Kazushi Suzuki

Cancer systems biology and immune engineering, Yele University

Q1. What do you do?

 I am currently a researcher in the United States at Yale University. I am working to develop new treatments for intractable cancer.

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

 While the basic biology I learned at Nagai laboratory is very useful in my current research, more importantly, I learned the basics of how to make a presentation and have discussions in English, which is very useful. At Nagai laboratory, we had weekly discussions on the progress of our research in English. There was an atmosphere where even young students felt comfortable speaking up, and even though my English was not very good at first, I gradually became able to have discussions in English. In addition to these discussions, we also took it in turns to keep the minutes of the meetings. This was a good opportunity to look back on the content of the meetings and rethink the direction of our research, as well as a good opportunity to review what we could not explain well in English.

Q3．Message to prospective students

 I was able to achieve my long-time dream of studying in the United States thanks to the basic English skills I acquired at Nagai Laboratory. However, even if you belong to the Nagai Laboratory, this ability is not something that can be gained naturally. I repeated this cycle for five years: working diligently on each discussion, reviewing the minutes when I was writing them, and trying to improve the way I said things in the next discussion. If I had approached the discussions with a passive attitude, I think there would have been a big difference in my English ability after five years. Be serious, but don’t get too stressed out! If you want to excel in your research and English, I think Nagai Laboratory will be the best environment for you!