Takeshi Oka


Takeshi Oka,, is a Japanese-American chemist and astronomer specializing in the field of galactic astronomy, known as a pioneer of astrochemistry and the co-discoverer of interstellar trihydrogen cation
He is now R.A. Milliken Distinguished Service Emeritus Professor, Departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Chemistry; Enrico Fermi Institute; and the College of University of Chicago.

Education

Oka was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1932. He received his BS and PhD degree in 1955 and 1960, respectively, from the University of Tokyo.

Career

In 1963, Oka worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Harry Kroto at Gerhard Herzberg's laboratory, National Research Council of Canada. Among them, Kroto and Herzberg have won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, furthermore, the Nobel laureate Robert Curl was also Oka's colleague.
From 1960 to 1963, Oka was a Fellow at JSPS, the University of Tokyo. Afterward, he was successively worked at Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, and the University of Chicago. His research group's studies specialized in the field of the quantum mechanics and dynamics of fundamental molecular ions and their behavior in astronomical objects.
In 1980, Oka discovered in his laboratory the infrared spectrum of Trihydrogen cation|. which is thought to be the starting point for gas phase chemistry in interstellar "molecular clouds." Following a lengthy search Thomas R. Geballe and Oka spectroscopically detected in two interstellar clouds. Since then Oka and his colleagues have published numerous papers on their observations of interstellar.
Oka is currently an emeritus professor at the University of Chicago.

Recognition

Oka was on the list of ChemBank's prediction for the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Awards