Prof. Hatsuo Ishida: An Example of Accumulated Youth

Abstract

Prof. Hatsuo Ishida It has been a long and very fruitful career for Prof. Ishida, starting at Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan, where in 1971 he graduated with a B.S. in chemical engineering. Two years later, he obtained his M.S. in industrial chemistry at the same university. Then, it was time for him to go to the United States, where he was awarded a Ph.D. in macromolecular science at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1976. Right after, he accepted a position as a research associate at the same university. Then, he was promoted to senior research associate in 1978, and in 1979 appointed as an assistant professor. From that point forward, he went through all positions not only at Case Western Reserve University but also at other institutions as visiting professor, until becoming full professor in 1988. Prof. Ishida has been a pioneer in the molecular characterization of composite interfaces. His scientific activity covers a wide range of domains from synthesis, surface vibrational spectroscopy, to rheology and processing of composite materials. He has also pioneered in the field of benzoxazines and polybenzoxazines. As a proof of his successful career, we can mention some of the most prestigious awards he has received over the years: The Global Salute to Polymers Award (The American Chemical Society); The Alexander von Humboldt Award for Senior Scientist, Humboldt Foundation, Germany, October 1999; Eminent Scientist, Institute for Physical and Chemical Sciences (RIKEN, Japan); Award for Excellence in Adhesion Research, The Society of Adhesion; and The International Research Award, Society of Plastic Engineers (SPE). A Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (SAMPE) Fellow and an SPE Fellow, Ishida has also been named a Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering (PMSE) Fellow of the American Chemical Society. He has established and coordinated for almost 25 years a graduate college on polymers and petrochemistry at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. He has 12 edited and translated books, more than 40 disclosures and patents, and over 500 papers published. His H-index is 87 with total citations greater than 27 000 (as of November 2018). He also spends his time being a member of numerous editorial boards such as The Journal of Adhesion, Journal of Nanostructured Polymers and Nanocomposites, Polymers, Journal of Materials, International Research Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Austin Journal of Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology, International Journal of Nano Studies & Technology, International Research Journal of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and Recent Patents on Materials Science, as well as being associate editor of Polymers and Polymer Composites and Frontiers: Composite Materials. Prof. Ishida is the editor-in-chief of Composite Interfaces. As guest editors, we do thank all authors for their very precious contributions to this issue. We are also truly grateful to those scientists whose manuscripts could not be included in this issue. The work of every referee is also highly appreciated. We wish to express our gratitude as well to Dr. Mara Staffilani and Dr. Anne Pfisterer, editors of the journal, for having helped us to make this a success. Last but not least, we dedicate this special issue to Professor Hatsuo Ishida on the occasion of his 70th birthday, not only for his successful scientific career but also because of the tremendously positive impacts he has made on many of us, as our colleague, mentor, teacher, and friend. Happy birthday to you Ken!