Special plenary session by Professor Susumu KITAGAWA, the Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2025, is scheduled in the morning of October 30 (Fri).
Prof. Susumu KITAGAWA
Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2025)
Distinguished Professor, Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study (KUIAS) and Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University.
Prof. Susumu KITAGAWA is a world-renowned pioneer in the field of porous coordination polymers (PCPs) and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). He earned his Ph.D. in Science from Kyoto University. In 1997, he was the first to experimentally demonstrate porosity in metal complexes through gas sorption studies, establishing MOFs as a new class of porous materials. He further discovered flexible MOFs—materials capable of structural transformation in response to external stimuli—opening the way to a wide range of applications including controllable adsorption, separation, sensing, and catalysis. His achievements laid the foundations for one of the fastest-growing fields in materials science. MOFs are now being put to practical use in gas purification, storage, and environmental remediation, and are expected to contribute to global challenges such as energy efficiency and sustainability. In 2025, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of metal–organic frameworks. In the same year, he received the Order of Culture, Japan’s highest honor in the arts and sciences.
Selected Awards and Honors
The Chemical Society of Japan Award (2009), Medal with Purple Ribbon (2011), Leo Esaki Prize (2013), Japan Academy Prize (2016), Fujihara Award (2017), Solvay Prize for Future Chemistry (2017), Member of the Japan Academy (2019), Foreign Member of the Royal Society, UK (2023), Person of Cultural Merit and Order of Culture (2025), Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2025)
北川 進（きたがわ すすむ）
京都大学高等研究院(KUIAS)・物質-細胞統合システム拠点(iCeMS)特別教授。京都大学にて博士号(理学)を取得。多孔性配位高分子(PCP)/金属有機構造体(MOF)研究の先駆者。
1997年、気体吸着実験により金属錯体の多孔性を世界で初めて実証し、MOFを新たな多孔性材料として確立。さらに、外部刺激に応じて構造変化する「柔らかいMOF」を発見し、吸着制御・分離・センシング・触媒など幅広い応用への道を開拓。これらの業績は材料科学における最も成長著しい研究分野の礎となり、MOFはガス精製・貯蔵、環境浄化等の分野で実用化が進展。エネルギー効率や持続可能性など、地球規模の課題解決への貢献が期待される。2025年、「金属有機構造体の開発」によりノーベル化学賞を受賞。同年、文化勲章受章。
主な受賞歴
日本化学会賞(2009年)、紫綬褒章(2011年)、江崎玲於奈賞(2013年)、日本学士院賞(2016年)、藤原賞(2017年)、ソルベイ未来化学賞(2017年)、日本学士院会員(2019年)、英国王立協会外国人会員(2023年)、文化功労者・文化勲章(2025年)、ノーベル化学賞(2025年)
1976 – Ph.D. Student, Prof. Susumu KITAGAWA (right)