Life After a Biotech Degree: Your Guide to Grad School in Japan

Choosing to study biotech for my undergraduate degree was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

It allowed me to tap into a molecular universe I had never imagined before, quenching my curiosity whilst equipping me with the tools to one day solve mysteries in uncured diseases. That was the goal I had before pursuing my degree.

You may have a similar or slightly different goal, but I believe the biotech degree is well-rounded and robust enough to satisfy our goals, despite the slight differences in our objectives. Be it for an academic career path, an industrial path or beyond.

Why I chose Grad School

Since graduating, I have further expanded my expertise by specialising in the Stem cell field, which has led me to other fields like Epigenetics and Developmental biology. Although I have little to no industrial experience, Grad school has equipped me with deep logical thinking and problem-solving skills to tackle projects at hand, along with many other critical skills that are transferable to Industry.

So if you are wondering whether or not to go into grad school, I'd say, give a Master's degree a go first. It gives you a taste of research and the academic field for a short time.

Internships Are Invaluable

As mentioned in my YouTube video, any research experience is valuable. Therefore, I would advise my high school and undergraduate student audiences to apply for as many internships as possible. Not only do you gain experimental skills, but you also build a professional network and an interdisciplinary mindset, which can go a long way.

Here are some internships/training courses that you can check out:

• University of Tokyo Research Internship Program

• Kyoto University Short-term programs

• IMEG Research Internships

• IRCMS Internship Programs

• The Joint Research Centre for Human Retrovirus Infections Internship

• Graduate School of Medical Science, Kumamoto University

• OIST Internship

• Sakura Science Exchange Program

Training courses

• Cold Spring Harbor

• RIKEN

• EMBL

How Internships Lead to Grad School

Once you secure an internship, it becomes relatively easier to move on to your master's or PhD program. Internships help you get a sense of the lab and the city you would live in. It also helps you get a scholarship, as some universities offer scholarships that you can only learn about through the university and the students you meet there. Other times, some private scholarships require that you enrol into the university before the program or have an idea of the research you are to conduct before applying or accepting the scholarship.

Scholarships in Japan

Here is the pamphlet with all the Japanese Scholarships. Go through it and see which one you would be eligible for.

• Study in Japan Booklet and Scholarship

I was a recipient of the Honjo International Scholarship Foundation for my Master's Program, and I am currently under the Better Co-being/Well-Being Scholarship from Kumamoto University.

How to Choose a Lab that Fits You

So, how do you know what lab to join? Start by asking yourself:

What intrigues you? What are you curious about so far?

Those interests will guide you towards the research that interests you the most.

Go to PubMed and search for keywords in your field of interest. For example, "Alzheimer's disease" this will give you all the papers related to this. You can click on the paper that intrigues you the most. Once the tab loads, read the paper to see if it aligns with the research you're interested in. If it is, expand the Affiliations, and there you can copy the name of the Institute and search it in Google along with the Professor's name. You can either contact the professor or visit the Institute's page to see if they have internships or other labs that interest you.

When you contact the professor, tell them about your research interest and refer to their research and how it aligns with yours. Ask if they have an opening for a Masters or PhD student and repeat this process until you get a yes.

Final Thoughts

Whether you're considering graduate school, internships, or wondering if Biotech is the right fit for you, my biggest advice is to start exploring early, stay curious, and Go For It!

You are capable of accomplishing what you set out to do. Do not let FEAR hold you back.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment down below! I would love to hear from you.

7/8/25 Lusu Mwah