From Ph.D. to Postdoc

Masahiro Kamiyama will soon graduate with his Ph.D. in a field he didn’t even know existed prior to visiting NC State University.

Kamiyama, who is from Japan, said he never heard of materials science until near the end of his four years of college. He majored in electrical engineering at Osaka University, knowing he would be able to get a job in the field.

Everything changed when Kamiyama decided to study in the U.S. for his Ph.D. His undergraduate professor at the time introduced him to Zlatko Sitar, Kobe Steel Distinguished Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Kamiyama applied and was accepted to NC State’s prestigious Ph.D. program, switching to a materials science focus to work on research with Sitar in the Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor Laboratory.

Working with fellow students and postdoctoral researchers, Kamiyama is developing advanced methods for bulk and epitaxial crystal growth, polarity control and defect management with the goal of creating the next generation of optoelectronic and power devices.

Kamiyama graduates with his Ph.D. this December. He defended his thesis — which was on surface-mediated phenomena during metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD), a process used to produce single-thin films, and the growth of III-nitrides — this November.

He won’t be going far. Starting this November, Kamiyama became a postdoctoral fellow in the same lab working with Sitar and Ramón Collazo, University Faculty Scholar and professor, and co-director of the lab. Both professors advised his dissertation.

In his new role, Kamiyama will assist Sitar and Callazo with research in addition to mentoring current Ph.D. candidates.

“I know how to be a Ph.D. student,” he said. “I know how to finish a dissertation. I’ll mentor them and also help write proposals for my professors.”

As a postdoc, Kamiyama will fulfill the core mission of the lab: to advance the understanding of wide-bandgap materials, enable high-quality nitride substrates and epitaxy, and drive innovation in power electronics, solid-state lighting and quantum technologies with his research.

“To be honest, before coming here, I wanted to go into industry,” he said. “Now, my perspective has changed. I feel I’m more open minded after getting my Ph.D.”

This post was originally published in College of Engineering News.