Senior Scientist Ken’ichi Nomoto

Ken’ichi Nomoto is a visiting senior scientist at Kavli IPMU and Professor Emeritus at The University of Tokyo. He is one of the best experts in the world in astronomy and astrophysics, particularly on stellar evolution and supernovae. He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Japanese government in 2020.

Ken’ichi Nomoto is a visiting senior scientist at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU) and Professor Emeritus at The University of Tokyo.  He is regarded as one of the best experts in the world in astronomy and astrophysics, particularly when it comes to stellar evolution, supernovae, synthesis of new elements, and gamma ray bursts. 

He has a long and luminous career since he completed his PhD in Astronomy at the University of Tokyo and spent his postoctoral fellowship with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. He joined Ibaraki University in 1976 as an Assistant Professor, and then moved to The University of Tokyo in 1982. He has also pursued postdoctorals and visiting positions outside Japan, including with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the Brookhaven National Laboratory in the US and at the Max Planck Institute in Germany.

Timeline

  • 1982: Assistant Professor, Department of General Systems Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
  • 1985: Associate Professor, Department of Earth Science and Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo
  • 1989: Associate Professor, Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo
  • 1993: Professor, Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo
  • 2008-2017: Project Professor and Principal Investigator, Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), The University of Tokyo
  • 2014-2017: Hamamatsu Professor in the endowed research unit: Dark Side of the Universe

He has more than 200 papers in his name and has been recognized for his outstanding contributions in his field. In 2020, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure by the Japanese government. He is also a member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

Awards

Selected links:

Selected publications

Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU)
Ken’ichi Nomoto

Website

Japan
Role: 
Senior Scientist
Other affiliation
Professor Emeritus The University of Tokyo
Languages: 
English
Japanese
Academic disciplines: 
Astrophysics
Astronomy
News topics: 
Science
Space