Eligibility & Selection – U.S. Fellows

To be eligible to apply for the Nakatani RIES U.S. Fellowship Program students must:

• Be at least 18 years old;
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident;
• Be a currently-enrolled, degree-seeking undergraduate student in good academic standing at a U.S. institution of higher education;
• Be majoring in a science or engineering field;
• Be in your freshman (B1) or sophomore (B2) year of undergraduate study at the time of application;
• Have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.5 or above;
• Be able to express a demonstrated interest in international science & engineering research, particularly with Japan;
• Be able to express a demonstrated interested in future graduate study in a science or engineering field.

The Nakatani RIES Fellowship Program is geared towards the needs of young undergraduates who are new to scientific research and study of Japanese language and culture. No prior research or language study is required. If you do have prior language or research experience, you are encouraged to share this information with us in your application essays. Students who have prior research experience will be expected to have their current/former research advisor submit one of the two required letters of recommendation. 

Women, underrepresented groups, and students from schools with limited research opportunities are strongly encouraged to apply. Community college students who plan to transfer to a four-year university and major in science or engineering are also strongly encouraged to apply.

Selection Criteria – U.S. Fellows

When reviewing applicants the Nakatani RIES program seeks to select students who:

• Have a strong and well-defined interest in international research;
• Have a desire to develop the skills necessary to become a globally-competent scientist or engineer;
• Have a strong and well-defined interest in pursuit of future research & graduate study in a science or engineering field;
• Have a strong and well-defined interest in Japan, though no prior Japanese language or culture study is required.

Complete applications will be reviewed by the Nakatani RIES selection committee and Skype interviews will be held with all program finalists.

Potential Research Hosts: Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the websites of potential Research Hosts and explain within their essays which host lab/s they are most interested in conducting research with.  Host labs and available projects may vary from year to year.

Fields of Study: Students in any science or engineering major are eligible to apply but applicants are strongly encouraged to review the websites of potential Research Hosts and, within their essays describe how conducting research with your preferred host labs will further your academic/research goals.  Host labs and available projects may vary from year to year.

The Nakatani RIES Student Experience
Applicants are strongly encouraged to review website profiles of our past participants to learn more about what the experience of conducting research in Japan. You can also download PDFs of our past participant’s research posters and abstracts from these website profiles.

• 2017 U.S. Fellows
• 2016 U.S. Fellows
• Nakatani RIES is modeled off of the award-winning NanoJapan: International Research Experience for Undergraduates Program. Applicants may also want to review profiles of the 144 U.S. students who participated in this program from 2006 – 2015 on the Alumni Updates page of the archived NanoJapan: IREU website.

Remember, your experience will be unique and different from our past participants.  Research host labs and projects may vary, the members of a research group will change as students graduate and new students join, and each participant’s motivations, personality, and attitude will be different and influence your experience in Japan. No two student’s experiences will be exactly alike.