In less time than it takes most college students to graduate with a bachelor’s degree, Riku Kikuta earned his master’s and is on pace to earn his doctorate in computational engineering from Mississippi State—just four years after arriving in Starkville.

Originally from Kanagawa, Japan, Kikuta came to MSU in 2021 through an academic partnership with Nihon University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering. He traveled across the globe for a chance to conduct cutting-edge research with MSU’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems.

“Mississippi State is really known for cutting-edge research and computer science,” he said. “I wanted to be part of that.

“I can do anything I want here in the lab,” he continued. “That’s why I came to CAVS. I could take all the classes I wanted—computer science, industrial engineering and electrical engineering. At MSU, I can think and find out anything that I want.”

As a graduate research assistant with CAVS, Kikuta has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA while focusing on autonomous vehicle systems, particularly how cars can recognize and react to pedestrian intent.

His work uses Lidar technology to train systems to determine whether a pedestrian is likely to cross a street or remain idle, helping to reduce accidents and improve urban mobility.

 “It’s detecting when a person is a variable that it needs to adjust to or not,” he said.

Despite the demanding academic load and cultural transition, Kikuta said MSU and his CAVS community have helped him breeze through his doctoral program in just two and a half years.

“I have an amazing team and amazing mentors that helped me,” he said. “It was not easy, and I could not have done it without them. I’m not sure I could have done any of this research without my family and my team.”

That sense of belonging and support has helped Kikuta work year-round in his program, with few breaks. In his rare moments of free time, Kikuta enjoys playing video games and staying in touch with his family back home.

“I like studying and learning new things,” he said. “If you don’t have summer plans, it’s a lot easier (to graduate early).”

After his projected December graduation, Kikuta plans to move back to Japan as a consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers International, considered one of the “Big Four” accounting firms in the world and headquartered in London.

“It sounds funny to have a Ph.D. in engineering and go into accounting,” he laughed. “But with consulting as an accountant, I can work across every industry, and I can do engineering on the side.

“It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to Starkville,” he continued. “But, I’m planning to come back to Starkville someday, maybe as a professor or researcher. It’s hard being away from my family, but I really enjoy it here.”