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2026.01.13
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< Aogaku x Sophia University x Akari> "Doctoral Career Symposium" to connect doctoral knowledge to society
Approximately 120 people from industry, government, and academia participated in the discussion on the social implementation of doctoral-level personnel, including those in the humanities.
On Wednesday, November 26, 2025, Aoyama Gakuin University University, in collaboration with Sophia University and Akariku Co., Ltd., held the "Career Symposium Connecting PhD Knowledge to Society - Considering the Potential of PhD Human Resources through Private Universities and the SPRING Program" at its Aoyama Campus.
On the day of the event, approximately 120 people participated, including university officials, private company representatives, students, and government ministry officials, both in person and online. In addition to lectures by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and companies leading the promotion of doctoral graduates, such as Fujitsu Limited, Toggle Holdings Corporation, and Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc., selected students from both universities gave research presentations, deepening the discussion on the potential for doctoral graduates with advanced specialized knowledge to play an active role in society.
Background of the event
The active participation of highly specialized doctoral graduates is an urgent issue in science and technology policy and industry, and their roles in society are expected regardless of whether they are in the humanities or sciences. Our university's 天美影视 FutureEagle Project and Sophia University's Sophia SPRING Project, both selected for the JST's "Next Generation Researcher Challenging Research Program (SPRING)" which promotes support for doctoral students, have jointly planned this symposium, leveraging the strengths of private universities to create opportunities for doctoral graduates to connect with society.
Implementation details and highlights
1. keynote speech
The keynote address began with a presentation by Teppei Nakamura, General Manager of the Human Resources Policy Promotion Office, Science and Technology Policy Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, who explained the environment surrounding doctoral graduates and the challenges they face. Three representatives from private companies then took the stage, sharing their experiences and insights from the recruitment field regarding initiatives to promote the success of doctoral graduates in their respective companies and key evaluation points for doctoral graduates.
● Hidekazu Koshi, Senior Manager, R&D Personnel Affairs Department Employee Success Division, Fujitsu Limited
● Ken Shintani, Executive Officer and CPO, Toggle Holdings Co., Ltd.
● Saori Yabumoto, Senior Chief, Organization & Human Resources Strategy Division (and Future Co-creation Group), Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc.
2. Research presentations by selected students from Aogaku and Sophia University
Six doctoral students (three from each university) selected from both universities took the stage. They gave presentations on their research, carefully crafted to be understandable even to those outside their field of expertise. In their presentations, they spoke not only about their research but also about what they gained from participating in the SPRING program and their thoughts on their future careers. While many career events for doctoral candidates tend to focus more on students conducting research in science and engineering fields, this event also featured students conducting research in humanities fields.
The panel discussion involved an exchange of opinions on doctoral-level personnel from both industry and academia perspectives. 3. Panel Discussion
In the panel discussion, the four speakers who delivered the keynote speeches were joined by students from Aoyama Gakuin University and Sophia University. From a multifaceted perspective, they discussed the greatest appeal and value of doctoral graduates, and how to further communicate that appeal, exploring ways to support the success of doctoral graduates.
The panel discussion involved an exchange of opinions on doctoral-level personnel from both industry and academia perspectives. 
4. Exchange meeting
Many participants gathered for the networking event held after the main event, exchanging information on a variety of topics, primarily focusing on doctoral candidates. Doctoral students commented, "It was very helpful to learn about the industry's perspective on doctoral candidates," while HR personnel from private companies said, "My understanding of doctoral candidates has deepened. I would like to actively create opportunities to connect with them." It was a lively networking event.
Participation record and feedback
● Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2025
● Location: Aoyama Gakuin University Aoyama Campus
● Number of participants: Approximately 120 in total (59 in person, 60 online)
● Participant demographics: Undergraduate to doctoral students, HR and R&D personnel from private companies, university faculty and staff, and government officials.
Positive feedback was received in post-event surveys and from attendees, including comments such as, "It was valuable just to have a forum where industry, academia, and government could come together to discuss, but I thought the attempt to involve students in the discussion was particularly good," "Usually, topics related to doctoral-level personnel in humanities and social sciences don't come up very often, so it was very helpful that it was addressed consciously," and "The environment surrounding doctoral-level personnel, policies for utilizing doctoral-level personnel, the relationship between research and work, specific examples of how doctoral-level personnel are utilized, and procedures were all explained very clearly and concretely, and included real opinions from students."
Looking ahead
Our university will continue to support doctoral students through the SPRING program and will actively promote initiatives to enhance the social presence of doctoral graduates.
in particular,
? Visualizing the contributions of PhD-level personnel through collaboration with companies and government agencies.
? Creating opportunities for disseminating research both within and outside the university (symposiums, pitch events, etc.)
? Regular provision of opportunities for interaction between doctoral students and industry.
? Systematizing career development support that leverages the unique characteristics of a private university.
Through diverse approaches such as these, we will work to create an environment where doctoral graduates can utilize their specialized knowledge and thrive in various fields of society.
Based on the knowledge and networks gained at this symposium, we will continue to develop initiatives that broadly communicate the value of doctoral-level talent to society and foster an environment in which future researchers and highly specialized professionals can thrive.