Far eastern frontiers

Our recent series of organic chemistry symposia, hosted to great acclaim in partnership with Japanese institutions, highlights our efforts to create lasting international collaborations. Nozomi Saito, assistant professor at Tohoku University and speaker at one of those symposia, gives us an insight into her life in science.

Far removed from the throbbing hum of metropolitan Japanese centres in Tokyo or Osaka, Yamagata prefecture is, by comparison, sparsely populated but plentiful in unspoilt scenery, ancient temples and mountains. Sometimes described as ‘hidden’ Japan, it has very few English speakers, a strong local dialect and is home to the picture-perfect Okama Crater Lake, whose highly acidic waters change colour throughout the year.

A cluster of young scientists is springing from this northern part of Japan, including Nozomi Saito. The first in her family to study science, Nozomi – now in her early thirties – has already become a role model for young female researchers in Japan. She explains that, as a young child, her first brushes with nature inspired her to become a scientist.

“It was a summer holiday homework project – I remember it well”, she says. "Perched by the side of the river, I was analysing these tiny creatures with a small optical microscope, a gift my grandfather had given me to carry out my research.”

Shifting perceptions

Unlike many of her peers, Nozomi was immediately hooked and pursued her natural curiosity for science through to university. “I don’t think science was very popular in primary or high school. It was seen as a difficult subject area that many did not choose to study at university. I sometimes lost my enthusiasm too, as I struggled at times to see how chemistry or science could relate to the real world,” says Nozomi.

It is a way of thinking which Nozomi hopes has shifted in Japan as scientists improve how they communicate science’s importance to modern society. She also hopes their education system will cultivate young people’s curiosity about science and give them the volition to think more independently.

Nozomi chose chemistry ahead of her other two passions: maths and physics, receiving her BSc (2007) and PhD (2012) in Chemistry from Tohoku University, where she is now an assistant professor.

It was her introduction to the laboratory and a helical molecule that spurred this enthusiasm, to discover the mysteries of natural systems and to create new molecules and materials. “Chemistry is the real basis of everything and underpins all science,” says Nozomi, who was a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science fellow from 2009 to 2012. “I found it quite captivating to create new molecules and always exciting to present the results.”

Different cultures

Her research interests centre on the synthesis and properties of chiral molecules and functional large molecules, as well as the development of hierarchical self-assembly systems with mechanical function. During her PhD, she explains, she was fortunate enough to spend one month in Beijing in the laboratory of Professor Deqing Zhang, at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“I was in China as part of an exchange programme and soon learned how different both the research procedures and the customs were to back home,” declares Nozomi. “It was interesting to collaborate with people who had very different ways of thinking and learn new techniques to synthesising molecules.”

Nozomi has worked in the same laboratory since she was a student, which she says is not rare in Japan, although quite different from many western countries where more researchers actively move around. In recent research by Nature, Japan had the lowest percentage of researchers working in foreign countries.

“Science is definitely growing in Japan and more research is coming out from the laboratories and having more of a global impact,” says Nozomi. “Government funding is improving and activities to show how important and interesting science is, is spreading across the country. We are working hard as a nation to improve how we show the results of research to the public.”

Improving statistics

Figures released by UNESCO Institute for Statistics on numbers of female researchers in Japan, show Nozomi as quite a rare figure; they are significantly one-sided, 86% male to 14% female. It is a pattern she is used to and argues needs to change. Research shows that while many women are enrolling in university, relatively few are pursuing careers in research.

“When I was an undergraduate there was a fairly healthy split, but by PhD level there were almost no female students left. It is very male-dominated, especially in chemistry,” says Nozomi. She believes that many of her undergraduate peers were interested in organic chemistry but were put off, essentially by the long hours and lack of work/life balance.

“There needs to be a much more flexible system in the laboratory that encourages family life and is willing to offer a better balance,” argues Nozomi. “It is such a difficult area of debate, as it’s hard to share projects because they need specialist skills, and this can often lead to long hours which many either hate or even quit their job as a result of.”

Showcasing research

Nozomi took part in the Tohoku University leg of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s organic chemistry symposia in early June, which also visited the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. The symposia saw an array of speakers from 11 Japanese institutes – including 12 early-career researchers – present their findings and debate science with more than 300 people.

With more than 400 members in Japan, the Royal Society of Chemistry’s activities are constantly growing in the country. “The symposium was a really good chance to meet high profile professors both from Japan and foreign countries, as well as early career researchers,” says Nozomi. “It’s motivating to hear both young and mature scientists talk about their research and receive sharp opinion and challenging questions. I always meet interesting people and it’s important to share knowledge and enthusiasm in these environments.”

For Nozomi Saito, that enthusiasm can be traced to the day she was given a microscope. She hopes many more young people will have those initial experiences in science and follow in her footsteps. “It is about bringing that excitement and interest to life in class and through experiments,” concludes Nozomi. “The more we can change the way it is taught and encouraged, the more likely young children are to experience that thrill of discovering new things”.