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About TAC-MI

Objective and Overview of TAC-MI

Objective

The TAC-MI program is a seamless educational program provided throughout graduate learning. It aims to empower students to become multitalented individuals capable of promoting creative, interdisciplinary research in materials science and informatics.

The program, in collaboration with partners from industry and the National Institute for Materials Science, will enable students to connect information and materials* by utilizing information science and multifaceted thinking, as well as by taking a broad perspective.

Students will have the potential to become informatics experts, inventors of original materials, and creators of new industries.

We expect our students to take a leading role in the ‘complex space’ of a transdisciplinary framework as multitalented individuals that includes materials science, information science, and services to society, pursuing a path toward sustainability.


* In this context, “materials” refers not only to material goods and chemical compounds but also to devices and processes.


The program empowers students to think from a broad perspective free from a traditional classification of materials, devices/processes, and social services as they can easily cross the boundaries of “materials science” and “informatics”. These individuals not only create new products and services, but are passionate about contributing to a sustainable society.

Overview

Cutting-edge facilities such as the Materials Research Center for Element Strategy andthe supercomputer TSUBAME, combined with the Institute’s collective strength, will allow TAC-MI students to acquire the following four attributes necessary to become multitalented individuals , as well as experts in materials science and information science:
  • (1) Creativity: Ability to create methods and ideas involving materials science and information science
  • (2) Broad perspective: Ability to extract an essence by sifting through vast amounts of information, identify issues, and set goals
  • (3) Planning and execution ability: Ability to design and manage projects, spiraling outward and expanding from the atomic or molecular level to social innovation
  • (4) Global leadership: Ability to lead a diverse team, and to take the initiative in setting and implementing visions on a global scale

TAC-MI aims to create an environment that promotes interactions among students with diverse backgrounds and specializations. They are encouraged to exchange opinions and ideas in pursuit of a shared goal and take on interdisciplinary challenges.

The academy has designed the following ①-⑫ educational modules to help students develop the desired attributes as multitalented individuals:

（1）Creativity① Lectures on materials science and information science, emphasizing hands-on exercises
② Independent research project on materials science or information science
③ Self-designed thesis: By discovering and solving problems requiring interdisciplinary research, students will develop originality with a multifaced approach.
（2）Broad
perspec-
tive		④ Lectures on social service creation (cources designated by TAC-MI as a part of the educational program)
⑤ Intelligent Services: a Social Perspective
⑥ Industrial Mentor System: Students will learn how to extract an essence by sifting through vast amounts of information and identify social issues.
（3）Practical
ability		⑦ Practice School courses: Participants will work as a team and tackle cutting-edge issues facing companies.
⑧ TAC-MI Research Grant: In addition to self-designed thesis writing (see ③), students will become independent to find problems and to solve them.
（4）Global
leadership		⑨ Leadership development courses provided by the Tokyo Tech Academy for Leadership (ToTAL)
⑩ International internships
⑪ International forums on materials science and information science: Participants engage in collaborative group works.
⑫ International mentorship facilitating development of leadership and a global mindset

For details, refer to the TAC-MI curriculum.

Management System of TAC-MI

Program Staffs

TAC-MI Program Staffs

Messages from
Program Coordinator・Sub-coordinator

　The Tokyo Tech Academy for Convergence of Materials and Informatics (TAC-MI) aims to empower students to become multitalented individuals capable of generating new ideas by leveraging academic expertise in materials (r) and information (i), treating the unique Japanese monotsukuri* mindset with consequent social services. A combination of information science prowess and the tenets of monotsukuri develops an insight for creating not only devices and manufacturing methods, but also innovation that benefits society. It is also hoped that students’ creativity will pave the way for new industries and academic disciplines that lead us into a more sustainable world.
In order to foster such multitalented individuals, TAC-MI offers a world-leading educational program for students throughout their graduate studies. This will be enabled by our excellent education and research resources spanning materials and information science, and by close collaboration with industry.

Within the academy’s acronym, TAC-MI, lies the idea of ‘tackling challenges in materials and informatics.’ We welcome students ready to take on such challenges and become successful global leaders, and all those in industry willing to collaborate and support the Institute’s lofty endeavors.

* The Japanese work ethic and philosophy in which one possesses the spirit or state of mind to manufacture goods of utmost quality and excellence as well as the ability to continue improving the processes thereof.



Takeo Yamaguchi
Director of TAC-MI, Program Coordinator

Holding a PhD is becoming increasingly important not only for those who pursue a career in academia but also for those who pursue a career in industry.

I hope many students will study at TAC-MI and acquire the abilities required to lead globalized society in the 21st century, becoming PhD holders with expertise both in materials science and engineering and in information science.

Susumu Saito
Chair, Committee of Admission and Examination
Program Sub-coordinator

By the time current graduate students are leading society, I believe that the fundamentals of materials science research will change drastically through the integration with information science. New concepts and methodologies that current researchers cannot fathom may become prevalent. In addition, new fields that do not exist at present may become the core of materials science. Using a new approach, “Monotsukuri” can produce innovative industries and social services. To train talents who can lead the way to such a new era, the Academy offers curriculum to not only develop the capacity to seamlessly use both materials science and informatics but also the ability to link research to social services. Features of the Academy include materials informatics lectures focusing on practice and practicums, and the Practice School to solve corporate challenges. The doctoral program provides students valuable experience in research methodologies through the experience of building new mountains in their respective fields of expertise. I hope that you will become a trailblazer and scale untamed mountains, by acquiring the expertise to build mountains high in your own course, and learning new approaches that integrate materials and informatics at the Academy.

Kei Goto
Chair, Committee of Education
Program Sub-coordinator

Our society is radically changing as AI and robots progressively become more commonplace. TAC-MI was born from the Doctoral Program for World-leading Innovative & Smart Education (WISE Program) supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. By the time the WISE Program ends, the world around us will have changed even more. Out of such drastic changes will spring various opportunities for young students. TAC-MI offers a new educational framework in which students develop themselves in order to seize these opportunities and play an active part in our transforming society.

There also exists a number of global issues including SDGs that must be addressed. By developing yourself through our new educational framework, I hope you will not only be able to learn and utilize the latest technology in materials and information science, but also turn your eyes to wider societal problems and solve them. We offer lectures and exercises for learning the latest technology, practice school courses in which students gain hands-on experience of tackling problems faced by real companies, symposiums on business models, and international forums — all of which will help students in acquiring advanced knowledge and vital experience.

TAC-MI will also emphasize liberal arts education, on which Tokyo Tech places great importance, to encourage students to reflect on broader societal issues.

We call on all students with a progressive spirit to join us and become part of this new, dynamic educational environment.

Masakazu Sekijima
Chair, Committee of Planning and Events
Program Sub-coordinator

TAC-MI, which is a new educational program never existed before, provides to learn “materials” and “informatics” in an integrated manner being strongly aware of “manufacturing” useful to society and “connection” to social services. An attractive educational system can be built in TAC-MI. As interest in information technology and data science grows at an accelerating pace, “multi-faceted perspectives” and “challenge minds” become important in order to realize “manufacturing” and “services” that are useful to society. In TAC-MI, in addition to the educational system related to materials and information science, you can also practically learn the connection with society at “Practice schools” and “Intelligent Services: a Social Perspective (Group works). Break one or two shells inside yourself and enjoy the educational program in TAC-MI.
In addition, we hope to create and implement new industry-academia collaborative education with collaborative companies in the development of human resources who can utilize the concerted knowledge and technology of “materials” and “information” for future social construction.

Yusuke Shimoyama
Chair, Committee of Public Relations
Program Sub-coordinator

In the field of materials science, in which I specialize, informatics methods such as machine learning are rapidly becoming popular, in addition to first-principles calculations and molecular dynamics calculations that have been commonly used until now. Our academy aims to nurture multitalented individuals who are well versed in both material science and informatics, and who also have sense of business, which is required by the times. Although the curriculum is rigorous, we hope that all registered students will acquire these abilities and open the door to a bright future. We highly appreciate for the support from industrial member companies in developing the new program. We hope that the seminars and practical training provided by our academy will be useful to you in introducing information science in your companies, and at the same time, we hope that you will appreciate the skills acquired by our graduates, which will lead to their employment. We would also be happy to match you with our faculty members for joint research projects.

Masaki Azuma
Chair, Committee of Collaboration with Industry
Program Sub-coordinator

Messages from
TAC-MI faculty member

My research uses machine learning for drug discovery. Recently, I have applied machine learning to new practical methods and the discovery of innovative materials in material design. I am happy to see that so many students are interested in informatics. We will most likely interact through the Practice School and materials informatics lectures. However, I am eager to cheer you on as you build a bridge between materials science and informatics. I look forward to providing guidance in your endeavors.

Nobuaki Yasuo
TAC-MI Specially Appointed Associate Professor

My research field is to theoretically investigate strange nuclear quantum effects that manifest themselves at atomic and molecular sizes, which are unimaginable at our human size. We are also working on the development of new methods that incorporate machine learning. Until recently, such high-accuracy computations were performed only in a limited number of theoretical laboratories within universities. However, improvements in computing power and the development of computational algorithms have led to their widespread use in experimental laboratories and industry.
Students will learn skills that are highly applicable to any field through a curriculum that will provide them with the opportunity to learn materials and information science and to experience the realization of social services in industry. Although I am a teacher, I look forward to discussing these issues with you on an equal footing.

Kazuaki Kuwahata
TAC-MI Specially Appointed Associate Professor

For the past 35 years, I led R&D of lithography exposure equipments for semiconductors, industrial X-ray CTs, and high energy X-ray sources in an industrial enterprise. In my experience, the property limit of available materials restricts product specifications. For example, only fused silica and calcium fluoride can be adopted as stable and high transmission materials for Deep UV light, super-invar steel as high stiffness and low expansion metal, permalloy as a magnetic shield, tungsten as a high melting point material, etc. I joined the TAC-MI office as an Industry-Academia Collaboration Coordinator on March 1, 2019. From the view point of my long experience of industrial equipment supplier, efficient and optimum material design and process optimization using materials science and information science are promising techniques to provide infinite possibilities for a sustainable earth and better future for all human beings. The use of super computers for high-speed simulations and automatic data acquisition using robots are also powerful means for quick turn-around time in the above optimizations. I look forward to helping students of TAC-MI and researchers in TAC-MI member companies blossom into individuals capable of designing future social services and establishing a material revolution using material informatics through the TAC-MI program. To nurture such individuals, I will incorporate feedback from them and features of excellent doctors who satisfy companies and societies’ need into the TAC-MI program.

Kazuaki Suzuki
TAC-MI Industry-Academia Collaboration Coordinator

Contact Address　Tokyo Institute of Technology　TAC-MI Office
tac-mi[at]jim.titech.ac.jp

Tokyo Institute of Technology TAC-MI