Takuzo Aida is one of five University Distinguished Professors at the University of Tokyo, Japan, and serves as the group director of the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS). After earning his PhD in Polymer Chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Shohei Inoue at the University of Tokyo in 1984, he began his research career in the same laboratory, focusing for nearly a decade on developing "precision polymerization using metalloporphyrins as initiators.” In 1996, at the age of 40, Aida became an independent full professor at the University of Tokyo. In 2008, he was invited to RIKEN, a prestigious national institute in Japan with a rich history of over 100 years, where he served as the director of the RIKEN Advanced Research Institute prior to the establishment of RIKEN CEMS, his current affiliation. Aida's scientific achievements include the discovery and development of supramolecular polymers, which have significant applications in innovative functional materials. Notably, he reported the first prototype of supramolecular polymers in 1988, which directly led to his receipt of the Netherlands Award for Supramolecular Chemistry in 2021. Supramolecular polymers are now recognized to provide a potential breakthrough in addressing the pressing issue of global warming. With over 400 publications mostly in high-impact journals, Aida has trained nearly 80 PhD students and 50 postdoctoral researchers, resulting in more than 90 alumni now working globally in academia. His accolades include the Chemical Society of Japan Award and the American Chemical Society Award in Polymer Chemistry in 2009, the Purple Ribbon in 2010, the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award and the Fujihara Prize in 2011, the Leo Esaki Prize in 2015, the Chirality Medal in 2017, the Japan Academy Prize in 2018, and the Ryoji Noyori ACES Award in 2020, as well as the Netherlands Award for Supramolecular Chemistry in 2021. Aida has been elected as a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2020, the United States National Academy of Engineering in 2021, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2023.

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