The ISGS PhD Thesis Award, first launched in 2018, was created to distinguish PhD theses representing outstanding contributions to scientific and/or technological knowledge in the field of sol-gel chemistry and related fields.
The Award Committee for the 2024 competition was composed of Professors Michel Wong Chi Man and Verónica Cortés de Zea Bermúdez.
Three nominations were received for the ISGS PhD Thesis Award 2025. According to the members of the Award Committee, all the theses are of very high quality and reflect the degree of maturity in insights into mechanisms in formation of complex materials, their synthesis by sol-gel methods, and their advanced characterization. The first place was determined by unanimous decision to be awarded to Dr. Shinji Noguchi. The Committee emphasized all three being excellent: they address new sol-gel synthesis routes to nanoparticles and their controlled assemblies producing structural colours, new approaches to complex REE-doped materials for optical applications in biomedicine, new molecular precursors of titanium and aluminium-containing materials and demonstrate applications perspectives of the new materials. After detailed discussions, the Committee arrived at a consensus that the overall ranking was that Dr. Shinji Noguchi was ranked first.
Dr. Shinji Noguchi made his PhD at Hokkaido University, Japan under supervision of Prof. Kiyoharu Tadanaga. The thesis is devoted to novel materials design strategy for sol–gel-derived particle-based materials by integrating photonic structural effects with plasmonic absorption using silica and metal nitride nanoparticles. The research demonstrates how sol–gel chemistry bridges nanoscale materials synthesis and macroscopic optical functionality, providing a versatile platform for next-generation functional optical materials.
As Gold Medal winner of the PhD Thesis Award 2025, Dr.Shinji Noguchi will receive a diploma and a 2-year ISGS membership. Thanks to Springer sponsoring, they will receive books in the value of US$500.
Moreover, Dr. Shinji Noguchi will be invited to contribute with a paper to the Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology, the official journal of ISGS. He will also be invited to present an online lecture at the ISGS eSeminar Series
The Board of Directors of the ISGS and the ISGS PhD Thesis Award Committee wish to warmly congratulate the young awardee.
