I applied for and was awarded a grant for a research project titled "Synthesis of the Three-Dimensional Electron-Accepting Molecule Perfluorocubane."
About 20 years ago, a scientific paper predicted that perfluorocubane, a cube-shaped molecule composed of carbon and fluorine, could trap an electron inside its cubic structure. However, due to the extreme difficulty of synthesizing perfluorocubane, this prediction remained unverified.
I set out to synthesize this molecule and prove the theoretical prediction. After overcoming numerous challenges, I succeeded in synthesizing perfluorocubane and confirming that electron was indeed trapped within the molecular structure. This achievement was published as a research paper during my tenure as a JSPS Research Fellow.

Being selected as a JSPS Research Fellow allowed me to dedicate all my time during my 3-year doctoral program to research. With financial support for both living and research expenses, I was able to fully immerse myself in my studies without external worries. 
Additionally, this funding enabled me to attend international conferences and take short overseas research trips. It may sound a bit simplistic, but seeing world-class researchers firsthand—the impact of which supersedes just reading their papers—helped me to develop a clearer vision of the kind of researcher I aspired to be.

When we think of the path of scientific research, we tend to focus on big goals that lie ahead. Rather than by grand objectives, I find myself intrigued by the subtle discoveries made along the twists and turns of my research journey. If you follow the path of our research without rigid expectations and simply let your curiosity guide you, you may happen upon unexpected discoveries.