What is the OIST Café?
The OIST Café is a casual science information session to introduce the OIST PhD program, Research Internship, and other workshops.
What does cutting-edge research and education look like? What are the qualifications and criteria to get into Graduate School? What are the career options after graduation? OIST members will meet you to answer all your questions! In addition, two current PhD students will introduce their research and share more about their student life in Okinawa.
Excited to learn more about our programs and what is like to study at OIST?
We offer several information sessions throughout the year in English and Japanese!
Upcoming information sessions - online
OIST NetCafé Online Information Session in English, October 2, 2026
Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Time: 16:00 - 17:30 (JST UTC+9)
Language: English
Format: online (zoom)
Speakers:
- Salome Catherine Hayes-Shuptar (PhD student at the Networked Quantum Devices Unit)
Nice to meet everyone! I'm Salome, born in China and raised in the United States and Ireland. I earned by BSc from University College Dublin in Theoretical Physics. In the summer of my 3rd year in undergrad, I came to OIST to do an internship. I absolutely loved my time here, both doing exciting research in quantum systems and being welcomed by such an open and international community. I then began my PhD at OIST in 2023. Now I work in the Networked Quantum Devices Unit, investigating the often-counterintuitive properties of the quantum world, with a focus on network nonlocality. Outside of work, I enjoy playing games, drawing, and exploring Okinawa.
- Tolkyn Seterkhan (PhD student at the Cell Division Dynamics Unit)
I am originally from Kazakhstan, where I studied molecular medicine and worked in cancer research before moving to Japan to pursue my Ph.D. at OIST. I am currently a third-year student in the Cell Division Dynamics Unit, where we study the cellular processes involved in cell division. In particular, my research focuses on the pathways that regulate mitotic spindle positioning and how this process is controlled in dividing cells. Outside of the lab, I enjoy staying active, especially through running and swimming, and love sports and trying new activities in general.
Register here: OIST NetCafe - online information session
Learn more about the speakers here.
Upcoming information sessions - in-person
OIST x NAIST Café - Step into Graduate Schools
OIST and NAIST are coming to the Kansai area!
Interested in cutting-edge science and technology? Wondering what graduate student life is like in Japan’s leading research universities?
Come and learn about the graduate programs offered at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST). We will introduce master’s and PhD programs, research opportunities, and student life at both institutions.
Staff, students and alumni from NAIST and OIST will be there to share insights into the admissions processes, research environments, and the support available to graduate students.
Join us to discover your next step in your academic journey and hear from people who experienced it firsthand!
About OIST
OIST is an interdisciplinary graduate school offering a fully funded 5-year PhD program as well as a research internship program for students in bachelor’s or master’s programs in STEM fields.
About NAIST
NAIST is a graduate university comprising three research areas: information science, biological science, and materials science. In a small-group research environment, students can engage in close discussions with faculty members and develop their research together.
OIST x NAIST Café in Kyoto
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026
Time: 14:00 - 16:00 (JST UTC+9)
Language: Japanese
Format: in person
Venue: FabCafe Kyoto
Address: 554 Motoshiogamacho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan
Register here: OIST × NAIST Café in Kyoto - Step into Graduate Schools -
Note: This event will be held in person in Kyoto, Japan. There is no online participation option. The session will mainly be in Japanese, with some content presented in English.
Speakers from OIST:
Dr. Ivan Mbogo (OIST Alumni currently at Sysmex Corporation)
My name is Ivan Mbogo, and I currently work as a Business Development Associate at Sysmex Corporation in Kobe, where I support the development and market introduction of diagnostic solutions in the field of hematology. Before joining Sysmex, I completed my Ph.D. at OIST, where I conducted interdisciplinary research in evo-devo biology while collaborating with researchers from around the world. OIST provided me with not only a strong scientific foundation but also a global perspective that continues to shape my career. Outside of work, I enjoy playing the Okinawan sanshin, exploring Japanese culture, and spending time with my family. I look forward to sharing my experiences at OIST and offering insights to you about my journey and lessons from it.
Dr. Tsung-Yen Huang (OIST Alumni currently at Sysmex Corporation)
2007 – 2016: National Yang Ming University (Bachelor & Master, Lab technician)
2016 – 2023: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (PhD program)
2023 – Now: Sysmex Corporation (Senior R&D associate)
Speakers from NAIST:
Perantoni Giovanni (Information Science, D1)
美藤大輝 (Materials Science, D1)
OIST x NAIST Café in Osaka
Date: Sunday, September 13, 2026
Time: 14:00 - 16:00 (JST UTC+9)
Language: Japanese
Format: in person
Venue: FabCafe Osaka
Address: 2-Chōme-2-4 Tenjinbashi Osaka, Osaka 530-0041 Japan)
Register here: OIST × NAIST Café in Osaka - Step into Graduate Schools -
Note: This event will be held in person in Osaka, Japan. There is no online participation option. The session will mainly be in Japanese, with some content presented in English.
Speakers from OIST:
Dr. Margarita Dronova (OIST Alumni currently at University of Osaka)
I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Osaka, exploring crystal-structure stability through computational methods and synthesis under extreme conditions. Before joining OIST, I studied materials science at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University in Russia.
In 2020, I joined the PhD program at OIST and conducted my thesis research in the Electronic and Quantum Magnetism Unit. Questioning the origin of spin disorder in real materials, I explored the evolution between antiferromagnetic order and a spin-glass state through single-crystal growth and the experimental characterization of crystal properties.
Dr. Jose Carlos Pelayo (OIST Alumni currently at Kindai University)
I am Jose, I completed my PhD at OIST in 2024 with the Quantum Systems Unit doing theoretical research on quantum phases in cold atom mixtures. I am now a postdoctoral researcher at Kindai University and continuing my theoretical research with the focus on quantum simulations with Rydberg atoms.
Speakers from NAIST:
Madera Rozen Grace Boholano (Materials Science, D1)
北峯 彩恵子 (Materials Science, D2)