Daichi Kitagawa
Graphical Abstract
“My favorite example of chemistry in everyday life is ‘extraction' to make a cup of coffee … When I want to treat myself to something, I usually buy new glasses. Then, I can work in a new mood …” Find out more about Daichi Kitagawa in his Introducing … Profile.
Daichi Kitagawa
The author presented on this page has published his first article as a submitting corresponding author in Angewandte Chemie:
“Correlating Reaction Dynamics and Size Change During the Photomechanical Transformation of 9-Methylanthracene Single Crystals”: K. Morimoto, D. Kitagawa, F. Tong, K. Chalek, L. J. Mueller, C. J. Bardeen, and S. Kobatake, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, doi.org/10.1002/anie.202114089; Angew. Chem. 2021, doi.org/10.1002/ange.202114089.
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Position:
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Lecturer, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University (Japan)
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Homepage:
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ORCID:
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Education:
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2010 BSc, Osaka City University (Japan)
2014 PhD with Prof. Seiya Kobatake, Osaka City University (Japan)
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Research:
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Organic photochemistry, photochromic compounds, photomechanical materials
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Hobbies:
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Skiing, baseball, guitar
The biggest challenge facing my generation of scientists is connecting individual research interests and general research interests.
My favorite example of chemistry in everyday life is “extraction” to make a cup of coffee.
Modern science needs to focus on not only developments but also whether the research is sustainable as defined by the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.
I chose chemistry as a career because it is visually elegant in textbooks.
A key experience in my education was coming up with great ideas independently. At that time, I could gain some confidence to start my career as a scientist in academia.
The next big goal of my research is to launch a new research field that has never been seen before.
When I want to treat myself to something, I usually buy new glasses. Then, I can work in a new mood.
I recharge my batteries by spending time with my family.
If I were not a scientist, I would be a teacher in high school.
My biggest motivation is to find an excellent functional molecule or material that will someday be included in a textbook.
My favorite time of day is when I play with my sons.
My motto is to get things done early, which leads to valuable time to calm down and think about the next research theme.
My favorite form of science communication is Facebook and Twitter.
My favorite way to spend a holiday is to go on a trip with my family.
My favorite saying is “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Prof. Alan Kay.
Behind the Science
For the past decade, I have been researching photomechanical crystals. In the course of these studies, in order to truly understand the photomechanical crystals and design them as practical macroscopic actuators, I considered it necessary to clarify the correlation between the photoreaction dynamics in the crystal and the photomechanical response. This was achieved by simultaneously observing the photomechanical response while tracking the changes in the absorption spectra under a microscope. The mathematical analysis of the photoreaction dynamics in crystal was very complicated, but the first author, Kohei, who is a PhD student, persevered and accomplished this.
