Introducing JSPS Overseas Offices: San Francisco

JSPS's office is actually located in Berkeley across the bay from San Francisco. Revolving around the UC Berkeley campus, the city teams with college students and shops that cater to them. Having many Hispanics, Asians and other ethnicities, Berkeley is a cosmopolitan place, one where the hippie movement started and where an academically charged atmosphere radiates a uniquely free and casual ambience.

The office was formally established in May 2003. Still less than three years old, the office's activities are being expanded year upon year, as is its staff which currently comprises a director, Prof. Seishi Takeda, an advisor, Mr. Ryuji Koyama, and five other members.

Differing from JSPS's Washington, DC office, which has developed strong connections with government-related agencies, the San Francisco office is working to build relationships with universities and other academic institutions. To this end, the office holds jointly sponsored colloquiums and its staff visit college campuses to give briefings on JSPS programs. So far, the office has cultivated good working relations with UC Berkeley and other UC campuses, University of Texas at Austin, and University of British Columbia in Canada.

With an eye to advancing research exchange by inviting researchers from the US and Canada to Japan, the office advertises JSPS's fellowship programs, giving special emphasis to JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships (Short-term) for North American and European Researchers, a program geared to providing younger researchers with an opportunity to try joint research in Japan.

Another of the office's important roles is to network young, highly promising Japanese researchers residing in the US. The office holds gatherings to bring together these researchers twice a year. These meetings have been praised by the participants for helping them to create new and expanded ties among colleagues working in the US. Further, the office is a member of JUNBA (Japanese University Network in the Bay Area), comprising Japanese universities with bases in the area. It also serves as the organization's secretariat. In this capacity, the staff is working to support the activities of the Japanese universities while helping them to foster a sense of consortium via which they may communicate collective messages. They will have a chance to do so through JUNBA's first commemorative event, scheduled to be held next January in Palo Alto.

The office's wish is to keep growing its program and serve as many people as possible. If you are interested in the office or our programs, please feel free to drop by.

- JSPS San Francisco Office