Ken Tanaka is a Japanese chemist and Professor of Chemistry at the Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Institute of Technology), specializing in organic synthesis, catalysis, and the development of new molecular transformations.
His research focuses on designing efficient catalytic reactions—particularly stereoselective and transition-metal-catalyzed processes—for constructing complex molecules relevant to pharmaceutical and materials science. With experience in both academia and industry, he has advanced practical and mechanistic understanding in synthetic chemistry.
He earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo and conducted postdoctoral research with Professor Gregory Fu at MIT. After working at Mitsubishi Chemical, he held academic positions at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology before joining Tokyo Tech in 2014.
He has been honored with major awards such as the Solvias Award, Mukaiyama Award, Japan Chemical Society Award, and Negishi Award, and has received multiple international lectureships recognizing his global impact in synthetic chemistry.