Kathy

Kathy is a physicist, science enthusiast, writer, published author, advocate for women's involvement in science, karaoke-lover, hopeless bowler, wife to Baggy, and full-time mother to Aya.

Aside from scientific and motherly activities, Kathy spends her spare time blogging online, writing articles, reading novels, and trying to learn how to bake. She is also learning Japanese on a daily basis, and hopes to take the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) when the time is right. She loves traveling to new places with her family.

Kathy received her PhD from the Faculty of Engineering of Yamagata University in October 1999. She is currently employed as a research scientist at the Energy Technology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba, Japan. Her present work involves the fabrication and characterization of large-area superconducting thin films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. Other research interests include thin film growth mechanisms and surface characterizations, critical current density and correlated defect structures in YBCO thin films.

Kathy is also currently a visiting scientist under the AIST fellowship program at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy of the University of Cambridge, U.K.

Favorite quote: "You'll never know unless you try."

"In man's search for knowledge,
he discovers his weaknesses
and rediscovers his strength
in HIM."