I am deeply honored to receive the prestigious Science Tokyo Challenging Research Award and the Suematsu Special Award. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Atsushi Shishido (Laboratory for Chemistry and Life Science, Institute of Integrated Research) and to all the mentors who have guided me thus far, as well as to the collaborators and students who have played an integral part of this research.

Polymers, with their remarkable flexibility, light weight, low cost, and highly tunable functionalities, have long been used in a broad range of applications -- from everyday products to cutting-edge industries. More recently, these unique properties have established them as pivotal materials for next-generation soft devices, demonstrating flexible displays and wearable sensors. However, achieving precise and active control of the multi-scale hierarchical structures -- from the molecular level to the macroscopic scale--that govern the performance of polymer materials remains a significant scientific challenge. This research project focuses on the "polymerization space" where the synthetic reaction takes place, combining experimental chemistry with computational science to establish novel methods for precise control of mesoscopic structures. This approach enables one to develop new design principles and techniques that link molecular function with macroscopic material properties, ultimately leading to the creation of functional polymeric materials with unprecedented properties and performance.

Award

2025 Science Tokyo Challenging Research Award and Suematsu Challenging Research Award

Award Ceremony Date

July 15, 2025

Conferrer

Institute of Science Tokyo

Award Winner

Asst.Prof. Kyohei HISANO (Shishido-Kubo Group)

Research topic

Design of Mesoscopic Order and Functionalization of Polymers Based on Polymerization Space Dynamics