Akiko Hirano, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

What is your current job?

I work in the Production Technology Center, and I am engaged in technical studies to improve the productivity of the plant that manufactures resin for paint. The paint that is made here is used for car bodies, glossy surfaces such as electronic devices and even baseball helmets. I study materials and processes to gain a deeper insight, and examine various ways of building processes efficiently, safely, reasonably and that are environmentally friendly. After taking two maternity leaves and childcare leaves, I returned to work with shorter hours. My company provides an employee-friendly work environment where many senior colleagues are also working while raising their children, which helps me envision my future.

What do you value in terms of research environment?

I majored in chemical engineering at Hiroshima University. At the university, they offered many practical classes, such as inviting guest lecturers from enterprises, visiting plants and conducting experiments on building an actual plant. I myself decided to do what I do now because of the plant visit I made in the past. The scale is obviously different but what I work on now is basically the same as what I was researching in school. So it is quite common for me to work with the textbook from back then in one hand. I feel that what I have learned in school are directly linked to my current job.