Daiwa Scholars 2016

Monib Baber

Monib Baber was awarded an MEng (Hons) in Aeronautical Engineering by Imperial College London in 2014. He consequently worked at Rolls Royce plc as Kawasaki Heavy Industries Integration Manager, leading and developing the design engineering relationship for the two major engineering firms. He visited Japan for the first time in autumn 2015, on a business and holiday trip. Monib’s interest in Japan was initially sparked through traditional origami and Nintendo. His academic interest is in turbulence modelling and his professional interest is in strategic management. He aims to pursue a career developing strategies for research into emerging and advanced technology.

Dr Olaseinde Jegede

Olaseinde Jegede was awarded a BEng (Hons) in Aerospace Engineering in 2012, and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering in 2016, both by the University of Manchester. He has an interest in learning Japanese and has been teaching himself kanji. He enjoys Japanese anime and has been a long-standing member of the University of Manchester Japan Society. He seeks to gain experience in the Japanese aerodynamics and space systems design sectors. Thereafter, he would like to pursue a career in the aerospace departments of organisations such as JAXA whilst working in Japan. With the experience from these sectors, he aims to establish himself in an international corporation and contribute towards their dealings with the Japanese aerospace industry.

While on the Scholarship, Olaseinde spent his homestay in Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture and his work placement at the Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University.

In March 2019, Olaseinde joined the Mercedes-Benz F1 team as a Graduate Aerodynamicist.

Dr Kelly Maddox

Kelly Maddox was awarded a BA (Hons), an MA and a PhD in History in 2008, 2012 and 2016 by Lancaster University.  Kelly has a long-standing interest in Japanese culture and history. She has practised Shotokan Karate since the age of 13 and her undergraduate dissertation compared American and Japanese imperialism in the 20th century. She took a beginner’s Japanese language course at Manchester University and completed a six-week intensive language course at Sophia University in Tokyo in 2013. She aims to pursue a career in academia, specialising in her PhD topic on the nature of violence in the Japanese Empire (1937-1945) in the context of recent research conducted on mass violence in European Empires.

While on the Scholarship, Kelly spent her homestay in Hatsukaichi City,  Hiroshima Prefecture and her work placement at Hitotsubashi University.

In February 2020, Kelly began a new job as a postdoctoral researcher at Freie Uni­ver­si­tät Berlin on the ‘Law without Mercy’ project which is examining Japanese military justice and mass violence between 1937 and 1945.

Benjamin Sykes-Thompson

Benjamin Sykes-Thompson completed a BSc in Architecture at The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London in 2016. His long-standing interest in Japan was sparked by the fact that his great grandfather worked in Japan and that his grandfather and father were born and also worked in Japan. Ben was a teaching assistant in Japan for three months during his gap year in 2012 and visited Japan again with his father and brother in summer 2015. He seeks to further his knowledge of Japanese architecture, much of which he feels exhibits great simplicity in form and a beautiful sensitivity to spatial moments, to qualify and then continue practising as an architect.

While on the Scholarship, Benjamin spent his homestay in Shimane Prefecture and his work placement at FT Architects.

Since autumn 2019, he has been continuing his architectural studies at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.

Euan Taylor

Euan Taylor completed a BMus (Hons) in Jazz Double Bass at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2016. He has an interest in Japanese music and has composed music inspired by Japanese folk music. Joe Hisaishi and Ryuichi Sakamoto are two of his musical heroes. Euan visited Japan for three weeks in July 2015, and attended live music events during his time in Tokyo. He hopes to create ties with local artists and musicians while in Japan during the Scholarship and to further his knowledge of Japanese music, particularly the koto. He would then like to apply his expertise in jazz and koto into creating improvised music along the lines of Aya Asakura and Michiyo Yagi. He aims to become a professional musician with a focus on composing scores for theatre and film.

While on the Scholarship, Euan spent his homestay in Niseko-cho,  Hokkaido Prefecture and his work placement at Miracle Bus Inc, a music production company.

Alisha Wong

Alisha Wong completed an MEng (Hons) in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London in 2016. Her long-standing interest in Japan was sparked at the age of eight by her interest in anime and manga. She travelled to Japan in 2003 with her family, where trips to Japanese baths and a Hello Kitty exhibition made an impression. She has a professional interest in Japan as a world leader in pharmaceuticals. Her aim is to make connections with Japanese pharmaceutical companies in order to gain professional experience which could then facilitate a global career in an international pharmaceutical company, drawing upon her training as a chemical engineer.

While on the Scholarship, Alisha spent her homestay in Kasuga City, Fukuoka Prefecture and her work placement at Shiseido Group.