"Think Globally, Act Locally" An interview with Prof. Ryōji Noyori

Ryōji Noyori was born on September 3, 1938, in Kobe, Japan. He obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry from Kyoto University. In 1967 he obtained a Doctor of Engineering degree from Kyoto University under Prof. Hitosi Nozaki, and in 1968 became an associate professor at Nagoya University. After postdoctoral work with Elias J. Corey at Harvard University, he returned to Nagoya, becoming a full professor in 1972. He served as president of RIKEN (2003-2015), and since 2015 he has been Director-General of CRDS (Center of Research and Development Strategy) of the Japan Science and Technology Agency. Noyori shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with William S. Knowles and K Barry Sharpless. Noyori’s other prominent recognitions include the 1992 Asahi Prize, the 1993 Tetrahedron Prize, the 1995 Japan Academy Prize, the 1997 Arthur C. Cope Award, the 1999 King Faisal International Prize, the 2001 Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the 2001 Roger Adams Award, and the 2009 Lomonosov Gold Medal. Our Zoom interview took place on September 27, 2021, about three weeks after his 83rd birthday. It was early morning in Israel and afternoon in Japan.