Akiko Kobayashi (chemist)

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Akiko Kobayashi (born 1943 in Tokyo) is a Japanese chemist known for creating Ni(tmdt)2, the world’s first single-component molecular metal. Ni(tmdt)2 is an organic metal that can show metallic properties at very low temperatures (about 0.6 K above absolute zero) and is paramagnetic, meaning it is attracted to magnetic fields.

She studied at the University of Tokyo, earning a BSc in 1967 and a PhD in 1972. She stayed at the university as a research associate (1972), then became an associate professor (1993) and a full professor (1999). In 2006 she became professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo and later joined Nihon University. Her work earned the 2009 L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science for advancing molecular conductors and designing a single-component organic metal. She has also received the Crystallographic Society of Japan Award (1998) and the Complex Chemical Society Award (2006).

Kobayashi is married to Hayao Kobayashi. She has spoken about the challenges women scientists face in Japan, especially when advancing to new positions. Her research began with nickel and has led to zinc and copper variations studied since.