Isamu Akasaki
Biographical
CURRICULUM 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).
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.
Nobel Prizes and laureates
See them all presented here.