Professors Toshihiro Kawakatsu and Masayuki Imai of the Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, will retire on March 31, 2026. In recognition of their outstanding contributions to the advancement of soft matter physics, and in celebration of their achievements and future well-being, we are pleased to hold a Final Lecture and a Retirement Symposium in their honor.
We would be delighted if you could join us for this occasion.
Registration
Participants may join either onsite or online. Please select your preferred mode of participation and complete your registration via the Google Form below.
If you wish to join the NanoTerasu tour, please register by January 31, 2026. Please note that both the NanoTerasu and supercomputer tours have limited capacity, and registration will close once all spots have been filled.
For those not participating in the tour, same-day registration is also welcome.
Registration Form
Final Lectures - March 18, 2026 (Wed) -
10:30 - 12:00
Prof. Toshihiro Kawakatsu "Title of Lecture:TBA"
Venue: Aoba Science Hall (Science Complex C, Room C201), and Zoom
14:00 - 15:30
Prof. Masayuki Imai "Exploring the Pathway from Matter to Living Systems"
Venue: Aoba Science Hall (Science Complex C, Room C201), and Zoom
16:00 - 17:00
A Celebration in Honor of Professors Kawakatsu and Imai
A session where alumni and attendees may offer congratulatory messages and share memories.
Facility Tours - March 19, 2026 (Thu) -
10:00 - 11:30
Synchrotron Facility Tour
- Time: 10:30 - 11:30
- Venue: NanoTerasu
- Meeting Point: In front of Aobayama Station (South Exit), Sendai Subway Tozai Line
- Guide: Makina Saito (Tohoku University)
10:00 - 11:00
Supercomputer "MASAMUNE-2" Facility Tour
- Venue: Center for Computational Materials Science, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University (Katahira Campus)
- Meeting Point: Entrance of the Center for Computational Materials Science
- Guides: Momoji Kubo (Tohoku University), Yayoi Terada (Tohoku University)
Retirement Symposium
"The Trajectory and Future Prospects of Soft Matter Physics"
- March 19, 2026 (Thu) -
- Venue: Lecture Room 1 (Science Complex A, Room A203), and Zoom
- Chair: Yuka Sakuma (Tohoku University)
12:55 - 13:00
Opening Remarks
Nariya Uchida (Tohoku University)
13:00 - 13:30
"Challenges in Soft Matter Physics"
Shigeyuki Komura (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences / Wenzhou Institute)
13:30 - 14:00
"Soft Matter Research and Memories with Professors Kawakatsu and Imai"
Takashi Taniguchi (Kyoto University)
14:00 - 14:30
"Experiments and Simulations in Soft Matter Physics"
Naohito Urakami (Yamaguchi University)
14:30 - 15:00
Break
15:00 - 15:30
"Reflections on Constructing an 'Artificial Minimal Cell'"
Minoru Kurisu (Kyushu University)
15:30 - 16:00
"Numerical Studies on Polymer Phase Separation and the Morphology of Biological Membranes"
Yutaka Oya (Tokyo University of Science)
Venue Information & Access
| Venues： | Aoba Science Hall (Science Complex C, Room C201), Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University
Lecture Room 1 (Science Complex A, Room A203), Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University |
| Maps: | Campus Map
Interactive Map |
| Access: | From JR Sendai Station (West Exit), take the Sendai Subway Tozai Line.
Board the train bound for Yagiyama Zoological Park.
Ride for approximately 9 minutes and get off at Aobayama Station.
The venue is about a 5-minute walk from the station. |