Title: Academic-industry collaboration for green and digital transformation powered by an on-campus next-generation synchrotron radiation source, “NanoTerasu”

 

Academic-industry collaboration is an essential function of engineering schools from not only research itself but also financial aspects. The Graduate School of Engineering at Tohoku University, Japan, has promoted academic-industry collaboration based on its cutting-edge research resources. A next-generation synchrotron radiation source named “NanoTerasu” is now under construction on our campus, which will be available in 2024 and operated by National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology QST. To accelerate academic-industry collaboration utilizing the advantage of NanoTerasu, we initiated a new research center, “Green X-Tech Research Center,” in 2023, focusing on green-related research, including developing advanced materials and renewable energies in conjunction with digital technologies. Detailed information and future aspects of the new research center for academic-industry collaboration will be presented.

 

Biography

Professor Hitoshi Takamura graduated from Tohoku University in 1990. He has been a faculty member at Tohoku University since 1993. As a JSPS postdoctoral fellow, he spent one year and a half at MIT (1998-1999). In 2011, he was appointed as a professor at the Department of Materials Science at Tohoku University. Concerning administration, he served as an assistant dean from 2021-2023 and is now an associate dean at the Graduate School of Engineering. His research interests include developing novel materials for energy conversion, such as oxide-ion conductors for solid oxide fuel cells and metal hydrides for hydrogen storage media, solid-state ionic devices, and defect chemistry in ceramics. Regarding advanced lithium batteries, he is developing hydride-based solid electrolytes and all-solid-state lithium batteries. He has received awards, including the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, The Young Scientists’ Prize (2007), and the Japan Institute of Metals and Materials Meritorious Award (2010).