| Scope |
This symposium is to honor and celebrate the career and life of Professor Kazuki Morita, from the University of Tokyo. The proposal was approved by the Extraction & Processing Division (EPD) of the TMS in November 2024. The plan is to have 6 sessions (1 honorary and 5 technical), around the theme of thermodynamics in metallurgical processing and material for sustainability. We expect an attendance of 50-70.
About the honoree
Kazuki Morita is a professor in the field of high temperature materials processing at the University of Tokyo. His research is aiming at the establishment of sustainable society by developing their production and recycling of elementary materials, such as steel and silicon, processes together with by-product treatment. Physicochemical studies for the innovative development of iron and steel making processes, solar grade silicon refining processes and recycling and enrichment of waste materials are being carried out in our laboratory with consideration on thermodynamics and high temperature physical properties.
He was appointed as an assistant professor at the Department of Metallurgy of the University of Tokyo immediately after completing his doctorate at the same department in ferrous metallurgy in 1988. After spending 2 years as a visiting researcher at UCLA in the field of ceramics, he promoted to lecture in 1993 and to associate professor in 1995 and he has been operated his own laboratory since 1997. From 2006 to 2012, he was acting as a professor at the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS) at the University of Tokyo, also as a director of the International Research Center for Sustainable Materials at IIS. His research has been highlighted in more than 250 publications and patents that have been recognized by best paper awards from ISIJ, JIMM and ASM (Henry Marion Howe Medal), etc. Dr. Morita’s contributions to the research and technology development have also been acknowledged through awards such as Technical Development Award (JIMM), Scientific Achievement Merit Prize (ISIJ), Tanikawa-Haris Award (JIMM), Noro Award (ISIJ) and Yunnan Friendship Award (Yunnan Province, China), etc.
Dr. Morita has been contributing to the profession by serving in various volunteer roles at ISIJ, JIMM, and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), including the vice president of both ISIJ (2020-22) and JIMM (2020-21), and the chair of 19th committee of JSPS (2019-23). He also established Consortium on Science and Technology of Steelmaking, Japan as the first representative director. (2020-2023) Since 2023, he has been acting as a council member of Science Council of Japan. |