Yoshihito Ozawa

Professor Emeritus, Fukushima University; Visiting Professor, School of Science and Engineering for Symbiotic Systems; Former Director and Vice President in charge of Research and Regional Collaboration, Fukushima University; Specially Appointed Professor, Tohoku University from November 2024.

Career Summary

Research Associate in Basic Engineering Classroom, Faculty of Engineering, Tohoku University, April 1983; Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, Fukushima University, April 1986.

After serving as a Visiting Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom (10 months) from August 1987, he was Professor at the Faculty of Education, Fukushima University in October 1999, and Professor at the Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science and Engineering in October 2004.  He has been a specially-appointed professor and professor emeritus since April 2020, and a specially-appointed professor at Tohoku University since November 2024.

As Vice President in charge of research and regional cooperation, he has promoted research, industry-government-academia collaboration with the region, and international exchange.

In the area of Fukushima reconstruction and creation, he is a member of the Innovation Coast Initiative Promotion Council, Program Officer PO of the JST Reconstruction Promotion Program, a member of the Steering Committee of the MEXT's Science Project for Basic Decommissioning Research, a board member of the Tohoku Revitalization Research Center, a board member of the Fukushima Innovation Coast Organization, a board member of the 3.11 Lore Road Promotion Organization, and a board member of the Fukushima Renewable Energy Promotion Center.  He also serves as President of the Fukushima International Association. He is involved in the promotion of reconstruction and regional development, as well as efforts to pass on the legacy of the disaster.

Regarding the restoration of food safety and trust, a program to restore viticulture and winemaking has been conducted in the affected areas for the past 10 years in cooperation and collaboration between Fukushima University, the University of Yamanashi, and a winemaker in Yamanashi Prefecture.  Last year, two wineries were awarded the Bronze Prize in the European red category of the Japan Wine Competition.

In the academic area, he has been involved in research on the strength and fracture process of advanced composite materials from the viewpoint of fracture mechanics, and experimental research on the microscopic fracture process of composite materials and its evaluation method.  Focusing on the excellent properties of natural materials, they have designed unique functional composites using natural materials such as bacterial cellulose with nano-order fiber diameter produced by acetic acid bacteria, micro glass balloons produced from volcanic ashes, and Basalt fibers made from Basalt rocks.  They have also evaluated their material properties to demonstrate the usefulness of the developed functional composites.  He is a Fellow of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, and has also served as the Tohoku Branch Director of the JSME and the President of the Japan Society of Senior Engineers of the JSME Tohoku Branch.  He is also a Fellow of the Japan Society for Composite Materials, and a recipient of the Distinguished Contribution Award for his activities in the Composite Materials Division of the Japan Society for Materials Science, and has been widely active in academic societies.