Professor Sumio Iijima, a member of the Institute for Advanced Research and Distinguished Invited Professor at Nagoya University, has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 King Faisal Prize.
Professor Iijima was honored in the science category for "establishing the field of carbon nanotubes following his pioneering discovery of carbon nanotubes using electron microscopy." His contributions have had a profound impact on fundamental solid-state physics and materials science. Moreover, his work has paved the way for diverse and practical applications in nanotechnology, spanning electronics, energy storage systems, and biomedical fields.
Established in 1979 to honor the legacy of Saudi Arabia’s third monarch, King Faisal, the King Faisal Prize is an international award recognizing outstanding achievements in five categories: Service to Islam, Islamic Studies, Arabic Language and Literature, Medicine, and Science.
In the Medicine and Science categories, the prize is awarded to individuals or institutions that have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of humanity and enriched human knowledge. To date, five Japanese researchers have received the award: Tetsuro Fujiwara (1996, Medicine), Ryoji Noyori (1999, Science), Koji Nakanishi (2003, Science), Shinya Yamanaka (2011, Medicine), and Tadamitsu Kishimoto (2017, Medicine). Professor Iijima is now the sixth Japanese laureate.
