Shuji Nakamura

Shuji Nakamura is a CREE Professor of Solid State Lighting and Displays at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he holds appointments in both the Department of Materials and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering within the Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering. He serves as the Research Director of the Solid State Lighting & Energy Electronics Center and holds The Cree Chair in Solid State Lighting & Displays. Since joining UCSB in 2000, Professor Nakamura has established himself as a leading figure in semiconductor research, particularly in the field of gallium nitride-based optoelectronics.

Professor Nakamura earned his academic credentials from the University of Tokushima in Japan, obtaining his Bachelor of Electronic Engineering, Master of Electronic Engineering, and Doctor of Engineering degrees from the same institution.

Professor Nakamura is widely recognized as the pioneer of light emitters based on wide-bandgap semiconductors, particularly gallium nitride (GaN). His research focuses on the development of GaN thin film technology for high-efficiency nitride-based LEDs and laser diodes. His groundbreaking work in the early 1990s led to the first practical blue LEDs and violet laser diodes, which revolutionized lighting technology and enabled white LED lighting. His current research continues to advance solid-state lighting and display technologies, with particular emphasis on improving efficiency and performance of nitride semiconductor devices.

Professor Nakamura has received numerous prestigious scientific awards throughout his career, including:

• Nobel Prize in Physics (2014) for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes
• Millennium Technology Prize
• Benjamin Franklin Medal in Engineering
• Harvey Prize for advancements in Science and Technology
• Global Energy Prize
• Zayed Future Energy Prize Lifetime Achievement
• Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (2021)
• National Academy of Engineering membership
• National Academy of Inventors membership
• National Inventors Hall of Fame induction

Professor Nakamura has mentored numerous students and researchers throughout his career and has been instrumental in establishing the Solid State Lighting & Energy Electronics Center at UCSB. He has secured significant research funding for his work on nitride semiconductors and has been awarded more than 200 US patents and over 175 Japanese patents. His research has led to practical applications through the companies he co-founded, including Soraa, Inc. (2008) and SLD Laser (2013), which was later acquired by Kyocera Corporation.

Professor Nakamura leads research activities at the Solid State Lighting & Energy Electronics Center, which focuses on advancing nitride semiconductor technology for lighting and display applications. His team continues to push the boundaries of efficiency and performance in GaN-based devices, with ongoing research in blue and green LEDs, laser diodes, and related semiconductor technologies.