Isamu Akasaki

Biographical

Isamu AkasakiCURRICULUM VITAE

Education

Mar. 52: B. Sc., Kyoto University.

Mar. 64: Dr. Eng. (Electronics), Nagoya University.

Employment, Academic Appointments

Apr. 52–Mar. 59: Research staff, Kobe Kogyo Corporation (now Fujitsu Ltd.).

Apr. 59–Mar. 64: Research Associate, Assistant Professor and Associate Professor, Department of Electronics, Nagoya University.

Apr. 64–Apr. 74: Head, Fundamental Research Laboratory-4, Matsushita Research Institute Tokyo, Inc.

May 74–Jul. 81: General Manager, Semiconductor Department at the same institute as above.

Aug. 81–Mar. 92: Professor, Department of Electronics, Nagoya University.

Mar. 87–Sep. 90: Project Leader, “JST’s1 Research and Development of GaN-Based Blue-Light-Emitting Diode.”

Apr. 92–present: Professor Emeritus, Nagoya University.
Professor, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Meijo University.

Mar. 93–Sep. 99: Project Leader, JST’s “Research and Development of Short-Wavelength GaN-Based Semiconductor Laser Diode.”

Apr. 95–Mar. 96: Visiting Professor, Research Center for Interface Quantum Electronics, Hokkaido University.

Jul. 96–Mar. 01: Project Leader, JSPS’s2 “Research for the Future Program.”

Jul. 96–Mar. 04: Project Leader, High-Tech Research Center of Meijo University sponsored by MEXT.3

Nov. 98–present: Member of the Finnish Institute in Japan.

Apr. 01–present: Research Fellow at Nagoya University Akasaki Research Center.

Apr. 02–Mar. 04: Councilor of JST.

Apr. 03–Mar. 06: Chairman of R&D Strategic Committee on the Wireless Devices based on Nitride Semiconductors at the METI.4

Dec. 04–present: University Professor, Nagoya University.

Apr. 10–present: University Professor, Meijo University.

Apr. 11–present: Director of Research Center for Nitride Semiconductor Core Technologies, Meijo University.

Honors and Prizes

May. 91: The Chu-nichi Culture Prize from the Chu-nichi Press.

Aug. 95: The Heinrich Welker Medal from the International Symposium on Compound Semiconductors.

Nov. 96: The IEEE/LEOS Engineering Achievement Award from the IEEE/LEOS.5

Nov. 97: The Medal with Purple Ribbon from the Japanese Government.

Jul. 98: The Inoue Harushige Award jointly with Toyoda Gosei Co.Ltd. from JST.

Jul. 98: The Laudise Prize from the International Organization for Crystal Growth.

Nov. 98: The C&C Prize from the Foundation for C&C Promotion.

Dec. 98: The Jack A. Morton Award from the IEEE.

Dec. 98: The Rank Prize from the Rank Prize Funds.

Jan. 99: IEEE Fellow.

May 99: The Solid State Science &Technology Award from the Electrochemical Society.

Jul. 99: Honorary Citizen of Montpellier, France.

Nov. 99: Honoris Causa Doctorate from the University of Montpellier II, France.

Mar. 00: The Toray Science & Technology Prize from the Toray Science Foundation.

Jan. 01: The Asahi Prize from the Asahi Press.

May 01: Honoris Causa Doctorate from Linköping University, Sweden.

Mar. 02: The Outstanding Achievement Award from the Japan Society of Applied Physics.

Jun. 02: The Fujihara Prize from the Fujihara Foundation of Science.

Nov. 02: The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon from the Japanese Government.

Nov. 02: The Takeda Award from the Takeda Foundation.

Sept. 03: The SSDM Award from the International Conference on Solid State Devices & Materials.

Nov. 04: Person of Cultural Merit from the Japanese Government.

Mar. 06: The John Bardeen Award from the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS).

Oct. 08: Foreign Associate of the United States National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Nov. 09: The Kyoto Prize from the Inamori Foundation.

Aug. 11: The Edison Medal from the IEEE.

Sept. 11: The Special Award for Intellectual Property Activities from JST.

Nov. 11: The Order of Culture conferred by the Emperor of Japan in person.

Dec. 12: Honorary Citizen of Minami-Kyushu.

Jan. 13: Life Fellow of the IEEE.

May 13: The Karl Ferdinand Braun Prize from the Society for Information Display.

May 14: The Okawa Publications Prize from the Okawa Foundation.

Jul. 14: The Imperial Prize and the Japan Academy Prize from the Japan Academy.

Dec. 14: The Nobel Prize in Physics.

Dec. 14: Member, The Japan Academy.

Feb. 15: The Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering from the NAE.

ENDNOTES

1. JST: Japan Science and Technology Agency.

2. JSPS: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

3. MEXT: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

4. METI: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan.

5. IEEE/LEOS: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Lasers and Electro-Optics Society (now IEEE Photonics Society).

From The Nobel Prizes 2014. Published on behalf of The Nobel Foundation by Science History Publications/USA, division Watson Publishing International LLC, Sagamore Beach, 2015

This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and later published in the book series Les Prix Nobel/ Nobel Lectures/The Nobel Prizes. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum submitted by the Laureate.

Isamu Akasaki died on 1 April 2021.

Copyright © The Nobel Foundation 2014

To cite this section
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