Supramolecular Polymer Chemistry

Akira Harada is a professor at the Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Japan, where he gained his PhD in 1977. He began his career as a visiting scientist at IBM research in San Jose, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Colorado State University. He returned to Osaka University as an assistant professor in 1982, spent a year as a visiting scientist at The Scripps Institute in 1991, and became a full professor in 1998. He is the recipient of several awards, including the IBM Science Award, Osaka Science Award, Japan Polymer Society Award, Cyclodextrin Society Award, Izatt-Christensen International Award, and the Medal with Purple Ribbon from the Japanese Government. Professor Harada is a member of the Chemical Society of Japan, Polymer Society of Japan, the American Chemical Society, and the Society of Biochemistry, and is on the board of four scientific journals. His research interests cover supramolecular chemistry, polymer synthesis and assembly of bio-related polymers.