In this talk, I will share my experiences of developing a research career through international mobility and interdisciplinary collaboration. By engaging in research activities across different countries and building networks with researchers from various fields, I have learned how diversity and global connections can enrich both scientific ideas and career opportunities. This talk will highlight key lessons learned, including how to find international opportunities, approach networking, and navigate cultural differences in academic settings. Practical suggestions will be provided to help early-career and women researchers expand their perspectives and take confident steps toward building their own global and cross-disciplinary research paths.
Yoko Uwate received the B.E., M.E., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan, in 2003, 2005, and 2006, respectively. From April 2008 to March 2010, she worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow for Research Abroad of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) at the STOOP Group, Institute of Neuroinformatics (INI), University and ETH Zurich, Switzerland. In 2010, she joined the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Tokushima University, where she is currently an Associate Professor at the Nonlinear Circuits Laboratory. She also conducted international research as a Visiting Scientist at the STOOP Group, INI, University and ETH Zurich from August 2016 for six months, and as a Visiting Researcher at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan, from February to September 2019. Dr. Uwate served as Chair of the IEEE CAS Society Technical Committee on Neural Systems and Applications (2019–2021), and as Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee of the IEEE CAS Society from May 2022 to December 2024. She is a member of the IEEE CAS Society Board of Governors (2013–2015, 2021–present).