Susumu Kitagawa

Susumu Kitagawa is Distinguished Professor, Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study (KUIAS) and Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) in Japan.

Susumu Kitagawa received his Doctorate in Engineering from Kyoto University in 1979. Working in the field of coordination chemistry, he pioneered the study of porous coordination polymers, internationally known as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). He subsequently introduced the concept of "soft porous crystals" (SPCs), recognising flexibility in frameworks that had until then been regarded as rigid, and established innovative applications for the storage, separation and conversion of gases. In recognition of these achievements, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2025. Having characterised the twenty-first century as "the age of gas", he continues to pursue solutions to societal challenges through materials chemistry.

Selected Awards and Honours

Humboldt Research Award (2008), The Chemical Society of Japan Award (2009), Medal with Purple Ribbon (2011), Leo Esaki Prize (2013), Japan Academy Prize (2016), Fujihara Award (2017), Chemistry for the Future Solvay Prize (2017), Member of the Japan Academy (2019), Foreign Member of the Royal Society, UK (2023), Foreign Member of the Korean Academy of science and Technology. Person of Cultural Merit and Order of Culture (2025), Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2025).

Photo credit: Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study