R&D Group Head
Asahi Kasei Corporation, Japan
Toru Katsumata is currently leading the research and development of Sonanos, a new pharmaceutical excipient, overseeing the development of manufacturing processes and formulation technologies with the aim of commercialization. Toru Katsumata gained a fellowship from the JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) as a Research Fellow for Young Scientists from 2007 to 2009, and obtained his Ph.D. in Polymer Synthesis and Functional Polymer Materials from Kyoto University in 2009. After joining Asahi Kasei, he engaged in the research and development of new polymer materials for electronic devices. From 2015 to 2017, he worked on highly stretchable and self-healable materials and organic semiconducting polymers at Stanford University and co-authored over 10 papers. He has a strong interest in developing biomaterials based on natural polymers for healthcare and medical applications.