Tokyo Tech's School of Materials and Chemical Technology started a student exchange agreement with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at RWTH Aachen University (RWTH Aachen) in September 2021 to jointly supervise doctoral students. In June of this year, Tokyo Tech welcomed Felix Jiang, the first student coming to the Institute based on this agreement, to the doctoral student course of the School of Materials and Chemical Technology.
RWTH Aachen student Felix Jiang (center), School of Materials and Chemical Technology Dean Hidetoshi Sekiguchi (left), and Professor Junko Morikawa from Jiang's host lab
Under this new student exchange program, up to two doctoral students annually are jointly supervised at both universities. During this period, eligible students alternately conduct their research activities either at Tokyo Tech or at RWTH Aachen. Upon completion of the program, students receive a degree from their home university and a certificate of completion from the host university.
In Europe, the Cotutelle Program, in which doctoral students are jointly supervised by two universities and awarded degrees by both institutions, is widespread. However, since the introduction of the same program would be time-consuming in Japan, the School of Materials and Chemical Technology decided to establish a joint doctoral supervision scheme that is adapted to the current Japanese system. The goal is to develop this scheme into a version that is more compatible with the European Cotutelle Program in the future.
Tokyo Tech, which concluded a university-wide agreement with RWTH Aachen in 2007, has a long history of active research and student exchanges on the bachelor's and master's level with the German institution. In addition to university-wide student exchanges, Tokyo Tech's School of Materials and Chemical Technology, School of Engineering, and School of Environment and Society have conducted solid student exchanges with RWTH Aachen within the framework of the Summer Exchange Research Program (SERP).
Based on these longstanding relationships, Tokyo Tech ANNEX Aachen opened on the campus of RWTH Aachen in March 2019. This ANNEX is regarded as the first European base for Tokyo Tech.
The Institute hopes that this joint supervision of doctoral students introduced by the School of Materials and Chemical Technology will lead to further strengthening of bonds between the two universities.
