RIKEN Special Postdoctoral Researcher Programme Open for Applications

The RIKEN Special Postdoctoral Researcher (SPDR) Programme is aimed at recruiting and developing young, creative, independent researchers who have the potential to become internationally active research leaders in the future. The programme provides salary and research budget to enable postdoctoral researchers to work at a RIKEN host laboratory in Japan for three years to conduct independent research and pioneer new frontiers of science and technology to further RIKEN’s research activities.

The programme provides creative young scientists with the opportunity to be involved in autonomous and independent research on a topic of their own choosing that is in line with RIKEN objectives and research fields, which include:

Mathematical Sciences (pure mathematics, applied mathematics, computer science, information science, artificial intelligence etc)

Physics (particle, nuclear, astrophysics, condensed matter physics etc)

Chemistry

Biology (cell biology, developmental biology, plant biology, structural biology, microbiology, imaging, measuring etc)

Medical science (brain science, psychology, immunology, oncology, genome science etc)

Engineering that relates to research conducted by RIKEN

Qualified candidates of all nationalities in any country are able to apply. Applicants must have a PhD awarded on or after 1 January 2016, or expect to be awarded a PhD by the date of hire, and must be able to commence the fellowship in FY 2022 (1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023).

There is funding to support around 60 SPDR positions, which includes annual salary (¥487,000 p/m), commuting allowance (up to ¥55,000 p/m), housing allowance and research budget of ¥1 million per year.

Interested parties must initially contact a RIKEN host laboratory participating in the current annual call for applications to ensure they have the ability to host a SPDR. Applicants should consult the ‘Laboratories with SPDR Openings’ document to check for available positions. The research topic must take into account the work being conducted within the host laboratory.

To apply, applicants must first complete the online registration form by the deadline of 8 April 2021 (5pm Japan time).

After registration, applicants will be sent a link to upload the application documents and letters of reference by 15 April 2021 (5pm Japan time).

More information about this research funding opportunity and the application process is available on the RESEARCHconnect funding information platform. RESEARCHconnect provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on research funding news and policy. To find out more about how RESEARCHconnect can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.