Undergraduate Institution: Keio University (Japan)
Undergraduate Major: Economic Policy
Pre-MAPSS Graduate Studies: Education Policy/ Sociology/ Psychology
MAPSS Graduation Year: 2014
I am a global business and academic researcher using both quantitative and qualitative methods. I am interested in how people perceive their past/present/future and subsequently institutionalize their decisions. I came to MAPSS in order to investigate the relationship between people’s social origin and their future prospects. I had been specifically interested in gender as a variable and its influence on career. However, by taking Organizational Analysis, Perspectives on Social Sciences, Inequality Seminar, and Family Sociology Seminar, I was able to analyze my research interest from various social sciences perspectives and investigate decision making, influenced by their social background. In my MA thesis, “The Social Stratification of Optimism: A Case Study of Japanese Life Trajectories 2007-2010” (Supervisor: Professor Linda Waite, PhD), I explored the possible connection between optimism, family relationships, education, and social stratification, especially educational achievement and major life events. Due to my critical research skills and knowledge in interdisciplinary decision science, I currently work for Deloitte (Tokyo) as a Research Associate. I conduct global marketing research and supply chain analysis to improve decision making in private and macro levels. I have participated in international projects, one of which my solo research culminated to embark global scale business planning.
