Geochemists on the Move: interview with Toshiyuki Fujioka
Can you tell us a little about yourself. What is your field of study? What is your home country/nationality and where are you currently based?I am currently a principle investigator of the cosmogenic nuclide dating group at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana/ National Research Center on Human Evolution; CENIEH). My expertise is in cosmogenic nuclide dating, which involves using isotopes produced by cosmic rays on the Earth’s surface to measure timing and rates of various landscape processes such as erosion, weathering, sedimentation, volcanic eruption, landslides, flooding, glaciation, desertification, etc. I have a multidisciplinary background in physics, geochemistry and geomorphology, which enables me to apply my expertise across all aspects of the method, from geological field sampling, chemical sample preparation to physics (intensive isotope mass spectrometry).
I am originally from Japan, but I have spent the past 20 years working abroad, primarily in Australia, where I completed my PhD, postdoctoral work, and held a tenure-track research position in Sydney. In late 2019, I moved to Spain, so I’ve now been in Europe for about five years
What were the scientific and/or personal reasons why you chose your current location? CENIEH is an archaeological research institute, but it also has a strong geochronology department. They were looking for an expert in cosmogenic nuclide dating to apply this new method to their repertoire, and I was looking for a research position in Europe to expand my academic career after spending some time in Australia. Timing was perfect, and I was excited by the challenge of building a new research group and laboratory.
What have been the benefits of relocating to your new institution and how has the move enriched your life both scientifically and personally? Scientifically, it opened up new fields of collaboration in Spain, Europe and beyond. In Australia, I worked in the Earth Science field, focusing on landscape evolution and paleoclimate research. Since moving to Spain, my collaboration has expanded to archaeology, thanks to my colleagues in CENIEH. Ancient human evolution has been a topic of curiosity for me, and I am glad to now be involved at the forefront of this field.
For my family and I, we enjoy experiencing the culture, lifestyle, history and especially the cuisine of Spain. Burgos is a relatively small city, and I walk along the river to my office every day. We love tranquilo (calm, relaxed) lifestyle of Spanish people, which is quite a contrast to one in a big city like Sydney where we used to live.
What have been some of the biggest challenges moving transnationally for you scientifically and/or for your family? Language was, and still is, a challenge. However, we found it interesting that Spanish is grammatically similar to English, but its pronunciation is closer to Japanese in some ways, being more phonetic than English. I still mainly use English at my work (thankfully, my colleagues are fluent in English), but Burgos is a small town and I am trying to improve my Spanish poco a poco (little by little) at restaurants, bars, fresh markets, etc.
Can you recount an occasion when perhaps things “got lost in translation,” or events took an unexpected turn during your time in your new country? We moved to Spain in December 2019, and after the New Year, our children started a new school. My wife and I told them, “Don’t worry about the classes. There’s no problem even if you repeat a year.” They struggled for a couple of months and then the lockdown started due to COVID-19. The lockdown actually turned out to be beneficial for us, as we were able to slow down, learn the language, and have time to gradually adjust to our new life.
What advice can you give to others considering making a transnational move to pursue their career in geochemistry? Moving countries with family, or even by myself, can feel like walking in the dark. Therefore, getting as much information beforehand is critical, and in that respect, nothing could be better than opinions and advice from someone who have had the similar experience. During my master’s in Osaka University, I knew a senior scientist who had obtained a PhD in Australia, and I can tell you that without his guidance and support, I probably would not have been able to move and start my PhD there. Before I moved to Spain, through my colleagues I found a couple of researchers who had worked in CENIEH before, and from there, I gained knowledge of the town, institute, culture of Spain, which helped me prepare for what was to come.
Looking back, what are the most valuable lessons you learned from your experience living and working in a foreign country? While you keep your original cultural background in your heart, I think it is important to open yourself up to a new environment. Being a minority is not easy, and as a foreigner living outside your home country, you have to deal with more than just academic issues, such as learning a new language, obtaining resident permit/visa, learning about cultural difference, and so on. After living overseas over 20 years, I basically do not expect things to go smoothly from the first time (when they do, I celebrate). Instead, I enjoy discovering differences between countries, whether in administration processes or ways people think, and occasionally meeting people who helping you along the way. I believe all these experiences enrich my life.
Interview conducted by the EAG Communications Committee