Connecting Academia

“Researchers should have more diverse career options.”
This is what Yohei Kumagai—who runs “tayo Inc.,”a job recruitment platform for researchers—says. Career support for researchers tends to be biased toward specialized fields. However, Kumagai and his team identify each individual’s expertise and create optimal career opportunities for them. “Particularly in university startups, many positions are unique and have no direct counterparts elsewhere, making it difficult to predict future annual income. Few companies are able to clearly explain the risks and rewards associated with such employment,” he says.
Mr. Kumagai’s interest in environmental studies was rooted in his family’s influence. While vaguely aiming for academia, he boldly jumped into things he liked to do during his undergraduate years, such as playing in a band and creating game apps. He said that he was surrounded by many YouTubers and people with unusual careers; hence, he did not have any preconceived notions about profession. He drew on his programming experience to pursue bioinformatics, but he was unable to obtain analytical results he sought during his master’s studies. Undeterred, he persevered into the doctoral program, where his efforts finally began to bear fruit. Hoping to gain some private sector experience, he got a job at an IT company. However, he was drawn to academia, where the future is less known; hence, he joined JAMSTEC. He also started a business at the same time.
“At FreakOut, there were many people around me who wanted to start their own businesses, so it was an environment where taking on challenges felt familiar. There are not many researchers starting their own businesses, so I felt that it would be easier to demonstrate my own value.”
Currently, the company operates a researcher profile service, which is used free of charge by approximately 3,000 people. The company also set up a system that allows registered users to share their resumes and papers using digital business cards, and its main source of revenue is recruiting. The company is also working on the “DX of communication” such as company matching, career counseling, and nameplate digitalization for events in collaboration with academic societies.
To truly support researchers and encourage their diverse career paths, someone like Mr. Kumagai needs comprehensive knowledge based on a wide range of experience and a solid understanding of technology.
“I want to guide researchers to careers where they can best demonstrate their abilities and create a new form of support that will lead to growth for Japan as a whole,” Mr. Kumagai said with a smile.  

Interviewed and written by Yoko Takada