Katsuhiko Ariga is the Specially Appointed Researcher of Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS). He also appointed as a professor of Univ. Tokyo since 2017. He received his Ph.D. Degrees from the Tokyo Institute of Technology. His research field is based on supramolecular chemistry and surface science, including the boundary research areas of organic chemistry, physical chemistry, biochemistry, and materials chemistry. He has been working for JACS as an associate editor since 2025.

Mikiko Sodeoka received her Master’s degree from Chiba University (1983). She then worked with Prof. Masakatsu Shibasaki at Sagami Chemical Research Center and at Hokkaido University and received her PhD degree in 1989. After working at Harvard University with Prof. E. J. Corey and Prof. Gregory L. Verdine (1990-1992), she moved to the University of Tokyo. She started her independent career at Sagami Chemical Research Center in 1996, and became an associate professor of the University of Tokyo in 1999. In 2000 she moved to Tohoku University as a full professor. In 2006 she became a Chief Scientist at RIKEN and hold this position until 2024. Since 2013, she has also been appointed as Group Director of Catalysis and Integrated Research Group in RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS). Currently, she also serves as a Deputy Director of CSRS. She has received many awards including the Chemical Society of Japan Award for Creative Work (2004), Nagoya Medal (Silver) (2007), Synthetic Organic Chemistry Award, Japan (2016), Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (2017), The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan Award (2021), and Medal with Purple Ribbon (2024).

Takashi Ooi was born in 1965 in Nagoya, Japan. He received his Ph.D. (1994) from Nagoya University under the direction of Professor Hisashi Yamamoto. He had been granted a JSPS Fellowship for Japanese Junior Scientists (1992-1995), during which he joined the group of Professor Julius Rebek, Jr. at MIT as a postdoctoral fellow (1994-1995). He was appointed as an assistant professor at Hokkaido University in 1995 and promoted to a lecturer (1998). He moved to Kyoto University as an associate professor (2001) and became a full professor at Nagoya University in 2006. Since 2013, he has been a professor at the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM), Nagoya University.

His current research interests are focused on the molecular design and precise structural control of chiral organic molecular catalysts, particularly ion-pair and radical-pair catalysts, for selective organic synthesis. As a principal investigator at ITbM, he has been deeply involved in the collaborative research with plant and animal biologists, aiming at providing molecular-level solutions to the problems of fundamental significance in the fields of parasitic plant eradication and circadian rhythm. He was awarded the Chugai Award in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan (1997), Chemical Society of Japan Award for Young Chemist (1999), Thieme Journal Award (2006), JSPS Prize (2010), IBM Japan Science Prize (2011), Inoue Prize for Science (2013), Daiichi-Sankyo Award for Medicinal Organic Chemistry (2017), Swiss Chemical Society Lectureship Award (2019), Chemical Society of Japan Award (2020), and he was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2014).

Kenichiro Itami (b. 1971) studied chemistry at Kyoto University, Japan, and completed his PhD in 1998 with Prof. Yoshihiko Ito. After being Assistant Professor at Kyoto University, he moved to Nagoya University as an Associate Professor in 2005, where he was promoted to Full Professor in 2008. In 2012 he created the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM) in Nagoya University, serving as the founding director (until March 2022) and the principal investigator. During 2013-2020, he was the Research Director of JST-ERATO Itami Molecular Nanocarbon Project. In 2024, he assumed the position of Chief Scientist at RIKEN, launching the Molecule Creation Laboratory as the director. In 2025, he also became the Team Leader of RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science. Since 2019, he has also been the Research Fellow at the Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taiwan.

The work of Ken Itami has centered on catalyst-enabling synthetic chemistry with broad directions including molecular nanocarbon materials, C-H activation catalysts, medicinal chemistry, and chemical biology. The representative achievement is the creation of a range of structurally uniform nanocarbons of fundamental and practical importance by bottom-up chemical synthesis. Noteworthy achievements include: (1) the development of new reactions and catalysts for the programmable and diversity-oriented synthesis of nanocarbon molecules (Nature Commun. 2022, Nature Commun. 2021, Nature Catal. 2020, Science 2018, Nature Chem. 2015, Nature Commun. 2015); (2) the synthesis of ultra-short carbon nanotubes such as carbon nanobelts and carbon nanorings (Nature Synth. 2022, Nature Commun. 2022, Nature Chem. 2021, Science 2017, Nature Chem. 2013, Angew. Chem. 2009); and (3) the synthesis of topologically unique nanocarbons such as warped nanographenes, carbon nanocages, all-benzene catenanes, trefoil knots, and infinitene (JACS 2022, Science 2019, Nature Chem. 2013). So far, 23 compounds (nanocarbon molecules, reagents, catalysts, ligands, bio-active molecules) made in his group became commercially available.

Ken Itami received 47 awards and honors such as Irvine Organic Synthesis Lecturer, University of California, Irvine (2023), Paul G. Gassman Lecturer, University of Minnesota (2023), Reuben Benjamin Sandin Lecturer, University of Alberta (2022), Netherlands Scholar Award for Supramolecular Chemistry (2018), Guthikonda Lecturer, Stanford University (2018), Roland K.Pettit Centennial Lecturer, University of Texas, Austin (2018), ICI Distinguished Lecturer, University of Calgary (2017), Chunichi Cultural Award (2017), Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture, University of California, Berkeley (2017), Nagase Prize (2016), Ta-Shue Chou Lectureship Award, Academia Sinica (2016), R. C. Fuson Visiting Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2015), Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, American Chemical Society (2015), Swiss Chemical Society Lectureship Award (2015), Novartis Chemistry Lectureship Award (2013), Mukaiyama Award (2013), Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2012), German Innovation Award (2012), and Merck-Banyu Lectureship Award (2008). He is recognized as Highly Cited Researchers (Clarivate Analytics) 5 years in a row since 2017, with an h-index of 91.

Kimihisa Yamamoto received Ph.D. from Waseda University, Japan in 1990. She started her academic career at Waseda University and moved to Keio University in 1997. In 2002, he was promoted to Full Professor. In 2010, he transitioned to the Tokyo Institute of Technology, now known as the Institute of Science Tokyo.

His current research interests are focused on developing supra-metal molecules for nano synthesizers involving nanoparticles, subnanoparticles, and superatoms. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards and honors, including the Society of Polymer Science Wiley Prize (2005), the Chemical Society of Japan Academic Award (2008), the MEXT Commendation for Science and Technology (2012), the IUPAC & NMS Distinguished Award (2014), the Award of the Society of Polymer Science (2020), Ichimura Award (2021), and CSJ Award (2023).

Kyoko Nozaki studied chemistry at Kyoto University in Japan and completed her Ph.D. in 1991. She started her academic career at Kyoto University in the same year and later moved to the University of Tokyo in 2002. In 2003, she was promoted to Full Professor. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a foreign member of the Royal Society, and an international member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Her research interests include (1) the development of catalysis in fields such as polymerization catalysis, the activation of carbon dioxide, and organic transformations, and (2) creating catalysts that address polymer degradation toward carbon resource circulation. Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards and honors, including the OMCOS Prize (2003), the Japan IBM Science Award (2006), the 28th Saruhashi Prize (2008), the Mukaiyama Award (2008), the Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award (2009), the Nagoya Medal (2009), the Arthur K. Doolittle Award (2015), the IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Award (2021), the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards (2021), the Toray Science and Technology Prize (2021), and the Medal with Purple Ribbon (2022).

Takuzo Aida was born in 1956. He received a B.S. degree in Physical Chemistry from Yokohama National University in 1979, and then studied under the direction of Professor Shohei Inoue at the University of Tokyo, obtaining a Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry in 1984. He then began an academic career at the University of Tokyo, and was involved until 1994 in the development of precision macromolecular synthesis using metalloporphyrin complexes. In 1996, he was promoted to Full Professor of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo. His research interests include (1) controlled macromolecular synthesis with mesoporous inorganic materials, (2) photo and supramolecular chemistry of dendritic macromolecules, (3) mesoscopic materials sciences, and (4) bio-related molecular recognitions and catalyses.

In 1996, he was appointed as a researcher of JST PRESTO Project "Fields and Reactions". In 2000, he then held an appointment as the leader of ERATO Project on "NANOSPACE", followed by ERATO–SORST Project in 2006. In 2008, he was also appointed as a director for RIKEN Institute. Since 2013, he has been serving as the deputy director of the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS).