Hideki Kobayashi, Dean in FY 2024

The environment surrounding universities is undergoing significant changes.

The issues include the relationship between research outreach and society, international cooperation and competition between universities, individualization of universities, and ensuring diversity of human The issues include the relationship between research outreach and society, international cooperation and competition between universities, individualization of universities, and ensuring diversity of human resources in research and education. Recently, the impact of generative AI and data science, which have become increasingly practical as tools, on research education has also become a hot topic.

Various ideas are possible regarding the direction in which the Department of Mechanical Engineering should go. One way to think of it is to set a priority area with some intention for the future, but on the other hand, it is also the fact that the uncertainty of human society, with the exception of population forecasts, is so big that it is difficult to predict over the long term. One way of thinking is not to react too quickly to rapid changes in the world, but rather to move forward steadily in times of rapid change by setting our own perspectives. This is because academia is an activity that steadily builds up hypotheses and their verification, and we should not take that steadfastness lightly.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, both at Osaka University, reorganized the traditional academic foundation of mechanical engineering consisting of four dynamics, control, and design and production into four systems: functional structure, heat flow dynamics, integrated design, and intelligent control. While developing cutting-edge research based on internal motivation, we are also developing graduate and undergraduate education programs that translate research findings into education. Furthermore, as a department open to society, we run the Osaka University Mechanical Engineering Technical Exchange Association with our corporate members to deepen industry-academia collaboration. I believe that these activities are an indication of the sincere attitude of the department to the comprehensive academic field of mechanical engineering.

We are waiting for you in a rich research and educational environment.