Outline of the Department

Synthetic chemistry and biological chemistry have developed independently, but in recent years the gap between the two has narrowed rapidly. In synthetic chemistry, a powerful factor behind advances in the analysis of life phenomena has been the recognition that the ultimate model at which to aim is suitability for application to living matter. In biological chemistry, advances have been driven by synthetic materials and molecular design methods. Historically, the focus of biological research has shifted from the whole to the partial--in other words, a top-down movement in the focus of analysis--while synthetic chemistry techniques have followed a bottom-up evolution, shifting progressively from simple molecules to assemblies of complex systems. Thus, the key to innovation lies in control of the nano-realm, where these two tendencies intersect.

The Department of Synthetic Chemistry and Biological Chemistry aims to pioneer an interdisciplinary field of engineering centered around synthetic chemistry and biological chemistry. As a whole, the department supports research on the control of electron states, molecular structures, reactions, properties, functions, and systems on all scales (molecular scale, nanoscale, micro-scale, and bio-scale) as a richly creative and comprehensive precision chemistry, making use of leading-edge methodologies and theory at each level. Through this research and education, the department strives to train technical specialists with social vision and leadership and to foster a sound and balanced view of nature and life, as well as creating new industrial platform technologies to contribute to the development of a sustainable society.

Details of the department's team of professors and their research (keywords) as of April 2021 are given below.