas mentors by STEP4 and STEP6 and professors in Kyushu University through the crossdisciplinary recurrent education program. So far, I have participated in an international education
program. I believe that the knowledge and teaching skills I will gain through the challenging program ofthis SENTAN-Q will be useful for the development of the international course of the Faculty of Agriculture.

No.8

TABATA Toshinori
Affiliation
Research Field

No.9

TAKAHASHI Sanami

Lecturer

Affiliation

Department of Human Sciences /Faculty of Human-Environment Studies

Research Field

Religious Studies, Area Studies (Russia)

As a faculty member, our primary job is to teach. Although I learn a lot through conferences andinteraction with students, we hardly have the opportunity to learn systematically. I joined SENTAN-Q
because I felt the possibility of relearning things on a broader scale and from more diverse perspectives.
What I am particularly looking forward to is training abroad. Ever since I was a student, I have beeninterested in the methodologies employed in advanced student education, but I finished my student days
without the chance to explore educational practices in Europe or the United States. This opportunity willallow me to not only reacquaint myself with university education but also to delve into new fields andlearn from experts I haven't explored before. This, in turn, will contribute to advancing my own work.

No.10

TANAKA Fumina
Affiliation
Research Field

Assistant Professor

Department of Agro-environmental Sciences,
Faculty of Agriculture
Postharvest Technology, Agricultural and Food Process Engineering

I applied to SENTAN-Q because I aspired to enhance my research skills and teaching abilities sothat I can contribute more to the development of both students' education and research. By learning
the essence of research instruction and how to teach students from top-level instructors throughthis program, I believe that I will be able to develop my own research and teaching abilities, thereby
accelerating the growth of my students and producing internationally active researchers worldwide.
I would like to expand my network of researchers from various countries, develop international joint
research, and contribute to the world's sustainable food supply, especially the green shift and reducing
food loss, then create the prosperous food future.

Assistant Professor

Department of Agro-environmental Sciences,
Faculty of Agriculture,
Environmental Hydraulics, Agricultural and Rural Engineering

I applied for SENTAN-Q due to its capacity to furnish a unique and invaluable opportunity forstrengthening international collaboration and cultivating novel networks through the utilization of existing
global infrastructure. Engaging in this program afforded me the opportunity to actively participate in
specialized lectures focusing on university governance and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), which
are often inaccessible within conventional works. This experience has significantly broadened myperspective, endowing me with essential insights to fortify international networks. My vision for the future
is to become a specialist in water environmental issues in agriculture and rural areas, capable of making
an impact on an international scale. Through this program, I aim to further dedicate myself to achieving
this goal.

24

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

25

6

Appendix

OutlookPlan for the FY2024 term (April 2024 to March 2025)
In FY2024, SENTAN-Q will mark the 6th year as the final round of the program. The 6th trainees will beselected and will start their two-years training from August. The next year will be the end of JST subsidy
project. Building the next system after SENTAN-Q is currently being considered.

The 4th Trainees

The 5th Trainees
STEP4

STEP5
Up-to-date field-specificrecurrent training

Directed study and guidance ofinternational students

STEP6
Final examination
Overseas training more than
8 weeks (August 2023~July2024)
Overseas lectures andresearch guidance

STEP5
Up-to-date field-specificrecurrent training

STEP6
Final examination
Overseas training more than 8
weeks (August 2024~July 2025)
Overseas lectures and researchguidance

The 6th Trainees
March to May: Call for thenomination of candidates
June: Screening process by
application documents
July: Interview
July: Final selection

Start the program
August to March: STEP2
August to March: STEP3
From August: STEP4 and STEP5

7

Unconscious bias checklist

Diversity and Super Global Training Program for Female and Young Faculty
Unconscious Bias checklist
Everyone has unconscious, or hidden, biases, which are picked up inadvertently from theenvironment and become etched into your thinking, influencing your decisions in various situation.
Due to their subtle nature, unconscious biases are hard to completely eradicate. Biases may cause
you to treat someone in a certain way because of their gender, ethnicity, or age. In organizations,
unconscious biases can make individuals from marginalized groups more likely to be disadvantaged
for personnel evaluation such as during recruitment or promotion.
To minimize the effects of unconscious bias, institutions increasingly require examiners to undergo
unconscious bias training before they judge candidates’ performances. SENTAN-Q is no exception.
Thus, SENTAN-Q distributes this unconscious bias checklist to each member of the selection
committee so that they may become aware of their unconscious biases before a screening.
Please read the following instructions before starting the checklist.

1. Unconscious bias is a phenomenon related to neurology, not personality. You can only
avoid being affected by unconscious biases if you are aware that everyone is affectedby them, including yourself.
2. Unconscious biases stem from preconceptions and similar attributes. You may be
more vulnerable to the effects of bias when you feel rushed for time, tired, or stressed.

Achievements of SENTAN-Q
Since the implementation of SENTAN-Q, a total 31 trainees from the 1st generation to the 3rd generation, havesuccessfully completed their two-years program and got one-level promotion. Based on the experience andconfidence gained through SENTAN-Q, graduates have actively engaged in the international joint research,
interdisciplinary research collaboration and application for large research grants. From the achievements oftrainees, the significance and effect of SENTAN-Q can be derived as below.

2What we learned from SENTAN-Q trainees
1.

The importance of introducing DEI criteria in faculty evaluation

Ø It is common that the contribution to DEI are considered as one of thecriteria of faculty evaluation in US.
＝＞To appoint faculty who can contribute to
the creation of a fair, just and good university

2.

The good effect of mentorship(about the effect of mentorship)ØØ To acquire the skills of international negotiation,
research guidance and leadership

While receiving guidance fromoverseas mentor, one-level highquality paper was published.

Ø

4. The issue of Gender Bias

Having a discussion with research
partner can help us feel positive
and joy to promote research.

ØI gained self-confidence.

Ø

I learned how to increase studentsʼ
motivation.

ØI learned how to create strategic
research budget.

3.

The significance of setting clear and specific goals

Ø There is no difference between male andfemale on the research performance based on gender.
Ø The issue of majority vs minority including gender,
humanities and sciences, and age.

26

The comments from trainees

3. Before the start of the screening process, take time to clarify the selection criteria andcheck that each member understands them. A greater awareness of the criteria will
help ensure a fair, unbiased process.
4. Conditions of departments and universities may change with the times. When deciding
whether a candidate is right for the organization in question, consider how they may
contribute to the organization’s future, not just its present.
5. Be aware that past academic evaluations may have been affected by bias.
SENTAN-Q secures the diversity of the selection committee in order to assess diverse candidates.
Please be prepared to listen to and respect the ideas and opinions of members of the committee
from different backgrounds and be equally mindful of unconscious biases.
By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read and understood and agree to the above policy
and instructions.

Name (please print)

Date

Signature or seal

Please ensure that each member of the selection committee signs the checklist.

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

27

7

Appendix
2nd term Trainees’ Program Achievements (August 2020-July 2022)
STEP4 Overseas Mentors List

Affiliation of Trainees

STEP6 Overseas Institutions < where trainees gave lectures>

Affiliation of Trainees

1. Prof. Andrew. P. Monkman, Durham University, UK

IMCE

1. Technical University of Munich, Germany

IMCE

2. Prof. Woosung Sohn, The Univ. of Sydney School of Dentistry, Australia

Dental Science

University of British Columbia/University of Glasgow/Durham University, UK

3. Prof. Eric Yen-liang Lin, National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan

DesignColumbia University/Stony Brook University/Boston College/MIT, USA

4. Prof. Gislene Pereira, Heidelberg University, Germany

Agriculture

5. Prof. Ruediger Hell, Heidelberg University, Germany

Agriculture

National Dental Centre Singapore, Singapore

2 papers

3. National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan

Design6. Prof. Alec Marantz, New York University, USA

Humanities

4. Duke University, USA

Agriculture

7. Prof. Lei Bi, Zhejiang University, China

RIAM

Heidelberg University, Germany

8. Prof. Juan Pablo Trelles, University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA

Engineering

Kasetsart Universiyt, Thailand

9. Prof. Fedkiw Ronald, Stanford University, USA

ISEE

5. Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland

Agriculture

10. Prof. Minming Li, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

ISEE

6. Seoul National University/Dongguk University, Korea

Humanities

Prof. Meike Burow, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

2. Bandung Institute of Technoligy, Indonesia

Dental Science

University of Georgia/Columbia University/University of Southern California, USA
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brian Sciences, Germany

STEP5 Recurrent Training Lecturer List (Kyushu University)• “Clinical Psychology: Understanding the Difficulties of Students with Developmental Disabilities“
Mari Tanaka, Faculty of Arts and Science• ” Cognitive Neuroscience” Johan Lauwereyns, Faculty of Arts and Science• “Creating a Questionnaire Using Social Research Methods”
Kiyoshi Adachi, Faculty of Human-Environment Studies• ”Neuroscience and technology in contemporary educational debate - the case of UNESCO’s
Mahatma Gandhi Institute” Vickers Edward, Faculty of Human-Environment Studies• “Labor Law” Shinyashiki Emiko,Faculty of Law

7. University of Colorado Boulder, USA

RIAM

Chulalongkorm University, Thailand
8. Kunming University of Science and Technology, China

Engineering

9. INRIA/University Gustave Eiffel/University Savoie Mont Blanc, France

ISEE

Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil
University of Surrey, UK
Czech Technical University, Czech
10. City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

ISEE

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China• “Evaluation of Higher Brain Function Using Transcranial Stimulation” Hiroshi Shigeto, Faculty of Medicine• “Special Lecture on Advanced Art Information” Reiji Tsuruno, Faculty of Design• “Introduction to Data Science” Seiichi Uchida,Faculty of ISEESTEP6 Overseas Institutions <where trainees conducted research guidance of international students>

Affiliation of Trainees• “Basics of Character Recognition and Speech Recognition and Possibilities for Clinical Application”

1. Prof. Ruben D. Costa, Technical University of Munich, Germany

IMCE

2. Prof. Marco, National Dental Centre Singapore, Singapore

Dental Science• “Introduction of Data Science Methods to Optimization of Experimental Conditions” Eiji Takimoto, Faculty of ISEE

3. Prof. Eric Yen-liang Lin, National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan

Design• “Plant Genetic Engineering” Toshihiro Kumamaru,Faculty of Agriculture

4. Prof. Gislene Pereira, Heidelberg University, Germany

Agriculture• “International Education -COIL- type Education Based on Active Learning and Various Tools towards Utilization”

5. Prof. Agnieszka Sirko, Inst of Biochem and Biophys Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland

Agriculture

6. Prof. Alec Marantz, New York University, USA

Humanities• “Fundamentals of Material development Using Machine Learning” Daisuke Sakurai, RIIT

7. Prof. Luca Baldini, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Nat Res Council of Italy, Italy

RIAM• “International Environmental Policy Evaluation Theory” Yuriko Hayabuchi,GIC

8. Prof. Feng Liang, Kunming University of Science and Technology, China

Engineering• Others Kyushu University-UC San Diego Joint Webinar Series

9. Prof. Boyer Edmond, INRIA Grenoble, France

ISEE

10. Prof. Dengji Zhao, Shanghai Tech University, China

ISEE

Seiichi Uchida, Faculty of ISEEBANG HYUNJUNG,Faculty of Agriculture“SDGs THINK & ACT Together” [Engineering, Design, Agriculture, ISEE, RIAM, IMCE]

Note: Affiliations are abbreviated for trainees and faculties of Kyushu University.

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Appendix
3rd term Trainees’ Program Achievements (August 2021-July 2023)
STEP4 Overseas Mentors List

Affiliation of Trainees

STEP6 Overseas Institutions < where trainees gave lectures>

Affiliation of Trainees

1. Prof. Qingyan Chen, The Hong Kong Polytechnic Univ., Hong Kong

IGSES

1. Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

IGSES

2. Prof. Duncan H. Gregory, University of Glasgow, UK

IMCE

2. National Yang Mig Chiao Tung University/ Chung Yuan Christian University, Taiwan

IMCE

3. Prof. Shiv Pillai, Harvard Medical School, USA

Dental Science

4. Prof. David Bowler, University College London, UK

RIAM

3. Medicine and Health Sciences and Technology Harvard Medical School, USA

Dental Science

5. Dr. Shun-Rong Zhang, MIT, USA

Science

4. University College London, UK

RIAM

6. Prof. Stephen Palmisano, University of Wollongong, Australia

Design7. Prof. Feiyu Kang, Tsinghua University, China

IMCE

8. Prof. Nicolae Barsan, University of Tübingen, Germany

IGSES

9. Prof. Jorn Steuding, University of Würzburg, Germany

Mathematics

6. University of Girona, Spain

Design10. Dr. Julia Ferrari, University of York, UK

Agriculture

7. Tsinghua University/Hunan University, China

IMCE

Prof. George E. Heimpel, University of Minnesota, USA
11. Prof. Weiping Liu, Jinan University, China

University of Glasgow, UK

Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
5. University of Oslo, Norway

Science

Leibniz Institute for Atmosphere Physics, Germany

2 papers

Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Korea

ISEE

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan
Imperial College London, UK

STEP5 Recurrent Training Lecturer List (Kyushu University)• Evolutionary Background of ”Number Concept“ Kazuhide Hashiya, Faculty of Human-Environment Studies• “Issues and Prospects for Storage Battery Systems to Combat Climate Change” Hidemichi Fujii, Faculty of Economics• “Entrepreneurship Overview and Exercises” Megumi Takata,Faculty of Economics• ”Trajectory Design and Formation Flying” Mai Bando, Faculty of Engineering

8. University of Tübingen, Germany

IGSES

9. San José State University, USA

Mathematics

10. Bordeaux Sciences Agro/INRAE/CIRAD, France

Agriculture

Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias, Spain
Humboldt-Universität zü Berlin, Germany
11. University of Münster, Germany II

ISEE• “Biofunctional Chemistry Challenging the Future” Hisashi Shimakoshi, Faculty of Engineering• ”Nature positive and carbon negative” Shunsuke Managi, Faculty of Engineering• “Applied Ergonomics” Satoshi Muraki, Faculty of Design			

STEP6 Overseas Institutions <where trainees conducted research guidance of international students>

Affiliation of Trainees• “Critical Thinking” Toru Koga, Faculty of Design		

1. Prof. Chun-Ho Liu, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

IGSES

• “How can we involve citizens/local governments in solving social issues through design?” Yasuyuki Hirai , Faculty of Design• “Fundamentals and Applications of Deep Learning and Related Data Analysis“ Seiichi Uchida, Faculty of ISEE• ”Fundamentals of Digital Electronic Circuit Device Design and Sensor Signal Processing” Kenshi Hayashi, Faculty of ISEEProf. Mohd Faizal Mohamad, University Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
2. Prof. Duncan H. University of Glasgow, UK
Prof. Jeng-Kuei Chang, National Yang Mig Chiao Tung University, Taiwan

2 papers
IMCE
2 papers• “Computer System Theory” Takatsugu Ono,Faculty of ISEE

3. Prof. Shiv Pillai, Harvard Medical School, USA

Dental Science• “Learning Analytics” Atsushi Shimada,Faculty of ISEE 		

4. Prof. Michal Bockowski, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland

RIAM• “Indicators for Environmental Design Engineering and Indoor Evaluation” Kazuhide Ito, Faculty of IGSES

5. Prof. Jorge L.Chau, University of Rostock, Germany

Science• “Applying Machine Learning and Data Analysis to Forecasting Strong Winds” Kai Morino, Faculty of IGSES

6. Prof. Mateu Sbert, University of Girona, Spain

Design• “Environment and Energy Policy” Kentaro Yoshida, Q-PIT

7. Prof. Feiyu Kang, Tsinghua University, China

IMCE• “Multicultural Education Theory (Language Policy Theory)” Guo Junhai, ISC

8. Prof. Nicolae BARSAN, University of Tübingen, Germany

IGSES• “Multicultural Education Theory (Language Policy Theory I, II)” Guo Junhai, ISC

9. Prof. Jordan Schettler, San José State University, USA

Mathematics• “Observation of Insect Population Dynamics DX” Kenji Ono, RIIT

10. Prof. Marie-Pierre ELLIES-OURY, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, France

Agriculture• “Entrepreneurship Education Theory” Kosuke Kaneko, ARIMaQ

11. 11. Prof. Carsten Schuck, University of Münster, Germany

ISEE• “Planning of Industry Academia-Government Collaboration Project Related to Storage Batteries” Katsuhiko Furukawa, ARIMaQ

Note: Affiliations are abbreviated for trainees and faculties of Kyushu University.

• “Community Psychology” Momoko Hisashi, Office for Harassment Prevention and Counselling• “History of Kyushu University” Tomonori Akashi, Kyushu University Archives

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Appendix

Guideline for 6th term Trainees

Contents of this program This program consists of STEP1 to STEP6MEXT Support Program for the Development of Human Resourcesin Science and Technology“Initiative for Realizing Diversity in the Research Environment”

Diversity and Super Global
Training Programfor Female and Young Faculty（SENTAN-Q)

STEP1

Selection of trainees

STEP2

University governance, diversity and inclusive education (on campus)

STEP3

Teaching methodologies for active learning in English (on campus)

STEP4

Directed study and guidance of international students (on campus)

STEP5

Up-to-date field-specific recurrent training(on campus)

STEP6

Final Examination: Teaching and directed study（overseas）

 Period︓2 years for each trainee (can be extended under certain conditions, e.g. maternal
leave or nursing care) The program is to be implemented for six rounds from FY 2019 to FY 2024 as a JST project.
The continuation after 2024 has not been decided. The program is expected to promote
about 60 trainees through six application rounds.
 Trainees who complete the courses from STEP 1 to STEP 6 will receive certificates from the
President and are granted tenured position or one-level promotion within one year of thecompletion of the program.

Guideline for 6 th Term Trainees（Feb. 26, 2024）

 This training program is supported by MEXTʼs Initiative for Diversity Research Environment,
and will be carried out under a university-wide cooperative framework as a core project fordeveloping human resources with world-class research and education capabilities while
ensuring diversity, as part of the universityʻs aim to become “Driving Social Change with

1

3

Details of this program(1/6)

Objective of this program

STEP1 Selection of trainees (on campus) The program is made to provide outstanding female and young faculty members with
opportunities for strengthening their research and educational skills that meet thehighest global standards to become attractive and competitive in the world’s academic
research.
 Trainees in this program are selected through highly transparent screening
process from candidates recommended by each department and are expected toattain promotions to senior or management positions within a few years. In
principle, trainees will take two-years diversity & global training course. Whentrainees reach the targeted learning level, certificates will be given and tenure or
one-level promotion will be granted within one year.
 Through the program, trainees can acquire research and educational skills thatmeet the highest global standards, and the wide knowledge required for senior or
management researchers. Furthermore, the formation of on-campus network that
goes beyond the boundaries of male and female crossing different research fields
are expected (as well as the elimination of unconscious bias)

2
32

Integrative Knowledge".

4

Trainees are selected through highly transparent screening process from candidates recommended
by each faculty.
 Qualified applicants: Female faculty, or male faculty aged 37 years old or younger at the end of
FY in which the program starts (associate professor, lecturer and assistant professor)(1) Tenured faculty (2) Untenured faculty but scheduled for a tenure review
 Application period: March 1, 2024(Fri) to May 10, 2024 (Fri) Application documents: Forms 1 to 4
 Interview Date: Early July 2024 (scheduled)
Place: Kyushu Univ. Ito Campus (details will be announced later) Selection criteria(1) Sufficient research achievements (2) Having a positive attitude to learning about
new issues surrounding universities and society with the acceptance of Kyushu Universityʼs
policy that faculties should learn with students (3) Being motivated to improve global
research and educational skills including overseas training Selection Committee members: President and board members of Kyushu University, professors
emeritus in Institute for Advanced Study and external experts (about 10 members in total) Language: English and Japanese An unconscious bias check sheet should be provided to the judges before review
 Number of applicants (planned): 5-10 people / year
male : female = 1:1, humanities : science = 1:1 in principle
 Result announcement︓ Early July 2024
 Orientation meeting for successful applicants: Late July 2024
 Training course start : August 1, 2024 (Thu)

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Appendix

Guideline for 6th term Trainees

Details of this program(2/6)

Details of this program(4/6)

STEP2 University governance, diversity and inclusive
education (on campus)

STEP4 Directed study and guidance of international students (on campus)

Objective Learn about the importance of university governance, diversity andinclusion. Lecturers are invited from the world's top-class universities (mandatory
course)Objective Learn how to conduct research guidance in English for international
students while receiving guidance from the worldʼs top-class senior researcher as amentor Period: 1 year starting from August, 2024
 Place: Traineesʼ laboratory
 Setting research theme, conducting research guidance in English and writing
international co-authored paper etc. with international students (maximum 2)
supervised by an overseas mentor
 An overseas mentor should be a university researcher who meets the requirementsof Progress 100.
 Selection of international students and overseas mentor should be done by atrainee in principle.
 Web-conferencing system can be available for overseas communication. (In FY
2019, Kyushu University purchased a web-conferencing system and installed it in
the Office for the Promotion of Gender Equality. A device can also be madeavailable for lease.)

Diversity and inclusion Period: 1-2days intensive lectures in the first year Place: Kyushu Univ. Ito campus (It can be conducted online under certain
conditions) Learn about the importance of diversity and inclusion in university and society andabout various innovation cases born from these concepts.
 Lecturers are experts invited from overseas

5

University governance Period: 1-2days intensive lectures in the first year Place: Kyushu Univ. Ito campus (It can be conducted online under certain
conditions) Learn about a vision of what a university should be from a long-term perspective
and university management.
 Lecturers are university vice president or former vice president invited fromthe world's top-class universities (overseas).

7

Details of this program(3/6)

Details of this program(5/6)

STEP3 Teaching methodologies for active learning in English (on campus)

STEP5 Up-to-date field-specific recurrent training (on campus)

Objective Learn about the latest teaching methodologies for active learning fromlecturers invited from the world's top-class universities (mandatory course)

Objective Select your extra-professional field from the top priority issues at Kyushu
University, such as the latest data science (e.g., AI or IoT), SDGs, etc. and receive
recurrent training to broaden the scientific view. This will be helpful to remain highly
active after promotion through the establishment of interdisciplinary fields, research
centers, and budget requests.

 Period: 2-3 days of intensive lectures in the first year Place: Kyushu Univ. Ito campus or Fukuoka City (It can be conducted online undercertain conditions) Classes are conducted in English. Intensive and interactive lectures.
 Lecturers are experts invited from overseas.

634 Period: Take two or more courses from the list between August 2024 to July 2025
as the mandatory-elective course.
 Place: Kyushu Univ. campuses Lecturer: Kyushu Univ. faculty members in principle. Lecturers can also be invitedfrom outside the university upon request from trainees.
 Select the extra-professional field. Faculty from the humanities should takescience-related classes, and vice versa. Classes for industry-academia
collaboration and entrepreneurship are also available.
 STEP 5 can be completed after STEP 6 overseas research.
 Lectures are conducted in English or Japanese using active learning method

8
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7

Appendix

Guideline for 6th term Trainees

Details of this program(6/6)

Appendix

STEP6 Final Examination: Teaching and directed study（overseas）

 This program is designed to empower female and young faculty
members by the direct guidance of the worldʼs top-class researchers
and being assessed on their research and educational skills. The goal is
not simply to increase the number of female and young faculty
members in senior or management positions, rather to make them tobe competitive and attractive in global research market.
 The ultimate goal is to identify and nurture outstanding female andyoung researchers at Kyushu University who can lead the world's
academic research and to appeal their skills to the world.
 The trainees should understand the objective of this program and makethe best use of this training opportunity for their own learning andachievements.

Objective Overseas training constitutes the final examination of SENTAN-Q. It
determines whether the trainees have developed research and educational skills thatmeet the highest global standards.

 Period: 1 year starting from August 2025 to July 2026 (overseas staying period should

be more than 8 weeks)

 Place︓Overseas partner university (or another worldʼs top-class universities)
 Only trainees who have completed the STEP2 to STEP4 can participate in STEP6

 Conduct lectures at an overseas partner university in English. If it is difficult to conduct
a regular class, it can be replaced with tutorial lectures at multiple universities.
 Student research guidance in English at an overseas partner university with a mentor.
In principle, as in STEP 4, writing of one international co‐authored paper as a principal
investigator is required.
 The trainee selects an overseas partner university and mentor
 Expenses necessary for overseas training are borne by the SENTAN‐Q program.

9

11

Evaluation of the traineesʼ achievements
STEP2, STEP3 , STEP5
 Quantitative evaluation of traineesʼ achievements based on rubric tables should bedone by lecturers.
 A self-evaluation by the trainees will also be done at the same time to feedback on
the efficiency of the program for the next year

STEP4, STEP6
 An overseas mentor from the worldʼs top-class university determines whether the
trainees have developed research and educational skills that meet the highest global
standards in consideration of the achievement of internationally co-authored papers.

Final certification of the training (after the completion of twoyears program) is decided by the President after deliberation by
the committee

FY2023 marks the 5th anniversary of "Diversity and Super Global Training Programfor Female and Young Faculty (SENTAN-Q)". We hereby would like to announce thepublication of our Annual Report. In this year, many on-site events were held such as

STEP2 lecture provided by an oversea lecturer and Graduation Ceremony for 3rd term
trainees. In FY2024, SENTAN-Q will mark its final year as JST subsidy project. We

would like to express our sincere gratitude for your continued support and cooperationfor SENTAN-Q.

Lastly, we would like to give our special thanks to those who cooperated in publicationof this Annual Report.

March, 2024

Shoko Sagara,

Office for Promotion of Gender Equality, Kyushu University

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SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

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Request for Support for SENTAN-Q
Project Fund

Voice of SENTAN-Q graduate

Professor Mako Nakamura

Training period: January 2020 to December 2021 (the 1st trainee)

Providing outstanding female and young faculty more opportunities for becoming active inworld’s academic research

The contents of SENTAN-Q training was very attractive. I feel that I got what I expected
at the time of application for this program. In particular, STEP 6 was challenging for me
as I had to conduct research guidance for international students while receiving guidancefrom overseas mentors. In addition, I provided a one-credit lecture in English at overseas
universities and received a lot of feedback from local students. Although there were many
situations where I had to negotiate with overseas researchers in STEP4 and STEP6, I wasable to improve my negotiation skills. In the future, I would like to promote educationaland research activities by utilizing what I learned through SENTAN-Q.

Nurturing Diversity and Super Global Faculty with world top-class skills and their promotion to senior positions is achallenge for all of Japan, not just Kyushu University. Each fiscal year, about ten trainees are selected from outstanding
female and young faculties for SENTAN-Q program. SENTAN-Q provides trainees with opportunities for strengthening
their research and educational skills to become competitive in the world’s academic research. During the two-years
program, trainees can acquire research and educational skills that meet the highest global standards, and the wide
knowledge required for senior or management researchers.

The learning of teachers is for the future benefit of the university, the local community, Japan,
and the world
The decline in Japan’s research capability and competitiveness has recently become an issue. The next generation of
students will be responsible for Japan’s future, and it is the current university faculty who are teaching those students.
Improving the quality of university faculty in Japan is essential for the future of those students. Students cannot learn
about taking challenges from faculty who don’t take challenges themselves. In the SENTAN-Q program, professors
selected from world top-class universities teach faculty about issues such as “what purpose do universities serve?” “asfaculty, what can I do for society?” and “how can we build a future society that respects diversity?”

Faculty learn alongside students: Up-to-Date Recurrent education
The origin of the term “university” is “universe,” “a place where all intellect meets.” Experts in all kinds of fields gather
at universities, making it almost like a miniature universe. In the SENTAN-Q program, faculty members also cross thehumanities-science divide and learn about up-to-date academic fields through recurrent education. The themes can be
topics such as data science and SDGs, and the guiding instructors are other faculty from the same university. Having
discussions that transcend disciplines will produce new creation.

The source of global competitiveness is teaching/educational skills that brings out the student’s
maximum potential
In the SENTAN-Q program, overseas mentors from world top-class universities teach how to guide students in a practicalmanner. What is the optimal method of instruction to extract the student’s independence and motivation? How do wetranscend the language barrier and teach international students? In the international joint research collaboration of
SENTAN-Q, it is not trainees who write the thesis, but the international students themselves. Trainees learn the essence of
research guidance from overseas top researchers. Students are a reflection of their teacher. Both parties help each otherand work together over the two years to complete the task of writing two international co-authored papers. Until now, alltrainees have cleared this difficult task with research institutes across the world.

With a long-term vision, achieve a university environment that is truly open and fair
The female and young faculty in SENTAN-Q are outstanding researchers with talent and human appeal that represent
Kyushu University. Crossing the boundaries of research fields, positions, age, nationality and sex, the trainees learn
together as classmates and juniors/seniors, and if they are involved with the university and faculty administration in future,
we believe that we will be able to achieve a university environment that is truly fair.

38

Faculty of Agriculture

For details of SENTAN-Q program, please view in this report and on the website.
https://sentan-q.kyushu-u.ac.jp/

Fund name: Kyushu University Fund Specific project “Kyushu University Diversity and Super Global Training Programfor Female and Young Faculty (SENTAN-Q) Project Fund”
Fundraising period: Until July 2026

Donation amount: Corporate organization: 100,000 yen per donation; Individual: 10,000 yen per donation (can makemultiple donations)
Gratitude (for donations to the SENTAN-Q Project Fund):Invitation to SENTAN-Q events (kick off meetings/graduation ceremonies/accomplishment report events, etc.)

Inclusion of your name and acknowledgment on the SENTAN-Q website and annual reports, and present of annual
reports

Donations to this fund are eligible as a tax deduction for a donation to charity underthe Income Tax Act.
For more information about how to make a donation, please visit the following website.

Kyushu University Fund

https://kikin.kyushu-u.ac.jp/news/view.php?cId=1677&amp;r_search=&amp;mode=1&amp;page=1

Donor Recognition for SENTAN-Q Project FundTo express our gratitude for the donation to SENTAN-Q
Project Fund, we would like to list the names of donors.
Name of Donors for FY 2023 (in alphabetical order)

Mr. Egarashi Shogo
Mr. Yasukochi Atsushi
The names of donors who wish to remain anonymous will
not be printed in the above list.

(Inquiries about the procedure for donations)

Human Resources Division,
Human Resources Department

TEL 092-802-2262

SENTAN-Q Annual Report 2023

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