Prof. Akihiro Okamoto works on the electrochemical communication between solids and living cells, asking whether the properties of materials — redox potential, semiconductivity and ion intercalation — can be used to read out and control bacteria. He received his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. in applied chemistry from the University of Tokyo, and held JSPS SPD fellowships at the University of Tokyo and at the University of Southern California before returning to Tokyo as an Assistant Professor. He joined the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in 2016, where he now leads the Electrochemical Nano-Bio Group, and is concurrently Professor at the University of Tsukuba.
He wants to make solid-state chemistry a general language for understanding and controlling life.
His group pursues this on two fronts. The first is electrode-free bioelectrochemical intercalation, in which bacteria and battery cathode nanoparticles self-assemble and drive lithium into the crystal lattice with no electrode and no power supply — now being developed into a scalable lithium recovery technology. The second is electrochemistry as a measurement tool: beyond resolving electron transfer mechanisms, his group uses label-free in situ electrochemistry to track respiratory enzyme kinetics and metabolic activity inside living cells. Both lines are driven by high-throughput microbial electrochemistry combined with various methodologies .
