“Go abroad!” says Mia Terashima '06, “As a scientist, you can work anywhere in the world. I was inspired by how scientists collaborate at a global scale.”

Mia first studied abroad at The University of Aberdeen in Scotland as an undergraduate. She then received a German Academic Exchange Scholarship and completed her Ph.D. at the University of Münster. Germany’s culture taught Mia to “embrace a healthy work-life balance” and to treat free time as seriously as work time. Mia returned to the States to complete her postdoctoral degree at the Carnegie Institution in Stanford, California. She’s now an assistant professor at the Institute of Low Temperature Science at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan.

Mia cites her undergraduate experience with hands-on independent research opportunities as well as personable professors and teaching styles as valuable preparation for her career as a researcher. “Haverford’s small, discussion-oriented classes across a wide range of disciplines help build the ability to think from different angles, ” Mia says.

At the Institute of Low Temperature Science, Terashima, along with one full professor and two assistant professors, supervises students and conducts microbial ecology research in microbial ecology about how different microbial communities act in nutrient cycling and how they are integrated in the environment as a whole. She also aids the university’s efforts to internationalize by providing support for students.

Mia is excited to get more involved in teaching and working with students along with continuing research and meeting new people. Moreover, she is committed to encouraging and supporting female students in the pursuit of science so that she can help change the imbalanced gender ratio in the Japanese science research field.