Title NanoSquare Booklet (English) 2016 · overhead expenses used for management. Program members’ visible activities ... momenta continue to rise. There also follows the reputation

http://repository.osakafu-u.ac.jp/dspace/

Title NanoSquare Booklet　(English) 2016

Author(s)

Editor(s) NanoSquare Office, Osaka Prefecture University

Citation NanoSquare Booklet. 2016, p.1-14

Issue Date 2016-04-01

URL http://hdl.handle.net/10466/14960

Rights

2016

Leading University as a Base for H

uman Resource Developm

ent in Nanoscience and N

anotechnology

President & Chairman,Chief Executive of the NanoSquareprogram

Prof. Hiroshi Tsuji

Osaka Prefecture University paid particular attention to the three concepts of Diversity, Fusion, and Internationalization to fulfi ll the University’s motto of conducting Cutting-Edge Research for a Global Age. In order to realize these principles, the NanoSquare program hired excellent young researchers covering a wide range of nano-related science and engineering fields through international open recruitments. The program’s tactical plan locates these researchers’ independent laboratories near each other. Regardless of gender, nationality, and career background, these excellent young researchers all do their best and share the same goal; obtaining tenure through stringent assessment. The NanoSquare program stimulates tenure-track faculty members to expand their dreams for creating new fields by interacting and communicating with members engaging in different fi elds. They cannot reach this new frontier if they insist on struggling toward targets alone; collaboration and interaction are key. While they are technically competitors, the NanoSquare clan is smart enough to conduct cooperative research and/or collaborate in a proactive manner, creating a melting pot of various disciplines. Accordingly, many program research results have been published in top-ranking journals. The strong reputation of the NanoSquare clan has been celebrated across the globe, and these accolades will undoubtedly enhance the reputation of the University’s program far and wide. I am sure that the NanoSquare faculty members have strived to fulfill my desire to create an Easily Accessible University for Connecting People, which I conveyed to you in my inauguration. Thanks to the large amount of external funds, they have acquired, the university has indeed benefited, covering the overhead expenses used for management. Program members’ visible activities have significantly inspired many university faculty members. In addition, the high-quality research and experimental environments of NanoSquare are regarded as the envy of academia, even from a global point of view. This university’s program received exceedingly high scores in the mid-term and ex-post evaluations rigorously enforced by our government. We intended to design the program such that it would work not only in our university, but also at any university worldwide as an ideal tenure-track system. As a matter of fact, many academics often consider our NanoSquare program to be worthy of emulation.

Easily Accessible University forConnecting People

The best investment any society can make is in the education and training of its young people. Education is the foundation for societal well-being, which has many expressions. For example, innovation in science and engineering yields new technology and attendant economic rewards. University faculty in science and engineering are responsible for the higher education of the future generation of scientists and engineers, and often they simultaneously contribute important innovations enabling technical advances. Indeed, this is the job and duty of our fi ne fl ock of tenure-track lecturers that we have recruited during the past several years into the NanoSquare program at Osaka Prefecture University. The screening process is exceptionally rigorous and well-designed. Merely surviving the process, landing a final on-campus interview is a mark of excellence. The continued post-hiring mentoring and monitoring process is a model that other academic institutions and centers might do well to follow. Monitoring and mentoring with proper feedback and corrective actions is key to protecting the investments made in recruiting and start-up funding of each lecturer in this program. The ideal culmination of the process consists of high research and educational achievements by each lecturer and eligibility for tenure status. This is the best return on the investments and the extensive multi-year efforts by our sizeable committee. Multidisciplinary research rooted in diversity is a fertile ground for new ideas and scientific breakthroughs. Those features are emphasized in the NanoSquare program and expressed very well in the recruitment outcomes. Nanotechnology and nanoscience are at the forefront of the various fi elds that are shaping the future of societies across the globe. These fields include energy, materials, medicine, communications, and computing. The challenges are immeasurable and so are the opportunities. It is indeed a pleasure to see our fine flock of new faculty members take decisive steps forward in their various disciplines as well as join hands and cross disciplines. Many world-class publications and technical advances are already on the books and decorating the resumes of the tenure-track lecturers. As they travel the world presenting their research in numerous major venues, their momenta continue to rise. There also follows the reputation and long-term success of the NanoSquare program. It is my pleasure to be affiliated with, and contribute to, this excellent program. A lot of wisdom and care has gone into its design and maintenance. Time will tell that the NanoSquare team delivers a high return on this investment for the good of the university and the Japanese society.

External overseas advisorThe University of Texas at Arlington

Prof. Robert Magnusson

Robert Magnusson is the Texas Instruments D is t ingu ished Un ive rs i ty Cha i r i n Nanoelectronics and Professor of Electrical Engineering at UT-Arlington, Texas, USA. He received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. After working in industry for several years, he joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Arlington. Current theoretical and experimental research addresses periodic nanostructures, nanolithography, nanophotonics and -electronics, nanoplasmonics, and optical bio- and chemical sensors. He is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America and SPIE. He is a recipient of the IEEE Third Millennium Medal and an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.

Profile of Prof. Magnusson




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Great joy sharing with NanoSquare




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Short History of the NanoSquare ProgramShort History of the N

anoSquare Program

The NanoSquare program started in 2008 to strengthen traditional human resource development (HRD) in the academia of this country. Our university’s motto is being “interactive locally” and “proactive globally.” The program aims at attracting excellent young researchers to nurture them to be superstars as the next generation leaders of our university. The tenure-track faculty members and the acting committees cooperate to build a world-class center of excellence. Although nanoscience and nanotechnology are fundamental components of the program, its scope reaches far beyond their literal meanings and range. We intend to launch a prototype of a tenure-track model, which is applicable to any public and regional universities. The program extensively recruits young lecturers who would be promoted to tenured associate professors upon securing tenure qualifi cation. If a candidate is extraordinary outstanding, she/he can be promoted to a tenure-track associate professor after the third-year interim assessment, and can even be hired as a tenured professor after the fi nal-year assessment. Salaries are paid not monthly, but annually. The young researchers have benefi tted from a wide range of support: (1) 10 million yen research fund in the first year; (2) 5 million yen annual fund from the second year onward; (3) ordinary research fund is additionally provided equally with tenured faculty members; (4) laboratory space of 100 m2; (5) shared research equipment at the Research Center; (6) occasional supports by mentors; (7) advices from advisory members; (8) incentives for female researchers; (9) external research fund acquisitions led by coordinators; (10) supports provided by the technical staffers; (11) supports provided by

the administrative staffers; (12) interdisciplinary research with neighboring tenure-track laboratories; (13) monthly acting committee for careful monitoring; and (14) effective acting committee working groups. It was honored to receive high-quality applications written by highly motivated distinguished candidates for NanoSquare positions. Since 2008, 18 tenure-track faculty members have been involved in teaching, conducting research, and contributing to society at the NanoSquare Center. Some of them have already been placed in the departments of their choice. There are many impressive achievements by the distinguished young researchers cultivated by the NanoSquare program. It is remarkable to consider the list of prestigious research funds attained by NanoSquare members and alumni. Seven obtained JST-PRESTO, three obtained JST-CREST, three obtained JST-ALCA, eight attained a grant-in-aid for young scientists (A), five attained a grant-in-aid for scientific research (B), and two attained a grant-in-aid for scientific research (S) from JSPS. The total amount of external funds acquired by 18 young people reached more than 1.33 billion yen, which is approximately 3.5 times higher than the research expenses provided by the program. This record is unbeatable even compared with other institutes across the nation. We emphasize that this can be achieved by recognizing the excellent research conducted by researchers from academic communities. In addition, the 18 researchers and their students have received numerous awards for their activities. A typical example is that four NanoSquare members have been awarded with the Commendation for Science and Technology by MEXT. We are also proud of

the fact, in keeping with our female researcher policy, that the two NanoSquare scientists have been awarded with the Female Chemist Award of the Chemical Society of Japan. It would be misleading to regard the NanoSquare Center as a highly specialized institute that is only open to narrow research fields. In fact, research themes pursued by tenure-track faculty members include: 1) theoretical superconductivity, 2) nano-manipulation by electromagnetic wave; 3) spintronics device in the next generation; 4) single-molecule analyses by molecular-tip STM; 5) dendrimer-based functional nanomedicine; 6) functional mesostructured materials; 7) silicon photonics using photonic-crystal nanocavities; 8) applications of light and fluctuations; 9) thermoelectric materials and transport properties; 10) bottom-up assemblies of functional hetero super-nanostructures; 11) bioanalysis on functionalized nanospaces; 12) nanomedicine molecular science; 13) magnesium rechargeable batteries; 14) high-pressure syntheses of materials; 15) electric-field control of interfacial phenomena; 16) peptide-based cell regulation technology; 17) computational materials science and electronic spectroscopy; 18) 3D tissue self-organized from single cells; and 19) nanocatalysts and photofunctional materials. Regardless of experimental and theoretical approaches or fundamental and applied research, we encourage them to investigate engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, or, possibly, other frontier fields. Out of these highly diverse research fields, an interdisciplinary community of researchers has been formed in building C10 by young NanoSquare researchers. Consequently, the active community is a research hub with various disciplines serving

as a stage for pursuing collaborative work. The way in which the NanoSquare program cultivates young talents has brought about amazing insights and had a great impact on academia.Tenure-track faculty members have opportunities to be “interactive locally.” One example is the NanoSquare Café as an outreach location for the local community. We obtained feedback that the Café has been popular in the regional community. The NanoSquare tenure-track faculty members delivered a lecture series on “Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology” to the undergraduate students. Thanks to this lecture, some students expressed wishes to be supervised at the NanoSquare laboratories. We view this as a good outcome of the serial lecture. The NanoSquare program subsidized by the government has now entered the matured stage after receiving the top score in all the individual items on the interim evaluation and the ex-post evaluation from MEXT. The faculty-based tenure-track system now runs parallel with the NanoSquare tenure-track system. The former has been established as the result of NanoSquare achievements. We believe that the faculty-based tenure-track system is a good alternative to fi xed-term assistant professor recruitments. The NanoSquare program was started in regard to the philosophy and HRD policy provided in the third-term basic plan for science and technology. However, the achievements are more than the policymaker ever imagined, and the various ripple effects and human resources from NanoSquare would bring Osaka Prefecture University a bright future.

“NanoSquare Offi ce”




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05

Voices from N

anoSquare Alumnae and Alum

ni

Voices from NanoSquare Alumnae and Alumni

During the two years since my graduation from the tenure-track program in the “NanoSquare” of OPU, I have had the opportunity to continue on at the University of Glasgow in the UK and perform works of collaboration, which have been supported by JSPS and JST, as well as by members inside and outside of OPU. We have launched a new consortium involving people from Japan, the UK, and Russia and already expanded it to include researchers from Australia, Spain, and Canada. A postdoctoral fellow from Portugal joined the laboratory since last October. The research on chiral magnetism that I initiated while in the NanoSquare inspired us to be involved in these activities. I am appreciative of the support I received there, which I believe was superb and which exceeded world standards, as well as the wonderful experiences provided by talented colleagues, supporting staffs, mentors, and advisors.

An independent laboratory, clear assessment criteria for promotion to tenure, and an encounter with young researchers of excellent talent are the benefits in NanoSquare. I have gained great experiences in competitive surroundings, and thus, I have achieved a unique research career. I have worked to improve the environment of N2RC for seven years, and I am very pleased that the tenure-track system is gradually taking root at Osaka Prefecture University. On the other hand, we have found many problems that need to be improved. I hope that the tenure-track system will be developed making use of this valuable information and spread from here to other universities.

When I moved away from the freedom of N2RC, I was anxious about a new unknown environment. However, I have now completely adapted myself to the Graduate School of Science, and I am fortunately continuing to independently manage my own laboratory renamed as “Bio-photophysics Group.” Every day, I feel thankful for being in an environment where I can dedicate myself to research at the same pace as before while continuing to use the research equipment constructed in Building C10 during my tenure-track period. I am also grateful for being able to further invigorate the collaboration with N2RC OB/OG and for full support from the University to obtain prestigious external fund. I will be delighted if the current N2RC faculty members co-create the next stage through a friendly competition.

Three years have already passed since I graduated from NanoSquare. When I became a fi rst-term tenure-track lecturer of NanoSquare eight years ago, people thought “What’s tenure-track?” However, it is now well recognized on- and off-campus. In NanoSquare, I experienced the start-up of a new lab and had the great opportunity to meet faculty members/researchers in various fields. Such experiences are becoming vital to my research activities, and I would like to further grow from them.

Yoshihiko Togawa

Yasushi Takahashi

Takuya Iida

Chie Kojima

The First Term in NanoSquare

The First Term in NanoSquare

The Second Term in NanoSquare

The Second Term in NanoSquare




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After experiencing pregnancy and childbirth during my tenure-track term, I sincerely felt that this program supports independent young researchers as well as researchers undergoing important life events. Researchers who manage their own laboratories do not generally fi nd it easy to handle maternity leave. Because of the tremendous support from mentors, student mentoring professors, lab technical staff, N2RC staff, and colleagues, I was able to go on maternity leave without any concern and afterwards resume work smoothly. I strongly hope that such support systems will continue to operate and become widespread.

The five years I spent working with NanoSquare as a tenure-track lecturer started in April 2010 were irreplaceable for me to develop into a researcher. Particularly, the cross-disciplinary exchange between different fields through interaction with N2RC tenure-track faculty members studying diverse research fi elds helped expand my own research area. Moreover, I wish to extend heartfelt gratitude not only to everyone involved in supplementing research equipment, allowing us to immerse ourselves in research, but also to those who provided us tremendous support in administrative aspects.

NanoSquare provides the following benefi ts: an independent free environment, cutting-edge equipment, and an overtly supportive system. Six years with NanoSquare, as is often said, offered a magnifi cent environment to me. On top of that, it seems to be designed to ask us the most basic questions such as “What is education?” or “What is research?” I would like to be a faculty member who valuably contributes to OPU to the best of my ability, while appreciating the learnings and encounters gained from N2RC.

Five years have gone by with lighting speed since I started working at OPU. These past five years have been very productive for me. Thanks to the various benefits of the barrier-free NanoSquare, I was able to gradually overcome the language and cultural obstacles that stood in my way. Upon completion of the tenure-track period, which was supported by the splendid system, I will soon move into a new stage in my life. By turning the energy inspired by NanoSquare into a growth engine, I would like to do my best to create a bright future and get involved in research and education that can offer wisdom that is useful to society.

N2RC is a place where the world's up-and-coming young researchers assemble. Each one of the researchers can run an autonomous laboratory and advance their own research flexibly within a free environment. It particularly appeals to us because we can discuss research with N2RC researchers studying different fi elds without being concerned about time. Osaka Prefecture University provides an environment where we can easily collaborate with faculty members from the Graduate School of Science as well as the Graduate School of Engineering, as the barriers among Colleges or Graduate Schools are lowered positively. I, myself, have collaborated with faculty members in the College of Engineering while conducting joint development and providing technical consultation with local enterprises in Osaka. It is truly a community-based, cutting-edge research center.

Rie Makiura

Shiho Tokonami

Atsuko Kosuga

Yan Xu

Shunsuke Yagi

The Third Term in NanoSquare



The Fourth Term in NanoSquare

The Fourth Term in NanoSquare

Our group is studying the synthesis of transition metal oxides under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions exceeding 10 GPa and 1000 ºC, respectively (Fig. 1). We aim to take advantage of severe conditions in the synthesis of novel materials that are otherwise unavailable under ambient conditions. A quadruple perovski te sys tem, AA’3B4O12, is known to be suitable for high-pressure synthetic studies (Fig. 2). This system has a dense structure and consists of smaller metal ions than the simple ABO3 perovskite system. Using this system, hypothetical compounds that are unstable under ambient pressure may be synthesized under high pressure. Our group has reported more than ten such

novel compounds, most of which are “not useful” for application use. However, we recently discovered a novel catalyst whose performance may exceed those of state-of-the-art catalysts. We are now carrying out further research aimed at developing practical applications in collaboration with several research groups, including private companies.




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07

Dr. Ryo NouchiBiography: Master of Engineering and PhD in Engineering at Kyoto University. After serving as a research fellow of JST-CREST, a specially-appointed assistant professor in Graduate School of Engineering Science at Osaka University, and an assistant professor in WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research at Tohoku University, took up the position in April 2012.

The Fifth Term in NanoSquare, assigned in April 2012

My research target is to obtain a thorough understanding and control of interfaces that inherently exist in electronic devices. Here, I would like to introduce the recent achievements in the field of electrode/semiconductor interfaces, e.g., source/drain electrode contacts in field-effect transistors. The operation of electronic devices is based on the transport of charge carriers (electrons/holes); thus, injection of charge carriers from the electrode into the semiconductor is critically important. The efficiency of charge carrier injection from the electrode into an organic semiconductor is determined by the relative energy difference between the Fermi level of the electrode and the molecular energy levels. Thus, it is crucial

to tune the electrode work function; molecular monolayers such as self-assembled monolayers have been widely employed as tuners. Our research group has succeeded in imparting a further functionality, i.e., a switchable nature, to the electrode contact by using molecular monolayers with disordered structures (Fig. 1; ACS Nano 9 (2015) 7429). Graphene possesses ultrahigh charge carrier mobility, which enables us to construct high-speed electronic circuits. From an application point of view, bilayer graphene (BLG) is of particular importance because of the tunability of its energy bandgap. A bandgap can be introduced in BLG by applying a potential difference between the two constituent graphene layers. The potential difference

Fig.1. Switching property of electrode/organic-semiconductor interfaces modifi ed with structurally disordered molecular monolayers.

Fig. 2. Metal-contact-induced bandgap opening in bilayer graphene.

Understanding and Control of Metal Contacts in Electronic Devices

Dr. Ikuya YamadaBiography: Master of Science and PhD in Chemistry at Kyoto University. After serving as an assistant professor at Ehime University for four years, took up the position in April 2012. Served as a JST researcher for PRESTO from 2011 to 2014.

The Fifth Term in NanoSquare, assigned in April 2012

Fig. 2. Crystal structure of a quadruple perovskite AA’3B4O12. Different combinations of three kinds of metal ions, viz. A, A’, and B, can make a great variety of properties accessible.

Exploratory Study on Synthesis of Novel Materials Using a High-pressure Synthetic Method

Fig.1. High-pressure synthesis apparatus. Pressures up to 20 GPa can be generated.

Profiles of Tenure-track Faculty Mem

bers at NanoSquare

Profiles of Tenure-track Faculty Members at NanoSquare

should be induced by surface charge transfer, which usually occurs at the metal contacts because the Fermi level should be aligned between the metal and the underlying graphene layer. I have succeeded in acquiring an experimental evidence of the metal-contact-induced bandgap in BLG (Fig. 2; Appl. Phys. Lett. 105 (2014) 223106).

08




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Dr. Hidekazu IkenoBiography: Master of Engineering and PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Kyoto University. Served as a JSPS research fellow, a postdoc at Kyoto University, a postdoc at Utrecht University, a research fellow and an assistant professor at Fukui Institute for Fundamental Chemistry in Kyoto University, and took up this position in April 2013.

The Sixth Term in NanoSquare, assigned in April 2013

The physical properties of materials are sometimes dominated by the characteristic atomic arrangements around defects, surfaces or interfaces, i.e., the so-called nanostructure information. Our research group aims to establish a novel method for the precise analysis of the local atomic and electronic structures of advanced materials. This will be achieved by using first-principle electronic structure calculations in conjunction with nanoscale characterization techniques such as core-level spectroscopy. We have developed a highly accurate many-electron calculation for simulating core x-ray spectroscopy, and applied this new method to the characterization of local atomic environments in advanced

materials. For example, the substitution site as well as the oxidation and spin states of transition metal ions doped in wide-gap semiconductors can be unambiguously determined by direct ly comparing the theoretical spectra to experimental ones (Fig. 1). We are now extending this method to the simulation of various types of x-ray spectroscopy; this method will also be used for the analysis of nanostructure information in advanced materials such as energy and magnetic materials.

Fig. 1 (a) Structural model of Mn-doped ZnO (b) Mn L2,3-edge x-ray absorption spectra in ZnO (experimental and theoretical results)

Computational Materials Science and Nanoscale Characterization by Electron Spectroscopy

Dr. Ikuhiko NakaseBiography: PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kyoto University (2005). Research associate at Department of Chemistry, University of Washington (USA) (2005-2006). Assistant Professor at Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University (2006-2013). Special Lecturer at Osaka Prefecture University (2013-).

The Sixth Term in NanoSquare, assigned in April 2013

Our research group focuses on the development of peptide chemistry–based cell regulation technology, including (1) a cell-targeted drug delivery system based on cell-derived nanomaterial (exosomes) and biofunctional peptides and (2) the creation of an artificial receptor–ligand system through the use of functional recognition peptides. The research subjects target contributions to technical developments for medical treatment, including cancer therapy. In research subject (1), we are developing simple membrane-modifi cation techniques for the attachment of receptor-targeted functional peptides and antibodies to exosomal membranes with the aim of achieving

disease-related cell-targeted (tailor-made) delivery that can also be used for cancer therapy. In research subject (2), we are developing an artificial receptor-ligand system for the specific regulation of implanted cells in vivo (e.g., via the use of artificial coiled-coil peptides) without any interference by naturally existing biomolecules. We aim to develop practical technology that will contribute to medical treatments from the perspectives of peptide chemistry, cell biology, and pharmaceutical sciences.

Fig.1. Development of drug delivery based on exosomes and an artifi cial receptor system.

Development of Peptide Chemistry-based Cell-regulation Technology- Cell-targeted Drug Delivery System and Artificial Receptor System for Cell Therapy -

Profiles of Tenure-Track Faculty Mem

bers at NanoSquare

Fig.2. Laboratory members.




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Dr. Masaya HagiwaraBiography: BS (2003), MS(2005), and PhD (2011) in Mechanical Engineering at Nagoya University, University of Kentucky and Nagoya Universi ty respect ively. Also served as production engineer at Toyota Motor Corp. (2005-2009), JSPS research fellow at Nagoya University (2011-2012) and UCLA (2012-2014) and took up the position in April 2014.

The Seventh Term in NanoSquare, assigned in April 2014

The development of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and embryonic stem (ES) cells has broadened the possibilities of regenerative medicine. However, organ development is still a huge step up from cell development. A good example is the development of lung airways, which appear to randomly spread out to fi ll a 3D space but have the same 3D branching pattern in most individuals. How do airway cells sense their position and determine the direction of development to maintain the whole structure? It is essential to understand these inherent cell activities to develop complex organs. Our group focuses on elucidating these developmental mechanisms, and our

final goal is to control self-organizing pattern formation in cell development by controlling 3D culture environments. To this end, in addition to biological approaches, various engineering methods such as photolithography, microfluidics, and cell developmental modeling will be used. Recently, we succeeded in reconstructing a tree-like structure of lung airways with secondary and tertiary branches in vitro by using normal human bronchial epithelium cells. In addition, mechanisms of initial branching pattern formation were elucidated by controlling initial culture conditions. These results can accelerate our research and we are now attempting to establish a methodology to

Fig.1. Two-dimensional branching pattern formation in lung epithelial cells after controlling initial culture conditions, and results of simulation using a reaction-diffusion model.

Elucidation of Branching Pattern FormationMechanisms and in Vitro Reconstruction of Tissues

Dr. Takashi KamegawaBiography: BS, Master and PhD in Engineering at Osaka Prefecture University. Worked as an assistant professor at the Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University. Took up the position in April 2014.

My research projects are focused on the design of innovative catalysts and photocatalysts as key functional nanomaterials in chemical conversion processing (e.g., the recombination of atoms). In particular, I pursue the advanced functions of catalysts and photocatalysts with the aim of conserving energy and resources, reducing the environmental load, and contributing to technologies for energy and environmenta l applications. My efforts are mainly focused on the development of unique catalysts and photocatalysts using metal nanoparticles, nanospace mater ia ls and photofunct ional thin films (Fig. 1). I also have

considerable interest in clarifying reaction mechanisms using various spectroscopic techniques. I currently conduct research with five students in a relatively free environment. Through a repeat ing t r ia l and error approach, I have obtained some interesting results in my new research topics. I also try to learn about strategies and techniques used in other research fields through literature surveys and study meetings. In addition, I actively work towards advancing some col labora t ive research projects in association with professors both inside and outside my university.

Fig. 1 Schematic representation of my research targets.

Design of Nanocatalysts and Photofunctional Nanomaterials for Energy and Environmental Applications

Profiles of Tenure-track Faculty Mem

bers at NanoSquare

Profiles of Tenure-track Faculty Members at NanoSquare

form complex tissue/organs from cells for future application in regenerative medicine.

The Seventh Term in NanoSquare, assigned in April 2014




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Our university was endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) for joint “Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology” for the “Improvement of the Research Environment for Young Researchers Program as a policy plan for the careers of young people” in FY2008. Accordingly, we launched the Research Organization for the 21st Century as the base for commencing a tenure-track system. Initially, the highly incentive tenure-track system aimed at cultivating young superstars on Nakamozu campus, while the total number of young researchers remained small. In accordance with the MEXT program for developing young human resources in science and technology and a new program named the “Program to Disseminate the Tenure-track System,” our university expanded tenure-track recruitment to the Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, and Graduate School of Science. Our university has recognized that the recruitment of fixed-term assistant professors has a serious bottleneck as a career path system because the professors’ employment is truncated at the end of their terms. The faculty-based tenure-track system has begun to resolve this problem by making an essential change in the human resource development (HRD) system that is applicable to all young researchers at the assistant professor level. This system also plays a role in increasing the number of tenure-track faculty members in Japan. Both systems have had the same goal of developing superior human resources. The faculty-based tenure-track system initially started with three departments in FY2011, but it quickly spread to other science-related and liberal arts departments.

1. Policy in the Mid-term Plan from FY2011 to FY2016 The university’s on-going mid-term plan explicitly states, “We shall promote a system reform for ensuring excellent HRD by implementing the international recruitment of tenure-track faculty members and expanding the tenure-track system to all the faculties in order to conduct cutting-edge research.” This article is a normative justifi cation of the university policy to develop an extensive tenure-track system.

2. Committee for the Promotion of the Tenure-track System In order to capture an overhead view of the tenure-track system and ensure its sound development at the university, the Tenure-track Promotion Committee was formed in FY2013 to manage the tenure-track system in view of the whole university and to coordinate a unified implementation among the different faculties. The center-of-excellence tenure-track system is managed by the temporarily established offi ce and faculty in many respects, while the faculty-based tenure-track system is not particular but is operated by a permanent offi ce and faculty of the university. Therefore, the personnel division is completely responsible for the implementation of the faculty-based tenure-track system. It is used to be common that the HRD of academic faculty members was fully the responsibility of an individual researcher, laboratory, department, or faculty. This is no longer true because most tenured faculty members gradually come to agree with the idea that HRD in academia is not the affair of any individual sector but is a task for the whole university.

3. Implementation of the High Incentive Tenure-track System So far, 18 faculty members have been hired under the NanoSquare program. Among them, four are women and one has a foreign nationality. In order to apply for a NanoSquare tenure-track position, a candidate must have a Ph.D. and at least three years of experience as a postdoctoral researcher. We fi rst introduced an annual salary system at the university. Strong supports have been provided in regard to the maintenance of laboratory equipment, and the achievement of research results have been taken into care by the NanoSquare Acting Committee and NanoSquare staffers. Not only the research expenses reaching 30 million yen in fi ve years but also an ordinary research fund is provided to the high incentive tenure-track members to cultivate superstars. The 18 faculty members’ achievements are impressive, significantly exceeding the expectations.

4. Faculty-Based Tenure-track System In FY2012, in the “Program to Disseminate the Tenure-track System,” a total of six researchers were hired as tenure-track assistant professors in the three departments of the Graduate School of Engineering, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, and Graduate School of Science. In FY2013, the university decided a major change in policy, namely, that assistant professors recruited in science-related departments should be employed as faculty-based, tenure-track assistant professors. In FY2014, fi ve tenure-track members, including one foreign female researcher, were adopted by the MEXT Program “Disseminate the Tenure-track System (Promoting utilization of a progressive approach).” In order to assist HRD and promote successful career paths so that young researchers will pass their interim evaluation (3rd year) as well as tenure qualifi cations (5th year), incentives such as the “three mentor system,” “fund from on-campus incentive projects,” and “strategic, prioritized use of the president’s discretionary fund,” are offered, which are helpful for young researchers to establish research environments to pursue their own research.

5. Faculty-based Tenure-track System Extended to the Liberal Arts Beginning in FY2015, the university tenure-track system gradually permeated the campus, and discussion concerning the application of tenure track to liberal arts faculty members was undertaken. As a result, the university decided a policy of using the tenure-track system with internationally recruited faculty members in the liberal arts.

6. In the Future The “Leading Initiative for Excellent Young Researchers” (LEADER) system started in FY2016 to ensure a promising career path as HRD for excellent young researchers. In this MEXT program, the tenure-track system is basically applied to a period of employment of approximately fi ve years. We hope that the university’s decade-long experience using the tenure-track system will be helpful to this program.

The Tenure-track Promotion Framework of Osaka Prefecture University

0 0 0 1 2 6 9 10

0 0 0 1 2 3 3 4

0 0 0 1 2 2 4 4

-

4

4

100% 100% 100% 80% 70% 57% 38% 30%

7

7

910

10

12

15

14

20 28 29 3016 11

- - 0- 1 2 3

The Tenure-track Promotion Fram

ework of O

saka Prefecture University




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Research Environment at N

anoSquare

Research Environment at NanoSquare Research Equipment and Facilities

Advanced Research and Development In Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Supported by a State-of-the-art Common Infrastructure

In the NanoSquare program, class 10, 100, 1000 clean rooms, a cryogenic research facility, and state-of-the-art research equipment are installed systematically as shared infrastructure. Below are some of the major equipment in the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research Center (N2RC). As one of the features of N2RC, necessary supports are provided to young researchers and scientists for advanced researches of nanoscience and nanotechnology in this excellent research environment.

Equipped with a diamond cutting edge, this saw is used to dice, cut and etch a substrate such as silicon wafer and glass.

Dicing SawThe system has automated temperature control ranging from 1.8 to 400 K and a magnetic field of 9T to measure specific heat, and thermal conductivity.

Physical Properties Measurement System

The large depth of field of this instrument enables to produce high-definition digital images.

Digital MicroscopeThe LV-UDM's current condenser supports transmitted bright field, dark field, simple polarization, differential interference contrast, and dual-beam interference.

This enables the observation of surface properties with resolution at the atomic level.

Metallograph AFM (Atomic Force Microscope)

This microscope obtains high-resolution optical images at the millimetric to nanometric scale by switching to a laser microscope and an AFM head.

Laser Microscope with AFMThis device renders fine patterns with a minimal line width of 10 nm on an EB resist.

Electron Beam Lithography SystemThis device transcribes patterns on a surface-applied light-sensitive film by using a photomask.

Mask Aligner

This system performs etching by applying accelerated Ar ions to a surface and etches insulated materials.

This apparatus grows films by irradiating a target with a pulsed laser.

Three different targets can be mounted on a substrate on which a large homogeneous coating area is covered during production.

Ion Milling System Triple DC-Magnetron Sputtering with load-lock PLD (Pulsed Laser Deposition Apparatus)

This system slices the elements on the surface of a specimen by accelerating a beam of Ga ions.

FIB (Focused Ion Beam Processing System)This computer supports advanced research in nanoscience and nanotechnology. It is mainly used for numerical simulations.

Cluster ComputerThe Dektak150 measures step height, surface roughness, and waviness of 0.1-nm substrates at a high accuracy.

Surface Profilometer

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Automatic specific surface area/pore size distribution measurement

Imaris High Resolution Image Analyzing Software

Amersham Imager 600 System

Advanced Research and Development In Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Supported by a State-of-the-art Common Infrastructure

X-ray DiffractometerThis device enables common powder sample analysis atθ -2 θ diffraction with small angle scattering.

This device is used to measure thermophysical properties, such as surface potential and particle size distribution.

Zeta-Potentiometer

This microscope enables highly sensitive analysis of specimens such as living tissues, cells, and DNA by the fluorescence dyeing method.

Upright MicroscopeThis is a measurement device used to study thermophysical properties such as the melting-point temperature, glass transition temperature, and specific heat of a sample.

Differential Scanning Calorimeter

Laser Raman MicroscopeThe combination of laser Raman spectroscopic analysis and microscopy enables analysis of components and crystalline states in an extremely small area.

MicrobalanceWith a maximum capacity of 52g in 0.001mg units, this balance is ideal for weighing extremely small samples.

Wedge Wire BonderBonds the aluminum or gold wire that is necessary for applying an electric field and/or electric current to nano structure devices.

This is a volumetric gas adsorption instrument. To obtain useful information about micropores, it is important to measure the adsorption isotherm for surface area and pore size distribution.

The Imaris software is used for 3D and 4D real-time interactive data visualization.

Electron Cyclotron Ion Shower SystemFine structure fabrication processes on semiconductors and metals, etc., can be performed. An ion gun using a method of electron cyclotron resonance attached to the unit provides an ionized beam in a uniform and stable manner over long periods.

FE-SEM (Ultra-high Resolution Scanning Electron Microscope System)The sample is irradiated with an accelerated electron beam to observe an image of the sample surface enlarged by several hundred thousand times using the secondary electron beam emitted from the surface.

Fluorescence SpectrophotometerThis device sheds excitation light with various wavelengths on a material to measure the wavelength characteristics of the fluorescence emitted from it.

Dice Touch PCR Thermal CyclerThe TaKaRa PCR Thermal Cycler Dice Touch is a stand-alone-type 96-well thermal cycler.

This device is used to confirm the expression of cellular protein and DNA samples in the field of molecular biology.

Catalyst Analyzer BELCAT IIThis device is used for measurement of metal dispersion, solid acidity and basicity, and TPR/TPO.

Research Environment at N

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　At Osaka Prefecture University, we are subsidized by the “Improvement of Research Environment for Young Researchers” model project at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and in FY2008 under a program called “Leading University as a Base for Human Resource Development in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology,” we became the first public university to adopt a tenure-track program. This program was based at the “Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research Center,” which was established within our university's Research Organization for the 21st Century for the purpose of nurturing outstanding human resources in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research through the tenure-track program, to create a global research base for related fi elds at our university and lead the way to the adoption of a tenure-track program for the entire university.　The fi ve-year fi rst phase of this program was completed with great success with the recruitment of 14 tenure-track special lecturers, and since moving on to the second phase in FY2013, we have continued to position this tenure-track program with high incentives as a “center of excellence” program. Lecturers who obtain “excellent” tenure qualifi cation will be assigned to the graduate schools of their choice. In the future, by creating an internal network with these brilliant young lecturers as the axis of our university's priority policy, we expect to further develop the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology fi eld and create a center of excellence for such research.　In addition, with the start of a new effort by MEXT in FY2011 called the “Program to Disseminate a Tenure Tracking System,” Osaka Prefecture University has started a “faculty-based” tenure-track program in tandem with the “center of excellence” tenure-track program. From the beginning, we were working on this concept of a “faculty-based” tenure-track program led by the departments within the university, and we were able to start the program ahead of our initial schedule. In June 2013, in order to smoothly run and promote both the faculty-based and center of excellence tenure-track programs and to promote active communication between tenure-track faculty members university-wide, we established the “Osaka Prefecture University Tenure-Track Program Promotion Committee.” Through the activities of this promotion committee, we aim to effectively establish two sorts of tenure-track programs at our university and integrate these new programs to serve as an example for other organizations. To this end, we ask for your continued support and cooperation in this endeavor.

Director of the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research Center, Vice President/Dean of Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences(Chairman of the Tenure-Track Promotion Committee)

Prof. Hirokazu Maekawa

Tenure-Track Program for NurturingFuture Generations

NanoSquare Reports in FY2015

The 13th NanoSquare CaféKeynote lecture at the 9th

NanoSquare WorkshopQ&A exchanged with committee members at the 9th NanoSquare Workshop

A presentation at the 9th NanoSquare Workshop

April 1, 2016

● Nankai Railway Koya Line: 6-minute walk from Shirasagi Station● Nankai Railway Koya Line: 13-minute walk from Nakamozu Station● Subway Midosuji Line: 13-minute walk from Midosuji Nakamozu Station (Exit 5)

Contact Information

The 32nd N2RC Seminar

The 32nd N2RC Seminar

The 14th NanoSquare Café

Osaka Prefecture University: Cutting-edge research for a global age

Documents

Title NanoSquare Booklet (English) 2016 · overhead expenses used for management. Program members’ visible activities ... momenta continue to rise. There also follows the reputation