Makoto Fujita

Chemist Makoto Fujita is a University Distinguished Professor at The University of Tokyo in Japan. His pathbreaking original research in chemistry includes his work on what is known as supramolecular synthesis, which creates new and useful compounds in a novel way that is essentially a process of self-assembly.

His main research interests have focused on coordination self-assembly, where nano-scale discrete frameworks are spontaneously formed through the action of weak interactions with transition-metal ions. He is the recipient of many awards, including Wolf Prize in Chemistry (2018), the Imperial Prize and Japan Academy Prize (2019), the Le Grand Prix de la Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie (2022), and the Asahi Prize (2023).

Fujita received his Ph.D. degree from the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1987. After working at Chiba University and the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) in Okazaki, he was appointed as a full professor at Nagoya University in 1999. In 2002, he joined the University of Tokyo as a full professor, and he was honored with his current title and position in 2019.