Masakazu Agetsuma

Specially Appointed Associate Professor

National Institute for Physiological Sciences

Q1．What do you do?

 I currently work in the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, as a project associate professor. My research aims to elucidate how neuronal populations process information in the brain using a combination of multiple techniques: in vivo two-photon imaging to simultaneously record activity of hundreds of neurons in the mouse brain, a machine learning based algorithm to untangle high-dimensional information in the brain, and two-photon holographic optogenetics to test the causality through the manipulation of the neural activity with high spatio-temporal resolution. In addition, I’ve been working for the collaborative projects based on the various types of imaging, as a mission of the institute.

Q2．What have you applied to your current work from what you learned at Nagai Lab, and how has it been utilized.

 At Nagai Lab, I was allowed to work freely as a full-time PRESTO researcher. There were several staff members who were good at optics and developing microscopes, so I learned a lot from them, which I can apply to my current research and collaboration. Even after I left from Nagai Lab, I have continued to do collaborative research with them and received advice from them. In addition, lab seminars were basically in English, which was very helpful for me to maintain my English skills after I came back from U.S., where I worked as a postdoc for three years.

Q3．Message to juniors

Mainly to students,
  I bet that Nagai Lab is one of the top research laboratories in Japan. In principle, you can study whatever you want, and have a chance to use a huge research budget, if you succeed in negotiating Prof. Nagai.

Some students may think that working too much in the lab dose not contribute to your life, especially if your short-term goal is to get a master degree and get a job. But it is not true. For example, if you get into the world after the graduation, failure is simply negative for your career. On the other hand, being a student is the last opportunity in your life where you are allowed to make as many mistakes as you want. Please enjoy your chance to improve yourself through repeated trial and error for planning, testing your ideas, discussion, negotiation, etc. Remember that I’m not saying that you have to focus solely on research. Study hard, and play hard!!

What is important in life is that each of us leads a life that we are satisfied with. To do so, it is important to think on your own axis, repeat trial and error, and decide your mid-term goal for the next 10 years as early as possible. For this purpose, Nagai laboratory is the perfect place. Even just realizing that it is difficult to live the same kind of kick-ass life as Dr. Nagai would be a great asset to your life. All people are different each other, and you don’t have to be him or other famous people in the world. Their logic can be very helpful for some students, while it may work only because they are that person and may not work for you. But without seriously testing it, it would be very hard to know the answer since students are too young to expect your hidden potentials.

Nagai Lab also gives you a great chance to tremendously develop your English communication skills comparing with other environment in Japan: in this country, there are only very limited opportunities to develop English speaking skills, unfortunately. At Nagai Lab, on the other hand, seminars are basically conducted in English. It may be tough at first for non-native students, but at the end, all the students (whom I met during my three-years stay) acquired the ability to explain and discuss their own research in English. This will be a great advantage in finding a job, actually. I guess that it is very useful for you to be able to speak English for at least another 10 years or so, even though the recent development of language translation software is quite rapid. It will take six months to one year before you realize the effects, so until then,,,, just believe me (believe my there-years data)!!

So, please enjoy the great occasion for self-improvement in Nagai Lab. Try to find an opportunity with Prof. Nagai, who is very busy, to communicate with him regularly, e.g. at drinking parties (maybe after COVID-19 get calm down). Taste his success stories, absorb many things that you can learn directly from him, and further enjoy the differences in personalities and find what you can be better suited for than him. Eventually if you can find your own way of life, you will be able to confidently say that you don't need to compare yourself with other people. Then, your life will be full of dreams!!