Daiwa Scholars 2006

Dr Tina Burrett

Tina graduated with a 1st class BA in Politics & Parliamentary Studies from the University of Leeds and completed a PhD in Russian Politics at the University of Cambridge. She has undertaken a number of internship and research positions at the House of Commons and the European Parliament. Her interest in Japan has developed from her academic studies and she wishes to pursue a career in foreign policy analysis.

Tina’s homestay was in Yoshinogawa City in Tokushima Prefecture. Her work placement was at Kono Taro MP’s Office. She is currently Assistant Professor of Political Science at Sophia University in Tokyo.

You can read more about Tina in the Scholars’ experiences section of the website here.

Joel Horne

Joel completed an undergraduate degree in Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh. He visited and worked in Japan in 2005, and has studied Japanese language at university. He has a specific interest in technological developments in Japan, and hopes to pursue a career in software research and development.

Joel’s homestay was in Kochi City in Kochi Prefecture. His work placement was at Square Enix. He is currently Technical Director at BRAVOCOMPANY in South Korea.

Wing Fai Joanne Lo

Before leaving for Japan, Joanne worked as a Senior House Officer at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. She studied medicine at the University of Oxford and as part of her clinical medicine training undertook an internship at Osaka University Hospital. Joanne wishes to develop a career as a paediatric endocrinologist with an active role in clinical research.

Jo’s homestay was in Heguri City in Nara Prefecture. Her work placement was at the National Centre for Child Health and Development. She is currently a Medical Leader at Merck Serono Co Ltd.

Gregory Lowden

Greg completed an undergraduate degree in History at the University of Cambridge. He is interested in 19th century Japanese history and visited Japan independently in 2004. He wishes to build on his two internships at Demos by pursuing a career in public policy development in either the diplomatic service or an international non-governmental organisation.

Greg’s homestay was in Hachijo Town in Tokyo. His work placement was at the United Nations University. He is currently Senior Manager, Office of the Group Chairman at HSBC in London.

Dr Melanie O’Sullivan

Melanie completed an MChem degree in Chemistry at the University of Sheffield. She has already studied overseas, as an exchange student at the University of California and as an intern at Unilever in Shanghai. Her interest in Japan has developed from the pioneering work in synthetic organic chemistry being done by Japanese researchers. At the time of departure for Japan, her future aim was to undertake a PhD and then develop a career in scientific research.

Melanie’s homestay was in Miyoshi City in Tokushima Prefecture. Her work placement was in Professor Fujita’s  Chemistry Lab at Tokyo University.

Having completed a PhD and Post Doc in Organic Chemistry at the University of Oxford, Melanie spent a few years at Duke University, USA. She returned to the UK in autumn 2016 and is now a Senior Scientist at Cambridge Display Technology.

You can read more about Melanie in the “Scholars Experiences” section of the website.

Rebecca Palmstrom

Rebecca completed an MA in International Relations at the University of St Andrews. She has undertaken media internships with the University of California Washington Center and with CNN during the G8 Summit at Gleneagles. She wishes to develop a career as a foreign news correspondent.

Rebecca’s homestay was in Yufu City in Oita Prefecture. Her work placement was at Theatre Company Isseki-Nicho and with the Asahi Shimbun.

She is currently Senior Programme Manager, North Africa at BBC Media Action.

Dr Stephen Scott

Stephen completed a PhD at Imperial College London after having obtained a 1st class MEng in Mechanical Engineering. He has made two visits to Japan, including once to participate in an academic conference. Stephen has also developed links with the Mechanical Engineering Department at Osaka University. He wishes to pursue a policy or consultancy role in public or private technology sectors.

Stephen’s homestay in Japan was in Niseko City in Hokkaido. His work placement was at the Advanced Technology Research Center, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Yokohama). He is now a Patent Attorney at Sugimura and Partners in Tokyo..

Dr Louisa Winkler

Louisa completed an undergraduate degree in Chinese Studies at the University of Oxford. Her interest in Japan has developed from her academic studies and she has undertaken Japanese language classes at university. She has undertaken internships with newspapers in the UK and China, and wishes to become an investigative journalist, writing on society and politics in Japan and China.

Louisa’s homestay in Japan was in Sado City in Niigata Prefecture. Her work placement was at R25.

She has a PhD in Crop Science and Plant Breeding from Washington State University, where she continues to work as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate (Vegetable Seed Pathology Programme).