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Mission

The goals of this program are to strengthen U.S.-Japan scientific collaboration and in particular facilitate greater cooperation in the areas of accelerator and particle physics in projects of mutual benefit to Japan and the United States. The program will encourage and fund the exchange of graduate students between Japan and the United States. This program has been established in honor of the late Dr. Satoshi Ozaki.

Eligibility and Terms

All graduate students enrolled—or undergraduate students already accepted for enrollment—in accredited Japanese or U.S. physics Ph.D. programs are eligible to submit a proposal. It is expected that most U.S. students applying will be in their second or third year of studies, but there is no hard requirement beyond being enrolled. The award start date will be within six months of the award date and is expected to start during the month of June. The duration of the award is for a three- to twelve-month period. One-time renewal proposals will be considered for a maximum fellowship of 24 months. A report on achievement shall be submitted to the program’s point of contact (see below) within one month after the date of return.

Award and Funding

Each year, up to five proposals will be selected and recommended for funding in Japan and up to five will be selected and recommended for funding in the United States. The award will provide for travel, housing, and cost-of-living expenses for the stay overseas. Any needed tuition will be the responsibility of the student and their home institution. The host laboratory will arrange for accommodations for the duration of the funded proposal.

Proposals for research in the U.S. by a graduate student at a Japanese institution must be for research on high energy physics projects to be carried out at one of the following national labs: Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, or SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Other DOE labs that host High Energy Physics programs can be considered upon request. The applicant must have a faculty or staff mentor affiliated with one of these national laboratories. The program will also include internships at SLAC and Fermilab for two months in the summer. The application process for exchange placements in the U.S. will be managed by Japan’s High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, KEK. Please visit their website for further information.

Proposals for research in Japan by a graduate student at a U.S. institution must be for research on high energy physics projects to be carried out at KEK institutions, including J-PARC, or HEP labs at specific universities in Japan. For all of these Japan-based projects, KEK will coordinate contact between the U.S. and Japanese institutions. The applicant must have a faculty or staff mentor affiliated with the hosting research group, and in cases where the research will be conducted at a university, the applicant must also name a contact person from KEK. The application process for exchange placements in the Japan will be managed by Brookhaven Lab.

The first call for applications to the program was announced in November 2018 for the 2019 program. The program was on a pause in 2021 and 2022, and resumed in 2023. The 2024 program is open for application between November 1, 2023 and December 20, 2023.

Make your application here

Point of Contact: Erica Lamar, Physics Department, Brookhaven National Lab.