It is with great sadness that we announce that Professor Masaya Sawamura, ICReDD Fellow and Professor at the Faculty of Science, passed away on April 21, 2026.
Professor Sawamura has been engaged in research on the development of super-efficient and powerful catalysts and novel chemical reactions through ligand design. He has also worked on the theoretical elucidation of reaction mechanisms, leading interdisciplinary research that integrates organic chemistry, life sciences, and computational science.
From the establishment of WPI-ICReDD at Hokkaido University in December 2018 until March 2023, he served as Principal Investigator at ICReDD. Even after handing over that role to the next generation in April 2023, he continued to contribute to ICReDD’s research as a Fellow.
He also served as Chair of the Organizing Committee for the “Akira Suzuki Awards”—an award established by ICReDD to recognize outstanding contributions to research on the discovery of chemical reactions in the broadest sense and to contribute to the advancement of science and technology—as well as Chair of the Selection Committee for the “Akira Suzuki Award” (Experimental Science Category).
At the “5th Akira Suzuki Awards Ceremony & the 9th ICReDD International Symposium” (Thursday, October 16, 2025), due to his voice not being in top condition, he entrusted the opening remarks and the announcement of the winners at the awards ceremony to Professor Tetsuya Taketsugu, Vice Chair of the Organizing Committee. However, for the award winners’ lectures following the ceremony, he voluntarily took on the role of chair for the session that had not been originally planned, demonstrating his powerful and energetic spirit.
We pay tribute to Professor Sawamura’s lifetime achievements, express our gratitude for his contributions to ICReDD, and offer our heartfelt condolences.
Satoshi Maeda
Director / Professor
Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (ICReDD)