We enjoy long whiteboard discussions every day.

(Reason for choosing my undergraduate major) When I was in high school, terms like “AI” and “machine learning” were becoming buzzwords, but the need of mathematical knowledge to use these technologies was not yet widely understood by the public. I remembered my father’s words: “The future is the age of AI, and you will need mathematical knowledge!” Trusting his advice, I decided to study mathematics.

(Reason for choosing my research lab) During my undergraduate years, I was also vaguely explored how I could use my mathematical knowledge to contribute to society. It was during this time that I came across Professor Hayamizu’s “Introduction to Discrete Mathematics” (a lecture series available on YouTube). The lectures clearly demonstrated how mathematical ideas are directly used to model natural phenomena, which deeply impressed me and led me to choose Professor Hayamizu’s lab.

In the Hayamizu lab, our main focus is on discrete mathematics, dealing with various problems related to graphs and networks. We mainly identify biologically relevant problems, formulate them in mathematical terms, and develop new theorems and algorithms to solve these problems.

I mainly focus on a field called “phylogenetics”. Phylogenetics is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships of species. The evolutionary relationships and lineages of species are often represented by a graph structure called a phylogenetic tree. However, complex processes such as hybridisation in plants, horizontal gene transfer in bacteria and genetic recombination in viruses are difficult to represent using only the branching structure of a phylogenetic tree. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to use “phylogenetic networks”, which extend phylogenetic trees to represent both branching and merging structures, for data analysis. I am working on developing tools to construct these phylogenetic networks from dissimilarity (distance) data and make them easier for humans to understand.

I really like the atmosphere in Professor Hayamizu’s lab. In particular, the lab frequently holds sessions called “Open Problem Camp,” where students bring unsolved problems in fields such as phylogenetics and discuss solutions together. Everyone, from undergraduates to PhD students, participates in the discussions without regard to hierarchy or level of knowledge they have, as if they were all glued to the whiteboard. I am very attracted to this atmosphere, which values autonomy.

Some people may be put off by the difficulty and sophistication of university mathematics. Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to say that high school mathematics and university mathematics are completely different. However, for those who are unsure, I encourage you to actively engage with university level mathematics. Nowadays, there are many resources available on platforms such as YouTube and blogs that explain university mathematics and cutting-edge mathematical research in an easy-to-understand way. I urge you to have a look at this kind of content and experience the fun of mathematics.