Tohoku University
Graduate School of Dentistry

Interview

04

Aseel Marahleh

from Jordan

Hello everyone, I am Aseel Marahleh an assistant professor working in The Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University. Five years ago, I came all the way from Jordan to start my doctoral education in The Graduate School of Dentistry, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics.

Choosing among all the prestigious universities here in Japan was not an easy task but the impressive research record and the long list of successful alumni of Tohoku University definitely clued me in the right direction. The Graduate School of Dentistry in Tohoku University is a research powerhouse with a sufficiently equipped core research unit, it was my destination of choice to pursue my interests. In addition to that the admission process to Tohoku University was not too complex and everyone working in the administrative office were helpful making it an easy transition.

During my four-year doctoral course, I was supported financially by the MEXT scholarship for international students which gave me the mental and literal space to pursue my education worry-free. This allowed me to achieve and excel in every project I started, I published multiple first-authored and co-authored papers, I got invited to speak in domestic and international conferences one of which is the JSPS-NIH 2019 Symposium on Inflammation in Washington DC. Without the technical and research skills I acquired here in the department of orthodontics those achievements could never have happened.

My research focused on a cell embedded deep down in the bone (the osteocyte) just a decade ago people thought this cell was dormant just hanging out in the bone not doing anything, but now we know that this cell has a lot more to offer to us with some researchers calling it the master manipulator of bone, how cool is that! The process of isolating this cell is notorious and difficult but here in department of orthodontics we perfected a plan to isolate this cell which was published in the Journal of Visualized Experiments, please check it out!

Tohoku University is now (2021) ranked number 1 in Japan, and it is situated in the beautiful city Sendai. Sendai is a safe city and it offers something for everyone, It has a long standing history, amazing nature, delicious food and for me, an avid sports lover I hiked to the mountains and surfed the waves in Shichigahama just 20 minutes outside of Sendai. Sendai is connected to other cities via an extensive and very comfortable transportation network which makes easy to go around Japan.

Sendai is a destination for people from all over the world, for this reason I am now a member of an impressive network of researchers around the globe, and for ambitious young researchers this is exactly what is needed for a prosperous future career.

If you are a science lover, Tohoku University should definitely be your destination. I encourage students to research their interests very well and choose the lab that supports their aim to the fullest, with that been said, welcome to Sendai and I hope you get to have an enjoyable fulfilling experience.

Graduation day 23/9/2021 with my collogues in the department of orthodontics.

Trail running in beautiful Fukushima, Iwaki. (2021)