After I had been selected as a recipient of a full scholarship from Japanese government (MEXT), I made contact with professors in Japan. I was　fortunate enough to meet my advisor, one of the most passionate and enthusiastic researchers in Japan, and that is the main reason I chose to study at Osaka University. Throughout the course, he has provided me a great deal of advice not only on my research but also on my career as a researcher. My research has been nurtured by the weekly seminar in which I read a number of papers and gave a presentation on them. Following his advice, I have also participated in another seminar in which professors and students gather together and take turns reading textbooks on a weekly basis. It has been such a great experience to study advanced topics in mathematical finance. As a matter of fact, it was at the seminar when I came up with the idea to write my master's thesis.
Meanwhile, Osaka University has run the program of MMDS (Center for Mathematical Modeling and Data Science), which was such a great help for me because of my interests in mathematical finance. The program was jointly established by four graduate schools of Osaka University (Graduate School of Engineering Science, Science, Information Science and Technology, and Economics). By participating in the program, I was able to take not only general courses from the Graduate School of Economics (e.g., microeconomics, macroeconomics, econometrics, corporate finance) but also a number of courses specialized in mathematics for advanced finance (e.g., probability theory, stochastic differential equations, stochastic controls). It also provides a regular workshop in which state of the art issues in mathematical finance are presented by renowned professors from all over the world.
Throughout 5 years of the master's course and the doctoral course at Osaka University, I was able to write five papers. Four of them have already been published by peer-reviewed journals and one is currently under revision. Also, I had opportunities to present my research at a number of domestic and international conferences, which were partially supported by the research fund from Osaka University. I have to admit that I was truly privileged to study at Osaka University and start my career as a researcher.
