A modern alchemist creating strange particles more precious than gold
Satoshi N. Nakamura
（ Professor, Department of Physics / Director, Quark Nuclear Science Institute )
1995–2000: Research Scientist, Muon Science Lab. and RAL Muon Facility, RIKEN. 2000–2014: Associate Professor (jokyoju until 2007 and junkyoju after), Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University. 2014–2022: Professor, Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University (professor emeritus from 2022). 2020–2022: Vice Dean, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University (concurrently), 2022–present: Professor, Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo. July 2024–present: Director, Quark Nuclear Science Institute, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo.
Q. What was your favorite subject as a child?
A. Math and science
I enjoyed subjects that had a definitive and logical answer that could be reached by careful thinking. This directly connects to my current work. I did not dislike subjects like Japanese language or social studies, but I found it unsatisfying that the answers were not clearly defined. However, I do enjoy reading, writing, and visiting various places to learn about their culture and history.
Q. What were you interested in when you were in middle and high school?
A. MAICONs (a loanword derived from the English word “microcomputer,” referring to the predecessor of what we now call a PC)
Unlike today, microcomputers were rare back then, and I was thrilled to have my own personal computer. I still remember heading to Akihabara clutching my junior high school entrance gift money. I enjoyed that I could upgrade the memory myself, clock it up, and with a soldering iron in one hand, modify it to my liking. My interest in MAICONs began by chance: I asked my father for a book on RAJICONs (a loanword derived from the English word “radio-control,” referring to RC toy cars which were popular in elementary schools at the time), hoping to learn more about them. However, he mistakenly bought me a book on MAICONs instead of RAJICONs. Once I started reading it, I forgot about RAJICONs in an instant.
Q. What books or textbooks would you recommend to students?
A. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
This is the memoir of Richard Feynman, an unconventional, humorous physicist who, alongside Sin-Itiro Tomonaga and Julian Schwinger, won the Nobel Prize for completing the theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED). The book is undeniably entertaining!
Q. What is your motto?
“Fortune favors the prepared” and “Trials only come to those who can overcome them”
The first motto is a target for hard work: I want to be always fully prepared to remain in fortune’s favor. However, actual research rarely progresses as smoothly as hoped. Often, when the experiment begins, problems arise one after another, making me think the experiment might be over. However, keeping the second motto in mind, I try to deal with troubles as optimistically as possible.
Q. What is your motto?
“Fortune favors the prepared” and “Trials only come to those who can overcome them”
The first motto is a target for hard work: I want to be always fully prepared to remain in fortune’s favor. However, actual research rarely progresses as smoothly as hoped. Often, when the experiment begins, problems arise one after another, making me think the experiment might be over. However, keeping the second motto in mind, I try to deal with troubles as optimistically as possible.
Q. What do you like about the School of Science at the University of Tokyo?
A. The many capable and quirky individuals.
I consider it a tremendous blessing to be in an environment with so many brilliant and quirky friends, seniors, and peers. Being rather quirky myself is not an issue because I am surrounded by even quirkier people. If people were only quirky, that would make it difficult to run the organization, but everyone here is also very capable, so we hopefully manage to avoid major issues.
Q. What are your hobbies?
A. Travel
Getting to eat delicious food in places different from my usual surroundings makes me feel delighted. As a researcher, I get to travel to various places around the world to attend international conferences and to collaborate, which allows me to enjoy different foods and cultures in diverse locations. As for domestic travel, I love going to hot springs.
Q. When was your first love?
A. Elementary school
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when my first love was, but it would have to be elementary school, because I attended an all-boys middle and high school. So, the next time after elementary school I had girls in my school environment was university. Since a romance in university would not really count as “first love,” I guess my first love must have been a girl I was close to in elementary school or maybe even a teacher. (I do have a younger sister, so it is not the case that I had absolutely no contact with girls during middle and high school.)
Q. Do you consider yourself lucky?
A. Yes
I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to make a lifelong career out of something I find genuinely interesting.
Q. Do you think aliens exist?
A. I do not think so.
I think lifeforms completely different from us could exist. However, chances are they are so unlike “humans” that we probably would not recognize them as the humanoids most people probably imagine when they think of aliens.
Q. What are your sources of inspiration?
A. Discussions with people
When discussing things with people, I need to organize my own thoughts, and I also work hard to consider the problems in each other's opinions. I think this often leads to new inspiration.
Q. If you could be reincarnated, travel in time, or be reborn as an animal, which would you choose?
A. Time travel
I would like to go to the future to see how science develops. Going back in time and using my current knowledge to make a series of great discoveries would be interesting, but it would be cheating, wouldn't it?
Message