Oxford Instruments announces winner of the 2021 Sir Martin Wood Prize

Oxford Instruments has announced that Dr. Atsushi Togo from the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba is the winner of the 2021 Sir Martin Wood Prize. Dr. Atsushi Togo was awarded the prize for the development of open source software for phonon properties in materials science.

Dr. Togo’s development of user-friendly software packages enables first-principles calculations of phonon properties and vibrational free energy of crystals, providing a significant impact on the investigation of possible thermal properties and the stability of materials.

"We're delighted to be announcing the winner of the Sir Martin Wood Prize for Japan. Innovation is at the core of everything that we do here at Oxford Instruments NanoScience, and we are excited about supporting scientists such as Dr. Togo that not only enable our understanding of material properties but also through his focus on open source software offer others the option to add to and collaborate on his work – creating a living legacy," states Stuart Woods, Managing Director, Oxford Instruments NanoScience.

Dr. Togo was awarded the medal, certificate, and a cash prize of ¥500,000 at the UK Embassy in Tokyo by Ms. Julia Longbottom, the British Ambassador. He gave a lecture on his work at an event organized by Oxford Instruments and chaired by Professor Maki Kawai from the University of Tokyo. Professor Hidetoshi Fukuyama, Chair of the Sir Martin Wood Prize selection committee introduced the significance and impact of Dr. Togo’s original and high-quality research.

"I am honored to be awarded this very prestigious prize in recognition of my research, I am grateful to Oxford Instruments and the Sir Martin Wood Prize committee for recognizing my work. I look forward to visiting the UK next year to give my lecture to groups working in the same area,” commented Dr. Togo.

The Millennium Science Forum was established in 1998 to promote scientific exchange between the UK and Japan and to award the Sir Martin Wood Prize to a young researcher from a Japanese University or research institute who has performed outstanding research in condensed matter science. The Prize is named after Sir Martin Wood, Founder of Oxford Instruments plc.

The Sir Martin Wood Prize selection committee consists of 10 senior professors from Japanese universities and is chaired by Professor Hidetoshi Fukuyama from the Tokyo University of Science.

The ‘Sir Martin Wood Prize’ winner receives ¥500,000 in cash and the opportunity to give a series of lectures in the UK and other European universities, including Oxford University.

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