Mercari R4D has launched the “Mercari R4D PhD Support Program,” a program to support employees to pursue PhD studies, from February 2022.
We are pleased to announce that the 1st round of the program has been decided!
Yuji Oshima (@y-oshima）
- Affiliation: Engineer at Mercari
- University: PhD course, Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST)
- Research Theme: Information extraction with Semi-ParametricModel
Miho Matsuzono (@mihozono）
- Affiliation: UX Researcher at Merpay
- University: Master’s course, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST)
- Research Theme: Decisions that UX research brings during service development —A Case Study of a Fintech Startup—
Comments
@/y-oshima： I joined Mercari about 3 years ago, and from the time I joined Mercari, I wanted to go on to a PhD course. However, I had just had a child, and due to the situation in Corona, I was not able to make the decision to go on to further study. When I heard about the announcement of this program, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to do it while adjusting my work schedule, so I applied for it. With the support of the other members around me, I am now pursuing my PhD course.
@/mihozono： I had been studying at a graduate school, but when the time came to write my master’s thesis, I began to worry about whether I would be able to balance work and research. It was under such circumstances that this program was established, and I decided to apply for it, thinking that I would be able to balance work and research if I could take advantage of the shortened working hour system. Thanks to this program, I am now thinking positively about entering the PhD course.
Applications for the 2nd round of the PhD Support Program have been closed, and the selection process is now underway. Mercari will continue to support various opportunities for recurrent education and career building for employees, and in addition to focusing on developing talent capable of contributing to economic development and solving social issues, will continue to strive for a work environment that encourages the success of its diverse people.About “Mercari R4D PhD Support Program”
“Mercari R4D PhD Support Program” will provide tuition support and flexible working hours to ensure sufficient study and research time to Mercari employees who aspire to enter doctorate programs in fields that will contribute to the future growth of Mercari and the solution of social issues. We will give employees the opportunity to redesign their careers and explore new horizons, all while retaining their jobs at Mercari. Also, we will be able to dispatch employees into areas beyond the ones that R4D has been involved in up to this point. In this way, Mercari will increase the number of employees with highly specialized knowledge, and strengthen its human resource development in order to stoke innovation.