Ehime University
Yutaka Watanabe
Born in Tamba, Funai-gun, Kyoto in 1950.
Graduated from Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toyama University.
PhD in Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo.
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, The University of Tokyo.
Studied at Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, USA.
Professor, Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Ehime University
Professor, Material Science and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University
I grew up right in the middle of rural area in Kyoto Prefecture known as Tamba, but throughout my childhood, I dreamed of going to the urban city rather the fields I lived amongst. I never did just one thing: besides going all out as a sprinter for the track team, I was extremely curious and stuck my neck out with anything, i.e., tennis, chorus, songwriting, etc. Inside of me was always something that linked me from those days to my present work. My father worked at a hospital in those days. He used to be a pharmacist, so there were many books about medicine and pharmacy at home, which I often browsed through. I had considered becoming a doctor, but I couldn’t stand the sight of blood, therefore I naturally chose pharmacy over medicine.
In university, I studied pharmaceutical science. In graduate school, it was chemistry, and now I belong to the engineering department. All different fields, but my research has continued all the way to today on a base of organic chemistry and organic compound synthesis. I have also done research into natural chemistry, colloids, supramolecules and other subjects. Around 1985 when I took up my current post at Ehime University, I focused on inositol though physiological research on it had yet to progress. I was strongly interested in it and have continued my research for a long time, during which I successfully synthesized substances with a variety of functions by developing new methods such as phosporylation and optical resolution. This became a major pillar of my research. Currently, I am developing my research for application to various fields of living via chemical synthesis. Rice, which is the theme of this symposium, is a valuable grain for providing inositol.
The first symposium focused on IP6, but at a distance of ten years, the uses of rice components have spread to food, biochemistry and pharmacology. Nevertheless, there is very much that is still unknown and I am hopeful that this symposium will serve as a prime opportunity to further identify functions of components and develop other uses for rice.
| Hobbies: | Work is my hobby (making the invisible molecule visible is interesting). With tennis, I play in senior tournaments. I like classical music and jazz, and play the flute. I wish I had more time to do things. |
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| In Wakayama: | I want to drink some quality sake. And, since I like meat more than fish, I would to eat some Kumano Beef. |