Susumu Kitagawa

Susumu Kitagawa (北川 進) is a Japanese chemist working in the field of coordination chemistry, with specific focus on the chemistry of organic–inorganic hybrid compounds, as well as chemical and physical properties of porous coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks in particular. He is currently distinguished professor at Kyoto University's institute for integrated cell-material sciences (iCeMS), of which he is co-founder and current director.

Life
From 1975 to 1979, Kitagawa pursued and obtained a PhD degree in hydrocarbon chemistry, at Kyoto University, where he had previously done his undergraduate studies. He was appointed in 1979 at Kindai University as assistant professor, promoted first to lecturer in 1983, and in 1988 to associate professor.

In 1992, he became professor of inorganic chemistry at Tokyo Metropolitan University and in 1998 professor of inorganic functional chemistry at the Kyoto University, in the department of synthetic chemistry and biological chemistry. In 2007 he co-founded Institute for Integrated Cell–Material Sciences, and was named deputy director. Since 2013 he is the director of the institute.

In addition to his academic positions in Japan, he was guest professor at Texas A&M University in 1986–1987, and at the City University of New York in 1996.

In 2011 he became a member of the Science Council of Japan.

In 2021, Kitagawa, as a representative of Japan and Kyoto University, attended the historic Japan-Taiwan Symposium and discussed comprehensive biomedical cooperation between the two countries with the presidents of Fu Jen Catholic University and National Tsing Hua University.

Awards

 * 2003 – Creative Society of Japan (CSJ) Prize for Creative Work
 * 2008 – Humboldt Research Prize
 * 2009 – Chemical Society of Japan Award
 * 2010 – Thomson Reuters Citation Laureates
 * 2011 – Medal with Purple Ribbon
 * 2013 – De Gennes Prize
 * 2016 – Japan Academy Prize (academics)
 * 2016 – Fred Basolo Medal, Northwestern University, USA
 * 2017 – Chemistry for the future Solvay Prize
 * 2017 – Fujihara Award
 * 2019 – Grand Prix de la Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie
 * 2019 – Emanuel Merck Lectureship