Ghalamkari Kazu - CH

What made you decide to apply for a grant at the Leading House Asia?
In my Ph.D. studies, I have been focusing on theoretical research of machine learning. But I believe machine learning is not just Science but also Engineering, which means theory with an application has excellent power. I knew there are so many possibilities in the interdisciplinary field to make new applications, so I was looking for a good collaborator in a different research field.
In addition, I wanted to have a research experience in an environment with cultural diversity since it is important for researchers to broaden perspectives. Furthermore, the international perspective provides researchers with a new way of looking at things, accelerating the research activity.
By finding a good collaborator overseas, I expected to get both benefits of interdisciplinary and internationality. That is why I decided to apply for a grant.

How did you secure a host professor?
When I talked about it to my supervisor, Prof. Mahito Sugiyama, he suggested the ETH host, Prof. Karsten Borgwardt. As we can see in their publication list, there are many applied research projects in the host lab based on theoretical analytics of machine learning.
Since Prof. Sugiyama and Prof. Borgwardt have a longstanding collaboration history, which started when Dr. Sugiyama joined Prof. Borgwardt’s lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2012, the host accepted my stay without any problems. I wrote my research proposal, and it was accepted.

How would you describe your experience of the programme?
In Japan, I have been studying the decomposition of non-negative tensors and matrices from the viewpoint of information geometry to propose novel rapid decomposition methods. On the other hand, Prof. Borgwardt is a specialist in kernel methods. So, I have been trying to convert my proposed method into a kernel method. When the direction of my research was being determined, I was impressed to see how Prof. Borgwardt made a completely different story to explain the impact of our research.
Also, when I presented my research to the lab members, I was impressed by the comments and questions from a higher perspective, such as the big picture of my research, prospects, and the position of my research in the machine learning community, rather than the details of experiments and theory. When concentrating on my research, I tend to have a narrow view, but I have learned the importance of looking at my research from a distance and organizing where I am going and what I want to do. I think this awareness is essential for obtaining funds and fellowships.

What role did the Leading House Asia play in the programme?
It was my first experience writing a research proposal in English. It was a good experience.

What were the impacts you made through the project/partners/individual?
ETH Zurich is gathering top researchers from all over the world, and through communication, collaboration, and discussion with them, I learned a variety of knowledge and new perspective. The stay laid the base for future collaborations and joint publications.
Interdisciplinary perspective.
The host laboratory conducts research in the interdisciplinary field of machine learning and biomedical science. I was surprised about the strong synergy effect created by the fusion of different fields. Although there are niche but essential research themes in the interdisciplinary area, it does not lead to good research unless one has broad knowledge and experience in the surrounding areas. I was impressed that the host laboratory invited people with expertise in different fields from other universities to their meeting, where active discussions took place. My background is in physics, and I learned about the possibilities in the interdisciplinary field.
A high level of perspective is required of researchers.
In the laboratory seminar, there were many comments and questions from a higher perspective, such as the big vision of the research, prospects, and the position of the study in the ML community, rather than trivial details of experiments and theories that are easy to ask questions about. I was convinced that the awareness of always trying to understand the research from such a high perspective leads to a good cycle of writing papers.

Testimonial: what were your personal experiences/thoughts on the bilateral cooperation experience?
There is a language barrier when conducting research overseas. However, we can learn how important it is to be able to express our ideas in a clear language, speak to others without hesitation, and actively continue to discuss our ideas.
I also learned how to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds. We can conduct active research with people from many countries by respecting each other's diversity.
In addition, it is an excellent advantage for me to create a research network outside of Japan. I believe that this experience will be a bridge for joint research with foreign countries.