I am proud to share that this year, nine professors from Kyoto Institute of Technology were listed among the world’s top 2% of scientists, according to the updated Stanford/Elsevier citation database.
The distinguished colleagues from KIT who appear on the list are:
- Elia Marin
- Kazuki Fukushima
- Tomohiro Takaki
- Hiroshi Harima
- Masaki Shimizu
- Yuko Ikeda
- Koji Yamamoto
- Yoshio Miura
- Sudheesh K. Rajput
It is an honor to be included among such talented researchers.
But for once, I will allow myself not to step back or humble down: I am the youngest of this group, and yet I achieved the highest rank. And I did so while building a laboratory with very limited resources — without large funding, without extensive equipment, and without the infrastructure that many others could rely on.
This recognition does not erase the challenges. But it shows that ideas, persistence, and originality can make an impact, even when starting from behind. For me, that is perhaps the most meaningful part of this result.
I am deeply grateful to my students, collaborators, and the international research community who cited and built upon my work. This result belongs to all of us.