What is the Next Generation Volcano Researcher Development Program?

The purpose of this program is to train the next generation of volcano researchers, who will deepen our understanding of diverse volcanic phenomena, advance leading-edge volcanology research with strong international collaboration, and take on the challenge of disaster science mitigating volcanic hazards in a developed society. Recently, with improving observational technology, theoretical models of magma dynamics have advanced and research into understanding volcanic phenomena to forecast volcanic activity have started to merge the three main fields of volcanology: geophysics, geology/petrology, and geochemistry. Furthermore, there is an expectation that volcano researchers will contribute to reducing damage from eruptions, so there is great demand for research applications in the disaster sciences. In this context, we are establishing a consortium of universities and research institutions that perform leading-edge volcano research, national agencies, and local municipalities that are responsible for volcano disaster mitigation, and private companies that support these efforts. The goal of this consortium is to create an environment that provides systematic learning in interdisciplinary volcanology. Specifically, we will develop volcano research capabilities through sharing university courses, field studies at active volcanoes, seminars on leading-edge volcano research, and observational and computational technologies. We will also offer seminars on such topics as disaster social science to gain knowledge about disaster mitigation and provide opportunities to understand job sites involved in volcano monitoring and disaster mitigation through internships. For students who have acquired the necessary credits, we will award a certificate for the fundamental, application, and advanced courses.