Join us
We are looking for students who take on important questions by thinking for themselves.
We aim for a fundamental understanding of brain disease and aging. In accepting students, we place weight on a solid academic foundation, the ability to reason logically, and the ability to learn new knowledge and techniques on your own.
Research experience or a finished research plan is not required. But we expect more than carrying out the procedures you are taught: understand their purpose, examine the results critically, and work out what should be investigated next. We welcome people who learn from discussion and from unexpected results, and who want to show their own research to the world as papers.
Whether your strength lies in experiments, mathematics and data analysis, or clinical work, you will build on it as you grow as a researcher.
For postdoctoral candidates, we would like to understand your contribution to previous research and the questions you want to pursue next.
Email: hide0729@bri.niigata-u.ac.jp.
Questions you can take forward
Neurodegeneration
Question What physiological roles do the molecules implicated in brain disease play inside the cell?
What we want to ask next The molecules behind brain disease are there to protect cells in the first place. So why do they stop protecting?
Aging
Question Where does aging end and disease begin?
What we want to ask next Can we stop disease without stopping aging? And why do we age at all?
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Question How do genes and environment shape neuropsychiatric developmental disorders?
What we want to ask next Long seen as a motor centre, how does the cerebellum take part in sociability and the mind? And what makes a better society?
Evolution
Question What are the evolutionary origins of brain disease, developmental disorders, or aging?
What we want to ask next Why has life kept disease-causing molecules for hundreds of millions of years? And why have disabilities persisted to this day?
Projects develop through discussion, starting from the lab’s research strengths and your interests and experience. We value researchers who learn from their results, refine the question and help shape the direction of their work.
How research proceeds here
Supervision and support
Experimental and analytical techniques are taught directly by faculty members, and also learned from senior students and postdocs under faculty oversight. Day-to-day progress is discussed with a supervising faculty member, and the direction of the project is discussed with Matsui at key points. The whole lab meets once a week, and each student has an individual meeting with Matsui every few months. When you are stuck, you can talk to a faculty member at any time.
Shaping a project
We specify a project from your interests, your experience, and the lab’s strengths in neurodegeneration, aging, neurodevelopmental disorders, and work from cells to human brain. If you already have a topic, we will check whether it can be done here.
Learning experiments and analysis
Cultured cells, small fishes, mouse, connection to postmortem brain, microscopes including SIM/STORM, omics, genome editing and AI analysis can be combined according to the question. Photographs and uses are on the laboratory page.
Discussion and development
You bring your own interpretation of the results and your plan for what comes next, and we take the discussion further together. Failed or unexpected results are material for revising the question.
Writing it up
The aim is to complete papers and connect that work to the next project or career step. We place strong emphasis on taking ownership of a project and learning to write it up as a research paper.
We value focused, productive research rather than long hours for their own sake. Working arrangements can be discussed individually when clinical duties, childcare or other responsibilities need to be balanced with the requirements of the degree or position.
Undergraduates and prospective master’s students
Tell us what phenomena interest you, what you have done in courses or practicals, what you are good at, and which question here caught your attention. Lab visits are welcome. Any undergraduate background is fine.
- Science (biology, physics, etc.)9
- Medicine9
- Pharmacy2
- Veterinary medicine2
- Dentistry1
- Health sciences1
The BRI summer seminar is a way to see several laboratories. Formal admission follows the Graduate School of Medical, Dental and Health Sciences information.
Prospective doctoral students
The conversation is how your previous work can connect to a question here and grow. We are not limited to medicine. Data analysis, cell biology, fish, evolution or a clinical link can all be starting points.
Formal admission follows the graduate school. Funding may be MEXT, university doctoral support, other scholarships or self-funding. Details are in the table and official pages below.
Postdoctoral candidates
The laboratory is supported by several external grants. When a salaried position is open for applications, it is announced in News and on the formal vacancy page. We welcome inquiries about joining with an external fellowship, including JSPS and similar schemes.
Visiting and short-stay inquiries
Whether a visit is possible depends on dates, home affiliation, funding and scientific fit. We do not publish a fixed visiting calendar. Write with the period and the question.
University support for living and paperwork is the International Center.
Admission, employment and funding routes
We welcome students from Japan and overseas. For international applicants seeking Japanese Government funding, the MEXT Embassy Recommendation route is a major pathway to discuss with us. We also welcome inquiries concerning university-recommended MEXT routes, including general and special programs where applicable, other scholarships and self-funded study.
Tell us about your research interests, experience, intended degree and preferred starting period so that we can discuss an appropriate route.
Scroll sideways to see the full table.
| Route | Who it is for | What to check next | Official information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niigata University Graduate School of Medical, Dental and Health Sciences | Applicants considering master’s or doctoral study, including students from Japan and overseas | Write to us about the intended degree and timing, then read the graduate school’s official call | Graduate School of Medical, Dental and Health Sciences |
| MEXT Scholarship (Embassy Recommendation) | International applicants considering Japanese Government (MEXT) funding | Tell us your interests and timing, then follow the latest instructions from the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country | Study in Japan (MEXT) |
| MEXT Scholarship (University Recommendation, general and special programs) | International applicants considering university-recommended MEXT routes | Available programs and conditions vary by year and degree; discuss with us and check the university International Center notices | Niigata University (Japanese government scholarships) |
| Self-funded study and other scholarships | Applicants with their own funds or non-MEXT scholarships | We welcome enquiries about self-funded study or other scholarships. Tell us your research interests, intended degree and funding plans, and we will discuss them with you | Niigata University International Center |
| Niigata University doctoral student support | Current or prospective doctoral students | Eligibility, support and calls are stated only on the university page | Doctoral fellowship information |
| JSPS Research Fellowship (PD and related) | Postdoctoral candidates considering a JSPS fellowship hosted here | Write about your contribution so far and the next question, then follow the current JSPS call | JSPS fellowships |
| JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research in Japan | Researchers from overseas with or applying for a JSPS fellowship for research in Japan, or a similar fellowship | Name the fellowship and the intended period when you write | JSPS fellowships |
| Laboratory-funded employment | Candidates hoping for salaried appointment in the laboratory | This page does not advertise an open salaried post. Write if you wish to discuss a future appointment or a fellowship host arrangement | — |
Admission, appointment and scholarships each follow their own procedures. Check the relevant official page for current eligibility and calls.
- JSPS: https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-pd/
- Graduate school: Graduate School of Medical, Dental and Health Sciences, Niigata University
- MEXT: Japanese government scholarships
Graduate study and postdoctoral inquiries
If you are interested in graduate study, postdoctoral research or a short-term research stay, please contact Hideaki Matsui with a brief introduction, your research interests and your preferred starting period. Prospective postdoctoral researchers should also attach a CV. Inquiries about visiting the lab are welcome.
Hideaki Matsui
hide0729@bri.niigata-u.ac.jp