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Keiichi Hirano, Professor at the Institute for Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences at Kanazawa University, Japan, explores new chemical spaces with the aim of opening up new approaches for pharmaceutical research and materials science. He has now been selected to receive the Humboldt Foundation’s Philipp Franz von Siebold Award in recognition of his achievements as a researcher and his contributions to a mutual understanding of Germany and Japan’s culture and society.
After earning his master’s degree at the University of Tokyo, Hirano completed his doctorate in Germany – at the University of Marburg and the University of Münster – before moving to Stanford University in the USA where he began conducting research as a postdoc in 2009. Since returning to Japan in 2011, he has continually worked to strengthen German-Japanese relations by, for example, supervising guest researchers from Germany. In addition, Hirano has over the years initiated new partnerships between Kanazawa University and German universities and strengthened student exchanges between Japan and Germany.
Substances of life
Keiichi Hirano’s field of expertise – organic molecular chemistry – examines carbon compounds, in other words, the chemical substances that make up living organisms and many everyday products. These include sugar, fats, proteins, plastics and many pharmaceuticals.
Hirano’s research seeks to develop innovative methods for synthesizing pharmaceuticals and bioactive molecules. For this work, he uses elements which have received little attention in the area of pharmaceutical research to date. A further area of focus for his research work is to create new chemical structures and explore their functions.
Hirano’s discoveries are highly regarded internationally. For example, he was named Emerging Investigator by the journal Organic Chemistry Frontiers in 2016. He has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the Japan Pharmaceutical Society Award for Young Scientists, the 2017 MSD Life Science Foundation Chemist Award BCA and the 2018 Thieme Chemistry Journal Award. He was also chosen to receive the 2024 Nagase Science and Technology Award.
The Philipp Franz von Siebold Award
The Philipp Franz von Siebold Award honours renowned Japanese researchers from all disciplines. It is traditionally presented to the recipient by Germany’s federal president during the Humboldt Foundation’s annual meeting in Berlin. The Philipp Franz von Siebold Award was established in 1978 by Germany’s then Federal President Walter Scheel during a state visit to Japan. It is presented every year to a Japanese researcher or academic in recognition of outstanding contributions to improving a mutual understanding of culture and society in Germany and Japan. The award is valued at €80,000.