Join us

Prospective Graduate Students

Our lab conducts research mainly in computer graphics (CG) and computer vision (CV), with the goal of developing new technologies that can help solve real-world problems as well as the fundamental methods that support them.

We welcome prospective Master’s and Ph.D. students from Japan and abroad who are interested in CG, CV, and related areas. You do not need to have a fully defined research topic before contacting us. We can discuss your interests together and explore how they can be developed into a research project.

What You Can Do in Our Lab

• Develop a research topic based on your own interests
• Work on research in CG, CV, and related areas, from fundamental methods to real-world applications
• Receive close support when starting a new project and when preparing papers for publication
• Use GPU servers and a variety of imaging and 3D measurement equipment for your research
• Aim to present your work at international conferences and journals

Who We Welcome

We especially welcome students who:

• are interested in programming, visual computing, or building new technologies
• enjoy learning about new ideas and exploring problems through experiments
• are interested in CG/CV or related fields, even if they do not yet have extensive experience in them
• would like to develop their work toward publication at international conferences or journals
• are willing to take initiative in their research while discussing ideas closely with their supervisor

If our research sounds interesting to you, please feel free to contact us even if your research topic is not yet fully decided.

• Previous research: [PROJECTS]
• Contact: [CONTACT FORM]

About Our Lab

Our lab is part of the Graduate School of Social Data Science at Hitotsubashi University. We conduct research in computer graphics and computer vision while also exploring connections with a wide range of real-world problems and application domains.

Research Areas

Our research covers a broad range of topics in computer graphics (CG) and computer vision (CV), from fundamental methods to practical applications.

Examples of areas we have worked on include:

• image and video processing and editing
• 3D shape and point-cloud processing
• physically based rendering and simulation
• machine learning methods for visual and geometric data
• 3D reconstruction, representation, and sensing
• applications of visual computing to manufacturing and other real-world problems

Our research interests continue to evolve as new technologies emerge. Recent advances in AI, foundation models, and 3D representations are rapidly expanding the boundary between CG/CV and neighboring areas such as robotics, manufacturing, and scientific computing.

For specific examples of our previous and ongoing work, please see the [PROJECTS] page.

How Research Topics Are Chosen

We place a strong emphasis on the student’s own interests when choosing a research topic.

You do not need to decide on a complete research topic before joining the lab. We usually begin by discussing what you are interested in, reviewing related work, and conducting small preliminary experiments. Through this process, we explore together how your interests can be developed into a research question.

As long as a topic is reasonably related to CG, CV, or neighboring areas in which we can provide appropriate supervision, students have considerable freedom in choosing what they work on.

If you already have a specific idea, we are happy to discuss how it might be developed into a research project. If you are interested in research but do not yet have a concrete topic, we can also suggest possible directions and explore them together.

Research and Supervision

For Master’s students, we typically aim to develop a research project toward publication at an international conference or journal, with roughly one to one and a half years as one possible timeframe for reaching a first substantial result. The actual pace naturally depends on the topic and the progress of the project.

At the beginning of a project, the supervisor is closely involved in defining the research question, reviewing related work, setting up experiments, and preparing the necessary software environment. As the project develops, students are encouraged to take increasing ownership of their research and to incorporate their own ideas into its direction.

Students typically have a one-on-one meeting with the supervisor every one to two weeks to discuss progress, problems, and next steps. We also hold regular lab meetings where members present and discuss their research, as well as seminars for reading textbooks and research papers.

The supervisor also works actively with students when preparing research papers. This includes discussing experimental design and presentation, reviewing and revising manuscripts, and helping with technical issues when necessary.

Our goal is not simply to assign tasks, but to work with students as research collaborators while helping them gradually become more independent researchers.

Research Environment

Each student is provided with a computer suitable for their research. Depending on the project, this may be a GPU-equipped laptop, a desktop workstation, or another appropriate system.

The lab also maintains several GPU computing servers that students can use for machine learning and computationally intensive experiments.

For projects that require data acquisition or physical experiments, we have access to a variety of equipment, including cameras, depth and event cameras, 3D scanners, X-ray CT equipment, and 3D printers.

We also support students in presenting their research at academic conferences whenever possible.

What We Expect from Students

Research is different from coursework in that the answer is usually not known in advance. Progress often requires repeated experimentation, reading, discussion, and sometimes changing direction when an idea does not work as expected.

For this reason, we expect students to take an active role in their own research and to work on it consistently. At the same time, we do not expect students to solve every problem by themselves. When you encounter difficulties, we encourage you to discuss them early so that we can work through them together.

You do not need to be an expert in CG/CV or an advanced programmer before joining the lab. What matters more is curiosity, a willingness to learn, and an interest in developing your own ideas through research.

Admissions

To join our lab as a graduate student, you must first be admitted to the Graduate School of Social Data Science, Hitotsubashi University. Admission is handled by the Graduate School rather than by individual laboratories.

Admission procedures and requirements may change from year to year. Please always check the official admissions information and the application guidelines for the academic year in which you plan to apply.

Graduate Admissions: https://www.sds.hit-u.ac.jp/en/graduate-admissions/

Master’s Applicants

International students interested in the Master’s program should check the admission routes available to international applicants in the official application guidelines.

If you are considering applying to our lab, you are welcome to contact us before submitting your application. You do not need to have a fully developed research proposal at this stage, but it is helpful if you can briefly describe:

• your academic background
• the research areas or problems you are interested in
• why you are interested in our lab
• when you hope to enter the program

We can then discuss whether your interests are a good match for the research areas that we can supervise.

Please note that contacting the lab in advance does not replace the formal admission process and does not guarantee admission.

Ph.D. Applicants

Prospective Ph.D. students are expected to have a clearer research direction and prior research experience related to the proposed doctoral study.

Before applying, we strongly recommend contacting us to discuss your research interests and whether we can provide appropriate supervision. When contacting us, please include a brief description of your previous research, your proposed research direction, and, if available, your CV and relevant publications or thesis work.

Admission to the Ph.D. program is determined through the formal selection process of the Graduate School.

Official Admissions Information

For the latest application requirements, schedules, required documents, language requirements, and selection procedures, please refer to the official admissions website of the Graduate School of Social Data Science.

Graduate Admissions: https://www.sds.hit-u.ac.jp/en/graduate-admissions/