Ken Sakaushi

Ken Sakaushi is currently the Team Leader of Electrochemical Energy Conversion Team at the Research Center for Energy and Environmental Materials, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS). His team conducts research aiming to solve modern energy issues through unveiling basic principles of electrode processes and synthesis of modern electrochemical materials towards development of advanced electrochemical technologies. Our team puts special emphasis on research in collaboration with experiments, theoretical calculation, and data science, focusing on the following two points: (1) uncovering reaction mechanisms by using model electrodes, and (2) design of novel high-performance electrocatalysts.

He studied theoretical physics (B.Sc. in 2008) and materials chemistry (M.Sc. in 2010) at Keio University, and electrochemistry at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. In 2013, he has obtained his Ph.D. from the Leibniz Institute for Solid-State and Materials Research / TU Dresden with a Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst Grant under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Jürgen Eckert and Prof. Dr. Stefan Kaskel. His doctoral research focused on the synthesis of metal-organic and purely organic frameworks as well-organized model electrode systems to investigate their electronic structures, aiming to understand the correlations between structure and electrochemical energy conversion properties.

Upon completing his doctorate, he joined the Colloid Chemistry Department at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, directed by Prof. Dr. Markus Antonietti, on a Max Planck Society Fellowship. Since 2015, he has been a tenured scientific member at NIMS, and since 2022, an Associate Professor at the University of Tsukuba.

His scientific activity is recognized by several prestigious awards, such as 2022:The Commendation by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Young Scientist Award 2021: The CSJ Award for Young Chemist (The Chemical Society of Japan) 2019: PCCP Prize (The Chemical Society of Japan / Royal Society of Chemistry) 2013:Max Planck Society Stipend 2010:German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Research Grant