Professor Tsuneya Ando is a world-renowned theoretical physicist whose pioneering work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of condensed matter systems. He currently holds the prestigious position of Honorary Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology and serves as Emeritus Professor at both Tokyo Institute of Technology and the University of Tokyo. After completing his doctoral studies at the University of Tokyo in 1973, he established himself as a leading theorist through academic appointments at the University of Tokyo's Institute for Solid State Physics from 1990 to 2002. His distinguished career reached its institutional pinnacle when he became Professor in the Department of Physics at Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2002, where he continued his groundbreaking research until his official retirement in 2011.
Professor Ando's most influential contributions center on the theoretical framework for quantum transport phenomena in low-dimensional systems, particularly his seminal work on two-dimensional electron systems in MOS inversion layers that earned him the Nishina Memorial Prize in 1982. His theoretical studies of quantum transport in strong magnetic fields provided the foundation for understanding electron behavior in confined systems, work recognized by the Japan Academy Prize in 1983. His research later expanded to include groundbreaking theoretical treatments of graphene and carbon nanotubes, where he developed the fundamental understanding of chiral electrons and zero-mode anomalies that now form the basis of modern graphene physics. Professor Ando's theoretical frameworks have been extensively cited and remain essential references for researchers working in condensed matter physics and nanoelectronics worldwide.
Beyond his direct research contributions, Professor Ando has significantly shaped the field through his editorial leadership as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Physical Society of Japan from 2012 to 2015. He continues to influence the global scientific community through his role as Honorary Director at SKKU Advanced Institute of Nano Technology in Korea since 2017 and as Visiting Fellow at the Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute since 2018. His sustained scholarly output, including notable papers such as his 2019 Editors' Choice publication on weak-field magnetoresistance in graphene, demonstrates his enduring commitment to advancing theoretical physics. Professor Ando's work continues to inspire new generations of physicists studying quantum transport phenomena in novel materials, cementing his legacy as one of Japan's most influential theoretical physicists of the modern era.
