HIAS Bridges NEXT

Ryoya Yamasaki

Research field:Machine Learning, Statistics

●What are your current research interests?

Ordinal regression, Sparse modeling

●What do you enjoy most about research?

I like being able to decide what to do by myself.

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

It’s just something I like to do, but I have to be cognizant of a job 🙂

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

I got hooked on ‘PSYCHO-PASS’ and ‘Ghost in the Shell’ when I was in a high school. This led me to informatics and research.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I want to do research that will still be cited 100 years from now.

Asako Toyama

Research field:Experimental psychology , Computational Behavioral Science

●What are your current research interests?

Decision-making, reinforcement learning models, emotion, physiological responses, computational psychiatry

●What do you enjoy most about research?

I enjoy being able to approach topics of interest in my own way while learning along the way. I also find it exciting to hear about other researchers’ work.

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Trial and error driven by curiosity

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

I initially became interested in memory, which led me to study psychology. Over time, my research interests expanded to various other topics.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I aspire to be a researcher who integrates multiple perspectives—such as cognitive science, computational modeling, and psychology—to deepen our understanding of human behavior and the mind.

Makoto Kadowaki

Research field:Industrial Organization, Innovation Economics

●What are your current research interests?

Economic analysis of intellectual property rights, the relationship between information disclosure and technological progress, economic effects of platforms

●What do you enjoy most about research?

I always enjoy it. (I also enjoy when I’m not doing research)

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

A meritorious deed regardless of productivity

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

I was curious whether it was something one could become simply by trying, so I gave it a shot

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

The kind whose opinion people think “Well, whether I agree or not, I should at least hear what this person has to say”

Etienne Makdissi

Research field:Family and Labor Economics

●What are your current research interests?

Marriage Formation and Location Choice

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Satisfying my curiosity

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Improving our understanding of society

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

Desire to explain why society is structured as it is, and to try to find out how to improve it.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

Better understanding of the relationship between family and socio-economic structures.

Elnura Baiaman kyzy

Research field:Mainly macroeconomics, with a focus on monetary and fiscal policy, uncertainty and, a love for Bayesian estimation

●What are your current research interests?

Currently I am working on stochastic volatility models and nonlinear filters.

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Uncovering new insights and solving both old and new puzzles

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

A long journey of exploring new ideas and solutions

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

The amazing women in science!

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

Keep exploring, keep solving, and keep enjoying my job!

Wenjiao Hu

Research field:International economics, monetary economics

●What are your current research interests?

exchange rate linkage with economic variables in developing countries

●What do you enjoy most about research?

I often enjoy the feeling of attention-focusing during research.

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

I treat academic research as a way to improve my personal integrity.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

To save the world.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I want to make more contribution to financial stability in international community

Akira Hatsukawa

Research field:International law and constitutional law

●What are your current research interests?

Domestic application of international human rights treaties.

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Finding something new about human rights in Japan (in light of international law, not just the Constitution of Japan).

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Climbing (hard and exhausting, but can also be rewarding with a magnificent view).

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

A question I had when I was an undergraduate: why are international standards of human rights not necessarily discussed frequently and sufficiently in Japan?

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

Bridging international law and constitutional law, which would contribute to better human rights protection in Japan.

Fumi Yoshimoto

Research field:The European Union Law

●What are your current research interests?

The European Parliament election 2024

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Sharing ideas with others

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Accumulation of the results we never know unless we try

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

One thing led to another and I ended up being a researcher.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I wish I could become a researcher like my supervisors and the colleagues.

Kareman Yassin

Research field:Applied Microeconomics and Enviromental Economics

●What are your current research interests?

My current research closely aligns with global efforts for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050

●What do you enjoy most about research?

I enjoy delving deeply into topics that sparks my curiosity with the goal of making contributions that could benefit others in the future.

●What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Developing a deep and comprehensive understanding of a single topic.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

My grandfather, a professor of physiology, had a deep love for science and was known for his strong work ethic and unwavering commitment to both his research and his students.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

To establish collaborations with both the public and private sectors to develop innovative, feasible, and evidence-based policies that bring us closer to achieving the net-zero carbon emission target.

Haitao Cheng

Research field:International trade theory

●What are your current research interests?

trade and the environment, border carbon adjustments, carbon pricing

●What do you enjoy most about research?

Develop interesting models, obtain interesting results.

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

Research means solving the questions that you cannot answer with Google.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

Google usually does not work well in answering my questions. So, why not do it by myself?

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

Publish good papers in good journals.