Prof. Ryoji Noyori

2001 Nobel Laureate for Chemistry at the University of Nagoya/Japan

Professor Noyori’s research provides a powerful tool for large-scale industrial applications and for the synthesis of antibiotics and other pharmaceutical products.

Biography:

Prof. Ryoji Noyori is a Nagoya University based Japanese chemist, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2001 for the development of chirally catalyzed hydrogenations. His catalytic methods provide a powerful and versatile tool for creating enantiomerically enriched compounds, which is crucial for many areas of modern chemistry and medicine. They are used for the synthesis of chiral molecules, particularly in the pharmaceutical, agrochemical and fine chemical industries, as they enable the selective production of one enantiomer (a chiral molecule’s mirror image) over another, which is crucial because many drugs and other biologically active compounds are chiral and their effectiveness can be enantiomer-specific.  Professor Noyori’s work has enabled the production of various types of medication such as naproxen, a nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory drug, and the antibacterial agent levofloxacin  His catalysts were suitable for large-scale industrial applications, and they found wide use in the synthesis of antibiotics and other pharmaceutical products. Professor Noyori has acted as President of RIKEN, one of Japan’s largest research institutions, and as Director-General of the Center for Research and Development Strategy at the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

Topic of keynote speech:

• Chemistry is the science of value creation

Schedule:

Friday, March 20, 2026:

14:00 Keynote speech and dialogue at Tamkang University in New Taipei

Further information and free seat reservation via phone +886-2-2621-5656 #2223 or email
ptrx@oa.tku.edu.tw