Isamu Akasaki was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura, for “the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes, which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.”
Akasaki is also known for this work in semiconductor technology and has been awarded the Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology and the IEEE Edison Medal. He shared the 2021 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering with Shuji Nakamura, Nick Holonyak, Jr., M. George Craford, and Russell Dupuis for the development of LED lighting.
Akasaki joined the Society in 1985 and was a member for over 35 years until his death on April 1, 2021.
(MORE: Read ECS’s interview with Akasaki, “A Good Principle Is Applicable to Everything.”)
