GoKawiilAmerican Google engineer completes ML PhD in Japan under MEXT Scholarship
An American software engineer and researcher at Google has completed a PhD in Computer Science at the Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Institute of Technology), funded by Japan's MEXT Scholarship. He pursued the degree while continuing full-time work at Google, having previously studied automata theory during an earlier, uncompleted PhD attempt in Korea before joining Google. He now works on on-device language models for keyboards.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
His account suggests that pursuing a PhD abroad in Japan, rather than in the more commonly chosen US system, can be a viable path for American students, particularly those with prior savings, research experience, and industry backing. The essay implies such a route carries both unique advantages, like funded scholarships and industry-research balance, and added challenges of isolation as an international student, which he argues warrants careful consideration before committing.
- He earned a PhD in Computer Science at the Institute of Science Tokyo via Japan's MEXT Scholarship.
- He worked simultaneously as a software engineer and researcher at Google throughout the program.
- He frames international PhDs in Japan as feasible but demanding, especially without prior financial or professional stability.
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Published there as: “Doing a Machine Learning PhD While Working in Japan”
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