Welfare Officer: Sonya Kosar

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Sonya Kosar
(sofiia.kosar@oist.jp)
 

Academic life before OIST:

I did bachelor’s and master’s specializing in condensed matter physics in Ukraine. Apart from that, I also studied nanoscience in the Netherlands for a year, and did a couple of internships in Japan.

Unit at OIST:

I pursue my PhD in Femtosecond Spectroscopy Unit (Dani Unit) and use time resolved photoemission electron microscopy to uncover fascinating properties of energy materials.

I study properties of energy materials, because:

I believe that transition to renewable energy is a step into the future. To make final devices based on these materials more efficient and stable, we need to uncover the material’s limitations and guide the fabrication processes more directly.

In Okinawa, I like to:

enjoy beautiful nature and beaches, local food (except of goya!), travel to remote islands with friends, and, of course, karaoke.

I am the Welfare Officer, because:

PhD is a long journey, and on the way to desired success we, students, can face various issues. Often, our concerns are not directly related to professional life, but can originate from welfare or wellbeing matters, and still impact our productivity and motivation. Therefore, as Welfare Officer, my role is to support students by finding ways to resolve such concerns and enjoy their PhD life.