Gen Kamimura (上村 源), Ph.D.
Assistant Professor,
Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials,
Tohoku University /
Associate Research Fellow,
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo
Contact information:
Shibata Lab.
Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials
Tohoku University
2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan
E-mail: gen.kamimura.d6<at>tohoku.ac.jp
Lab website: https://www2.tagen.tohoku.ac.jp/lab/shibata/english/
Personal website: https://gen-kami.com/
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–November 2025
JSPS Overseas Research Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
April 2024–November 2025
Postdoctoral Fellow (Allanore Research Group), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
April 2025–Present
Associate Research Fellow (Okabe Lab.), Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo
December 2025–Present
Assistant Professor (Shibata Lab.), Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University
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
- 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) - 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) - 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) - 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. I graduated from the Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, the University of Tokyo in 2016, and subsequently I pursued a master’s degree at the Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo. In 2021, I earned my doctorate (Doctor of Science) for research on novel recycling processes of zinc from electric arc furnace steelmaking dust.
Following my doctorate, I worked on an upgrade recycling (upcycling) 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. I then joined the Allanore Research Group at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as a Postdoctoral Associate (April 2023–March 2024). From April 2024 to November 2025, I was a JSPS Overseas Research Fellow, supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and continued my postdoctoral research at MIT.
Currently, I am an Assistant Professor in Professor Hiroyuki Shibata’s Laboratory at the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University. My expertise spans chemical thermodynamics, smelting and refining of metals, high-temperature processes, and recycling. Leveraging chemical thermodynamics, I have developed refining and recycling processes for diverse metals— including iron, non-ferrous metals, and rare metals. My present research focuses on new production technologies for iron and innovative recycling processes for zinc.