Introductory Video of GSGES
International students talk about their study in the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GSGES).
Yuki Konomi
Graduated in March 2022
Current Affiliation: Ikimono Club KONOMI (self-employed)
I learned about the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GSGES) during my third year at Kyoto University, when I began worrying about my career path after graduation. As I always loved living creatures and had a vague idea of wanting to protect them, I thought a course on learning about biodiversity and conservation would surely have a positive effect on me after graduation. I also thought it would expand my options to take up internships abroad, which was another factor in my decision to attend GSGES.
In the spring of 2020, however, just when my graduate studies were about to begin, everything in the world halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. In my first online class, it was difficult to understand the professor because the entire lecture was held in English, and I found group discussions to be even more difficult. Most of my field trips were cancelled, and so was my internship abroad, although I was able to work on a one-month short-term internship at the University of the Ryukyus, which was a great experience.
Thus, these two years have been very different from what I had imagined, but nevertheless, what I learned and the networks I made at GSGES are priceless.
I am currently working in the field of environmental education, mainly focusing on living organisms. I develop programs for the general public, mainly for young people, which involve experiencing nature together and having fun learning about living organisms. The program incorporates much of what I learned in classes and from the teachers in GSGES, while reflecting cooperative help of my colleagues at my research lab. The GSGES has many international students with a diverse group of students and professors. As I now work independently, the networks I have made with teachers and colleagues active in a variety of fields are a treasure nothing can replace.
I believe that valuing human networks established through GSGES, on top of learning in the classroom, will surely enrich your life.
Miki Oda
Graduated in March 2019
Current Affiliation: Sony Group Corporation
After graduating from the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GSGES) in March 2019, my classmates and I experienced the coronavirus pandemic from the end of the first year on the job. As we face major changes in our working environment, I have recently heard that some of our classmates will be participating in the COP or are involved in municipal decarbonization projects after gaining experiences.
I enrolled in the GSGES because I wanted to find a job related to solving environmental issues and expand my knowledge and social networks in the process of the job hunting. At school, I had opportunities to learn and meet people beyond my expectations. As I had never lived or studied abroad, I was a little nervous about the lectures held in English and group working with international students. After managing to get by during the first stage, however, I was able to learn global issues of environment, poverty, and gender, and discussed social issues from the perspective of countries and regions outside Japan, thereby having broadened my perspective. I also found the exchange of views very significant in the lounge space where students gather at any time of day.
After graduation, I got a job in corporate sales at a solar power equipment installation company. I am currently working for a company that provides electrical appliances, movies, music, financial services, and other services to customers worldwide. I am in charge of communicating with external parties such as investors about environmental initiatives of the company. For example, disclosure of information on the results of greenhouse gas emissions calculations, future plans to introduce renewable energy, and disaster and drought countermeasures falls into my coverage. As each business has its own climate change countermeasures and there is a variety of stakeholders involved inside and outside Japan, my work requires a broad perspective. Every day I notice that all I learned at the GSGES is connected to my work. Many thanks to all faculty members, interns, and students, who have helped me over the two years.
Dinita Setyawati
Graduated from Doctoral Program in Global Environmental Studies (2022)
Senior Electricity Policy Analyst, Southeast Asia, Ember Climate
When I graduated from the doctoral program at GSGES, I felt a great sense of accomplishment. Through this program, I acquired the knowledge and perspective to look at things from various aspects. The GSGES professors taught me that one needs to consider the interdisciplinary nature of climate change to understand the holistic approach to addressing its challenges. At GSGES, I learned to examine the interactions of climate change with global trends, such as use of natural resources, urbanization, geopolitics and the growing concerns about the safety of our climate expressed by a majority of people across the globe. This program fostered my ability to work at the international level by using innovative global and local approaches to address environmental issues.
My doctoral program was generously funded by the MEXT. I was also able to secure a grant from the Toyota Foundation, which trusted me to manage the projects based on strong recommendations from my supervisor. These opportunities have given me the experience to immerse myself in my research on energy justice, and empower street vendor communities in Indonesia through education for sustainability. Professors and colleagues in my lab have also provided immense support to improve my research and analysis, motivating me to publish my first book in energy studies.
Throughout my three yearsʼ experience at GSGES, I gained an abundance of great memories and long-lasting friendships. There were valuable exchanges from joint seminars organized by labs in social sciences, bringing together those who work in science, social sciences and humanities concerning environmental studies. After graduation, I have benefitted from access to the GSGES alumni network where I could recharge my knowledge through discussions with prominent scholars and policymakers. Being a GSGES alumna has certainly equipped me with the skills and knowledge to embark on my journey as an energy social scientist.
VAR Elif Berna
Graduated from Doctoral Program in Global Environmental Studies (2019)
Current Affiliation: Research Fellow, Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation, Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
Living in Japan as a child has influenced me a lot to create my personal interest in Japanese culture, which has later transformed into a professional interest as I graduated from the university in Turkey. Thanks to the opportunity given by MEXT, I enrolled in GSGES in 2015 as a research student and started my doctoral education in the next year.
I should say that studying in a foreign country might be challenging at times and the life of a doctoral student is stressful in any way. That is why it is crucial to have a learning environment where you feel comfortable and free to express yourself. In that sense, I was very lucky that I belonged to GSGES, where students and professors make strong community ties with close relationships during good and bad times.
Various interdisciplinary lectures and internship opportunities are provided in GSGES, whereas they were not compulsory in my program. But, I took this opportunity to improve myself in global environmental issues, so I attended several courses where I met many professors and friends from different fields and/or countries. This interdisciplinary and multicultural working environment helped me to understand different cultures, perspectives, and expectations, which -in the end- enriched my own vision, too.
I believe this was a remarkable chance for me since I joined to Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties as a research fellow after my graduation and I work in a team consisting of architects, archeologists, engineers, and conservation scientists from Japan as well as abroad. I have been interacting with many people from different backgrounds and I believe my experience in GSGES is very helpful to manage this process smoothly.
Besides all those, one of my biggest learnings in GSGES, which changed my career perspective, is that our research activities should be conducted in the light of global standards, but blended in the local context; and should create social impact. I found it very meaningful and satisfying as a researcher, so that I try to conduct research activities that can contribute to society.
In short, my experience in GSGES was a memorable one, I hope yours would be much better!
SHARDA K C
Graduated in 2017
Current Affiliation: Research Institute for Quality Living Co., Ltd.
In 2014, I came to Japan for the first time with the aim of furthering my studies. After one year in Japan, I enrolled in the master’s course at the Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecosystems Management in the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GSGES) at Kyoto University. I chose the course because the lectures are conducted in English and it has a compulsory internship program. During the master’s program, we had many opportunities in class to interact with our fellow classmates from different cultural backgrounds and countries. It was a great time to learn about different cultural values, individual perceptions, and dreams. I had to spend my days struggling to improve my writing skills and completing assignments and laboratory experiments. After graduating from the master’s course, I entered the doctoral course in the same laboratory, where I joined an internship program. I experienced living in rural areas of Nepal and working together with farmers. Through that experience, I came to know how hard life is for people living in rural areas and learned to cope with limited resources and facilities. I gained skills in time and project management through this field experience.
Altogether, I spent five years at Kyoto University, and I have great memories of my time there. The professors in my lab were very helpful and cooperative. I think that our joint seminars and the comments I received from the professors and my colleagues really improved my research. Ultimately, my dream and passion to complete a doctorate (Ph.D.) was fulfilled at GSGES. For my success in this achievement, I am very grateful to all the professors and staff of GSGES as well as my colleagues there, for their immense support and cooperation during this journey.
Recently, I have been working in a Japanese company in Chiba prefecture. It is a company dealing with food and hygiene inspection, where I belong to the physicochemical inspection group. I must say the laboratory skills, equipment handling, data analysis, etc. related to physical and chemical analysis that I learned from Kyoto University are applicable and helpful now in my professional career. I acquired skills in writing journal papers and conducting research, and together with experience of the internship program and lectures on other subjects, I hope that everything I gained will help to boost my professional skills in future.
HARA Natsuko
Graduated in 2017
Current Affiliation: Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd.
After embarking on my career, any time I have met with my friends from the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies (GSGES) we have shared our experiences from our respective workplaces and discussed current events that catch our eye. When this happens, we unanimously agree that we can have such conversations only with GSGES alumni. I think this is because students at GSGES come from diverse backgrounds, take an interest in a variety of topics, and are inquisitive about social issues in general.
About half of my classmates were from abroad, coming from not just Asia, Europe, and North America but also the Caribbean, the islands of the South Pacific, and Africa. Sitting in classes and occasionally eating and going on trips together with students from around the world, I was able to deepen my knowledge about how my values and culture differed from theirs as well as see the variety of national policies that exist. Also in our class were Japanese students who came from different undergraduate faculties, had working experience, or were raised outside of Japan. They all had unique perspectives on issues facing our world, many of which were beyond me, and I think we learned a lot from each other.
I am now an engineer at a private enterprise, involved in the construction of geospatial information infrastructures, a foundational aspect of nations. Such information is being used in wide-ranging fields, including disaster management and mitigation, ecosystem conservation, and energy planning. Buried under my work day in and day out, sometimes I find myself becoming short-sighted. At such times, I make it a rule to take a step back and see things that are related from a broader perspective, and think about the significance of what I am doing and our customers’ needs. I must say, these attempts to approach things from multiple angles would not be possible for me to do without what I learned from GSGES.
If you are looking for a graduate school that will help you to develop your expertise further and provide new encounters and learning opportunities, I can safely say that GSGES is the place for you!