Education
Upcoming Deadline: August 28th, 2026 – Apply now for April 2027 admission to the WPI-SKCM2 Graduate Program!
Join the WPI-SKCM2 Graduate Program
- Fusion Research: Admission & tuition fee support, plus a salary as a researcher. Additional startup research funding & overseas research travel support available for doctoral students.
- Outstanding Mentors: Work with top minds in Japan & globally.
- Fully funded: Admission & tuition fee support, plus a salary as a researcher. Additional startup research funding & overseas research travel support available for doctoral students.
- International Opportunities: Collaborate with leading researchers at top institutions around the world.
- WPI-SKCM2 Specific program: All WPI-SKCM² Graduate Fellows are required to complete this program. For more information, please see the Description and Curriculum.
Application Process
Step 1
Submit the preliminary screening application to WPI-SKCM2. Specify your preferred mentors in your application (list of potential mentors). Applicants will be screened and interviewed by the WPI-SKCM2 Graduate Education Committee. Upon approval, continue to Step 2.
April Admission Deadline: August 28 in the year preceding desired admission
October Admission Deadline: February 27 in the same year of desired admission
Step 2
Submit a full application to the applicable Hiroshima University department, which is decided by the affiliation of your primary HU mentor.
ADSE: Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering
ISL: Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life
To verify HU-specific deadlines, please refer to the departmental pages in the table below.
Application Deadline
| April Admission | October Admission | |
| WPI-SKCM2 Preliminary Screening | April 1 – August 28 | October 1 – February 27 |
| Hiroshima University Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering Application | Around November in the year preceding desired admission | Around May in the year of desired admission |
| Hiroshima University Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life Application | October to December in the year preceding desired admission | May to June in the year of desired admission |
Graduate Education FAQs
Besides the unique research subject and areas of study, there are other strong reasons to study at WPI-SKCM2. We ensure degree completion with an appropriate supporting environment for both research and personal life.
To facilitate a substantial research environment, we ensure the co-mentoring of young researchers, doctoral students, and postdocs, where these researchers will have primary, secondary, and international co-mentors with whom they will jointly publish while supported by the WPI grant. For example, a doctoral student in Physics at HU might be co-advised by HU PIs in chemistry or math and by a PI from an international node. A critical mass of active interdisciplinary researchers coordinates to solve problems with you which can not only ensure degree completion in your planned program of study but also cultivate your expertise and facilitate your research career.
We provide a great environment to do science. Shared space for WPI-SKCM2 students/postdocs is secured at Science Knot, which serves as the center’s core with an open space, the Ideas-Exchange Lounge. The venue provides an environment for meetings and informal discussions to promote the fusion of different fields and brain circulation.
WPI-SKCM2 welcomes applications from students with diverse backgrounds. In the selection process, particular emphasis is placed on each applicant’s potential to make meaningful contributions to their chosen field of research.
WPI-SKCM2 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, nationality, political beliefs, disability, or any other characteristic unrelated to academic ability or program requirements. We are committed to fostering diversity and inclusivity and actively encourage applications from individuals from a wide range of backgrounds. In particular, we seek to promote greater gender balance and international diversity, which remain important challenges in graduate education in Japan.
WPI-SKCM2 also welcomes applications from individuals who have secured their own scholarships, fellowships, or research funding. Depending on the terms and conditions of such external funding, additional support from WPI-SKCM2 may be available. Applicants who have obtained independent scholarships, fellowships, or research grants are encouraged to contact us by email prior to applying.
・An undergraduate degree in Physics, Mathematics, Material Science, Biology, Chemistry, Cosmology, Earth and Planetary Science, or other related disciplines.
・ An interest in interdisciplinary sciences and willingness to work with several PIs from different research fields in Japan and abroad.
・English proficiency, and good communication skills.
・No prior knowledge of the theory of knots or chirality phenomena, or any other preparation backgrounds beyond undergraduate curriculum, is required.
Students will be officially enrolled as graduate students in Graduate program (ADSE or ISL) at HU and appointed as WPI-SKCM2 Graduate Fellows, receiving full coverage of enrollment fees, tuition, as well as a salary as researchers.
The WPI-SKCM2 Graduate Program is a 5-year program (with 2-year master- course and 3-year doctoral-course). Those who have already earned a master’s degree may apply directly to the doctoral course. WPI-SKCM2 students will be expected to take the WPI-SKCM2 Specific Program and also complete the regular degree requirements of your respective graduate program.
Applicants to the WPI-SKCM² Graduate Program must review the List of Prospective Supervisors and select up to three preferred academic supervisors from among faculty members affiliated with Hiroshima University. The selected names should be entered in the application form.
Please note that, after passing the WPI-SKCM² preliminary screening, applicants must also submit a separate application to the graduate school to which their principal supervisor belongs—either the Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering or the Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life—and take the corresponding entrance examination.
Enrollment and tuition fees are covered by WPI-SKCM2.
To assist with living and educational expenses, students supported by WPI-SKCM2 will be employed as researchers and will be paid 2,000,000 yen/year (Doctoral students) and 1,000,000 yen/year (Master’s students). Support is contingent on a student remaining in good standing.
Click here for more details about living expense in Japan.
WPI-SKCM2 Lecture Archive
The WPI-SKCM² Lecture Archive provides access to recorded lectures, seminars, and educational content delivered by researchers and invited speakers. These resources support continuous learning and offer insights into the latest developments in knotted chiral meta matter and related research fields.
WPI-SKCM2 Seminar Series
Summer School Videos
Winter School Videos