On December 10 this year, the Nobel Committee awarded Professor Susumu Kitagawa the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on porous polymers. Six years ago, we had the rare privilege of speaking with him about his research and the advances he was making in materials chemistry.
This is not the first time that Nobel laureates have shared their insights with us, and we thought today was the right time to showcase three interviews with three distinguished researchers who have won the highest honour in their fields of study.
Interview with Dr. Susumu Kitagawa
2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Professor Susumu Kitagawa, Distinguished Professor at Kyoto University, won the 2025 Nobel Prize for the research and development of porous materials known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These polymers are expected to have a wide range of applications, including the adsorption and removal of fluorocarbons (PFAS) and carbon dioxide, as well as gas storage.
In a 2019 interview with Professor Kitagawa, held in collaboration with Clarivate, the materials scientist spoke on the development of metal-organic frameworks, and the methods he used to write his widely-cited papers. He also discussed interdisciplinary collaborative research and the need to support the growth of Japan’s human resources.
“Keep persevering and never give up. You’ll eventually realize that the ‘diamond ore’ is right there beside you.”
Read the interview with Dr. Susumu Kitagawa
Interview with Dr. Shuji Nakamura
2014 Nobel Prize in Physics
Professor Shuji Nakamura independently developed blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) while employed by a company, and later became a professor at the University of California. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014 for his achievements in LED research and development. He continues to actively pursue research, including efforts to realize nuclear fusion power generation.
Enago interviewed Professor Nakamura in 2007, years before he was awarded the Nobel Prize. We spoke to him about his time as a student abroad, the first class he taught, and how he approached the study of English.
“My first lecture in English. I was so nervous I felt like I was going to faint.”
Read the interview with Dr. Shuji Nakamura
Interview with Dr. Toshihide Maskawa
2008 Nobel Prize in Physics
Professor Toshihide Maskawa, a theoretical physicist, proposed the ‘Kobayashi-Maskawa theory’ together with Professor Makoto Kobayashi, which later came to be known as the foundation of particle physics. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2008 along with Professors Kobayashi and Yoichiro Nambu.
He made headlines when he delivered his acceptance speech in Japanese, beginning with “I am sorry, I cannot speak English.”
When we interviewed Professor Maskawa, he spoke about giving presentations in English, writing and reading English papers, and more.
“Things will work out, even if you can’t speak English. I’ve managed to get by just fine without it.”
Read the interview with Dr. Toshihide Maskawa
You can find more inspiring stories from distinguished Japanese researchers on our portal site, Share Your Story.
