From Republic of Indonesia
- Name
SAKTI Aditya Wibawa - Country/ Region of Citizenship
Republic of Indonesia - Graduated from
Institut Teknologi Bandung - Department
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry （Doctoral）
Yoshida Scholarship Foundation (YKK Leader 21) Scholarship Honor
How did you find out about Waseda University?
I always searched for the recent papers of Professor Hiromi Nakai, who is now my supervisor and well known in my field of specialization, and found that he is at Waseda University.
Why did you choose Waseda University?
I contacted him by email and wrote a research plan in which the ideas come from his paper, and then he told me that I had to go the University to join his laboratory. This was a very interesting opportunity for me because I think that study abroad is very nice. I have been to Kanazawa University in Japan in 2012 as a short-stay research student, but that was not a very long time. So I searched for information how to get a scholarship from the University or how to study here.
My wife who helped me collect information on Waseda told me that Waseda University is a really good choice to study because Professor Hiromi Nakai, my current supervisor, is really well-known and also makes such a great theory, so it is good if I study from him.
How did you get information for our program?
I got information from the Waseda University website. I also got a lot of information from friends who were interested in coming to Waseda as well or were actually already studying at Waseda.
Did you have any concerns before coming to Japan?
I was concerned about the language. I studied some Japanese before I came and also was learning Japanese from a friend here, but I got busy with many activities from my supervisor, so now I am mainly studying with my wife who takes Japanese classes at the City Hall.
I was a little bit worried about earthquakes too. There were actually a couple of earthquakes in June, and it was a little scary to me.
Have you had any difficulties when you started a new life here?
Apartment hunting. It was very difficult to find an agent who could speak English, but fortunately I found one with a help of a friend. I live in Ichikawa-shi now, where there is kind of an Indonesian village. There are so many Indonesian people, and also there is a mosque for praying. It is great for me because a Muslim community is really important for me.
With the language, I try to communicate with people using some translation applications. If I cannot translate, I use some simple English, and usually they understand. So there are actually no big problems.
How is your life in Japan and Waseda?
Everything is going well.
For the students, the schedule is actually from 8am to 5pm, but for me that is not enough because of a lot of tasks from my supervisor. I really enjoy it and like the problem that my supervisor gives me. So my schedule now is from 7:30am to 8pm every day, and I have the weekend off. It is fine with me because I used to have long work hours in Indonesia, teaching at a high school.
What do you do in your free time?
I have been out to Hanami and play baseball with lab members and the supervisor.
I go out every weekend to explore in and around Tokyo with my wife. I even found a Halal ramen place in Asakusa. It is good for me that I can find Halal food easily in Japan.
How are the relationships with your supervisor and lab members?
My supervisor is very busy. He travels abroad almost every week. But he always comes to me, sees my research progress, communicates, and discusses with me very well. He is very kind, never angry, and very encouraging.
My laboratory is divided into 6 groups, and there are several skillful senpais (seniors) in each group, they always help me. I also send emails to my supervisor if I have questions, and he gets back to me quickly. I could even ask lab friends for any help with my personal matters such as electricity bills.
Outline of the research
Research Topic:
- Application of Divide and Conquer based of Density Functional Tight Binding-Molecular Dynamics Method (DC-DFTB-MD): The Mechanism of Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) Formation in Li-ion Battery
- Application of Divide and Conquer based of Density Functional Tight Binding-Molecular Dynamics Method (DC-DFTB-MD): The Mechanism of Proton Transfer in Bulk Phase of Water
Nowadays, Large molecular systems become an interesting and challenging object for every chemist in the world. Not an exception for a theoretical and computational chemist, for example in SEI formation in Li-ion battery and proton transfer mechanism in bulk phase of water. Both of them are very interesting to be the object of study. However one of the challenges is the computational cost that will be required for the large system. The existence of Divide and Conquer method (DC) as a linear scaling method that created by Prof. Hiromi Nakai and his co-workers could increase the speed of calculation and therefore significantly reduce the computational cost. In my research, I try to predict the mechanism of SEI formation from the decomposition products of organic electrolyte solvents at the electrode interphase. I used DC-DFTB-MD calculation method that combined DC, density functional tight binding (DFTB) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. On the other hand, I also have a research on bulk water system and protonated water system that will be an object to observe a proton transfer mechanism.
What is your career goal after your degree completion?
I am considering post-doctoral study here or in another country, or go back to my country to implement my knowledge from here. Maybe become a teacher again at some university.
Short message to the prospective students
in English
Hi everyone. My name is Aditya Wibawa Sakti from Indonesia. I am a PhD student majoring in computational chemistry (Professor Hiromi Nakai Group) at Waseda University. Before studying abroad, I did not realize how much of the world I was going to see, how much I would learn and how much positive life changing experience affecting my life. I think everyone should take advance of that. Explore, Dream, Discover.
in Bahasa Indonesia
Halo teman-teman di Indonesia dan seluruh dunia. Nama saya Aditya Wibawa Sakti dari Indonesia. Saya mahasiswa doktor di bidang kimia komputasi (Grup Profesor Hiromi Nakai) di Universitas Waseda. Sebelum belajar di luar negeri, saya tidak membayangkan seberapa luas dunia yang akan saya lihat, seberapa banyak yang akan saya pelajari dan seberapa banyak perubahan positif yang akan mempengaruhi hidup saya. Siapapun pasti bisa memiliki kesempatan itu asalkan punya tekad yang kuat. Terus bermimpi dan berusaha mewujudkannya.
