Dr. Noyori receives honorary degree from St Petersburg State University

On May 28 and 29, 2013, President Noyori visited Saint Petersburg State University, one of Russia’s most prestigious universities, which was established in 1724. The idea for the visit emerged during a meeting by President Noyori with members of the university faculty led by Vice Rector Sergey Tunik during his visit to Saint Petersburg last May.

This year during the two-day visit, President Noyori exchanged opinions with university officials exploring possibilities for future collaborations between RIKEN and the university. He also visited some of the university’s nanotechnology and X-ray research laboratories and carried out lively dialogs with the researchers.

At noon on May 28, an Honorary Doctorate was awarded to President Noyori in the presence of 50 people including the Vice Rector, faculty members, and students. The commencement was followed by a lecture by President Noyori on “Asymmetric Catalysis: Science, Technology and Innovation.”

In the lecture, he emphasized that it is important for scientists with diverse cultural backgrounds to get to know and communicate with each other, and as a step in that direction he reiterated that Russian scientists are welcome at RIKEN. In response to President Noyori’s lecture, Professor Tunik encouraged the students and researchers in the audience to consider conducting research at RIKEN since it represents a potential path to realizing their dreams as scientists.