Shigeru NAKAYAMA
Born in Amagasaki, Japan in 1928.
Graduated from Hiroshima Higher School in 1948 (physical science major) and from the University of Tokyo in 1951 withastrophysics major. Since then, his interest shifted to thehistory of science, a more humanistic aspect of science,visited USA as a Fulbrighter and received Ph.D. in the historyof science and learning (history of universities) at Harvardin 1959. During his graduate study, he worked with ThomasKuhn at Harvard in 1955-56, sent to Cambridge, England to workwith Joseph Needham in 1957 and also the Institute ofHumanistic Science, Kyoto University in 1958. Afterfinishing Ph.D. in 1959, he participated in Kyoto UniversityScientific Mission to Iran Afghanistan and Pakistan in 1959.
In 1960, he joined the Faculty of Arts and Sciences(Kyoyo Gakubu), University of Tokyo until his retirement in1989. He was a visiting professor to Harvard in 1972-73, toCSIR, New Delhi in 1977-78, UC Berkeley in 1981-82, LaTrobeand Monash University, Australia in 1989 and Japanese ResearchCenter at Beijing, China in 1990 and 1998. In 1989, his post movedfrom the University of Tokyo to School of InternationalBusiness Administration, Kanagawa University, where he isProfessor of STS Center.
During his research career, his interest shiftedgradually from the history of traditional East Asian sciencesto more contemporaneous science policy studies. His recentpublications include an English work, Science, Technology andSociety in Contemporary Japan (Cambridge Universsity Press, 1999).
Though most of his publications are in Japanese,amounting more than thirty books, he has published ten worksin English. Besides, most readily available work at a librarywill be "Japanese Scientific Thought" Dictionary of ScientificBiography XV pp.728-758 (Charles Scribner's, 1978).
He spends in January and February at the University College, the University of Melbourne as a Professorial Fellow.He has been appearing on major Japanese mass media as acommentator. His wife worked for the Japanese Ministry ofForeign Affairs before her marriage. They have a daughterand a son.