Risk of "No Complaints" and the Making Infrastructure Transparent

For researchers, a network in a research institution must be an "ever-present" necessity, just like air or electricity. When I returned to RIKEN after some time away, the Director at the time (Dr. Michihiko Minoh, currently Project Director of the Guardian Robot Project at RIKEN Information R&D and Strategy Headquarters) raised a concern regarding RIKEN’s network infrastructure: the fact that no complaints or requests were being raised by users. This could be interpreted as a sign of high quality, given that the backbone network uses SINET, Japan's academic and research network. In reality, however, there was also a concern that the lack of complaints did not mean the absence of dissatisfaction, but rather that users had simply given up. My first mission upon taking office was to visualize network quality and prove its state through continuous monitoring to uncover any potential latent issues.

The ultimate mission of our unit is to establish an information network environment where researchers can begin their activities from day one and leave without being overwhelmed by unfinished administrative tasks upon their departure. Today, many research projects need to produce results within limited timeframes and resources. In reality, however, a significant amount of time and effort is often spent on system setup and operational tasks like user management during the launch phase. The same applies to handling research data management and ensuring the secure processing of sensitive data when exiting a project. We aim to make the information system infrastructure as invisible as "air", minimizing “burden outside of research activities" as much as possible.

Gathering On-site "Pain Points" to Solve via Systemic Approaches

Unlike a traditional information systems department that manages physical infrastructure and resolves individual users’ "pain points" on a case-by-case basis, our unit is positioned in "Infrastructure R&D." Our goal is to identify the "pain points" of researchers—the users—and pursue solutions through systemic frameworks

One of our current focus areas is the realization of an authentication and authorization infrastructure that is easy for laboratories to adopt while keeping management costs low. RIKEN provides an authentication infrastructure based on high-quality personnel information managed by the administrative division. However, these are often not utilized in the information systems operated by individual laboratories due to differences in authentication methods or the lack of attributes, such as organizational affiliation, required for authorization. Consequently, there is a disconnect between personnel information and system user management. We are developing methods to bridge the gap between central authentication systems and laboratory information systems by integrating legacy authentication protocols such as LDAP and RADIUS. Through this, we aim to create a mechanism where researchers are automatically registered and can begin using laboratory systems from the moment they take office.

Acting as an "Interpreter" Connecting Diverse Technical Languages

RIKEN, as a National Research and Development Agency, possesses immense resources and a diverse user base engaged in cutting-edge research. The strength of our Infrastructure R&D division lies in our position, which allows us to listen directly to the voices of these users.

While RIKEN brings together researchers from a wide range of backgrounds, differences in expertise often create barriers to system integration. Our unit is expected to serve as a sophisticated "technical interpreter," standing between researchers with different technical backgrounds to translate their respective requirements and find the optimal middle ground. It is not merely about building and operating a network; it is the coordination required to integrate diverse specialized knowledge into a cohesive system that strengthens RIKEN’s infrastructure.

Ideal candidate profile: "Explorer" whoh4{} discovers issues and solves them via systems

We value the "innate ability to discover problems" from daily operations and user feedback even more than the ability to solve given tasks.

We welcome individuals who find joy in a bottom-up approach: gathering the "small pain points" found on-site, generalizing them, and building them into a system.
We understand that the competition for talent well-versed in networks and infrastructure is intense. For this reason, we welcome senior professionals who have honed their skills at the forefront of their careers, as well as researchers who find intellectual satisfaction in the stable operation and improvement of large-scale systems rather than the pursuit of their own research themes. We provide an environment that recognizes and values practical contributions—maintaining the information infrastructure that supports the foundations of cutting-edge scientific research as a cohesive system.