Profile

Gen Kamimura (上村 源), Ph.D.

JSPS Overseas Research Fellow,
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) /
Postdoctoral Fellow,
Allanore Research Group
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
77 Massachusetts Avenue, 13-5061
Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

E-mail: genkami<at>mit.edu
Website (group): https://allanore-group.scripts.mit.edu/
Website (personal): https://gen-kami.com/

[ORCID] [Google Scholar] [LinkedIn] [researchmap]

Education

March 2016
Bachelor of Engineering, Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo (Supervisor: Prof. Hiroyuki Matsuura)

March 2018
Master of Science, Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo (Supervisor: Prof. Hiroyuki Matsuura)

March 2021
Doctor of Science, Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo (Supervisor: Prof. Hiroyuki Matsuura)

Professional Experience

April 2021–December 2021
Project Researcher (Okabe Lab.), Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo

January 2022–March 2023
Research Associate (Okabe Lab.), Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo

April 2023–March 2024
Postdoctoral Associate (Allanore Research Group), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

April 2024–Present
JSPS Overseas Research Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

April 2024–Present
Postdoctoral Fellow (Allanore Research Group), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Professional Memberships

The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS)
The Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST)
The Japan Institute of Metals and Materials (JIMM)
The Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan (MMIJ)
The Iron and Steel Institute of Japan (ISIJ)
The Japan Institute of Light Metals (JILM)
The Japan Institute of Titanium (JITiT)

Honors and Awards

  1. Poster Award, The 13th Exchange Meeting on Technology and Research for Resources, Materials and Environment
    (Kanto Branch, The Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan (MMIJ))
    ‘Recycling of zinc in electric arc furnace dust by selective chlorination and evaporation methods’
    Recipients: Gen Kamimura, Kyohei Yoshiyama, Hiroki Kitao, and Hiroyuki Matsuura
    (August 3, 2016)
  2. MOLTEN 2021 Young Slag Scientist Award (Poster Award)
    (The 11th International Conference on Molten Slags, Fluxes and Salts (MOLTEN 2021))
    ‘Refinement of zinc chloride with vacuum distillation of molten salt’
    Recipients: Gen Kamimura and Hiroyuki Matsuura (February 25, 2021)
  3. Award of Excellence, Yayoi Award
    (Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), The University of Tokyo)
    ‘Development of an innovative separation process for nickel and cobalt using liquid metal extractant’
    Recipients: Gen Kamimura (September 21, 2022)
  4. The 49th Best Paper Award
    (The Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan (MMIJ))
    ‘Reduction of Volatile Impurities in Zinc Chloride Melt with Metallic Iron and Its Effect on Vacuum Separation Behavior’
    Recipients: Gen Kamimura and Hiroyuki Matsuura (March 18, 2024)

Self-introduction

I was born in Niigata city, Niigata Prefecture, Japan in 1994. After graduating from the Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, the University of Tokyo in 2016, I entered a master’s degree program at the Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo. I received my doctorate (Doctor of Science) for my research on novel recycling processes of zinc from electric arc furnace steelmaking dust in 2021. After my doctoral studies, I worked on an upgrade recycling of titanium as a Project Researcher in Professor Toru H. Okabe’s Laboratory at the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo. From January 2022 to March 2023, I served as a Research Associate at the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo. From April 2023 to March 2024, I worked as a Postdoctoral Associate in Allanore Research Group at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. Currently, I am a JSPS Overseas Research Fellow, supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and a Postdoctoral Fellow in Allanore Research Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

My expertise spans chemical thermodynamics, smelting and refining of metals, high-temperature processes, and recycling. Leveraging chemical thermodynamics, I have undertaken research and development of refining and recycling processes at high temperature for diverse metals, including iron, non-ferrous metals, and rare metals. Presently, my focus extends to the development of new production technologies for iron and innovative recycling processes for aluminum.