Uchino, Kenji
Kenji Uchino, one of the pioneers in piezoelectric actuators and energy
harvesting systems, is currently Academy Professor of Emeritus Academy, was
the Director of the International Center for Actuators and Transducers (ICAT) and
Professor of Electrical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, and a
Distinguished Honors Faculty at Schreyer Honors College at the Pennsylvania State
University. He has been a university professor for 48 years so far, including 18
years in Japanese universities. He has also been a company executive (president
or vice president) for 21 years in four companies, most recently the Founder and
Senior Vice President of Micromechatronics Inc., a spin-off company from the above
ICAT, where he was working to commercialize the ICAT-invented piezo-actuators,
transducers and energy harvesters. He was a government officer for 7 years in
both Japan and the US, and recently a “Navy Ambassador to Japan” (2010–2014)
for assisting the rescue program from the Big Northern Japan Earthquake. He was
teaching “Ferroelectric Devices”, “Micromechatronics”, “FEM Application for Smart
Materials”, and “Entrepreneurship for Engineers” for the Engineering and Business
School graduate students using the textbooks authored by himself and titled as
the same.
After being awarded his Ph. D. degree from Tokyo Institute of Technology,
Japan, Uchino became Research Associate/Assistant Professor in the Physical
Electronics Department in 1976 at this university. Then, he joined Sophia University,
Japan, as an Associate Professor in Physics in 1985. He was then recruited to Penn
State in 1991 under a strong request from the US Navy community. He was also
involved with the Space Shuttle Utilizing Committee in NASDA (current JAXA,
equivalent to the US NASA), Japan, during 1986-1988, and was the Vice President of
NF Electronic Instruments, USA, during 1992-1994. He has his additional Master’s
degree in Business and Administration from St. Francis University, PA. He has
been consulting with more than 138 Japanese, US, and European industries to
commercialize the piezoelectric actuators and electro-optic devices. He was the
Chair of Smart Actuator/Sensor Study Committee partly sponsored by the Japanese
Government, MITI (1987–2014). He was also the associate editor for Journal of
Materials Technology (Matrice Technology) and the editorial board member for Journal
of Ferroelectrics (Gordon & Breach) and Journal of Electroceramics (Kluwer Academic).
He is currently Editor in Chief of Insight-Material Science (PiscoMed Publishing)
and of Actuators (MDPI). He also served as an Administrative Committee member
for IEEE, Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, Frequency Control Society (1998–2000), and
Secretary of American Ceramic Society, Electronics Division (2002–2003).
His research interests are in solid state physics—especially dielectrics,
ferroelectrics and piezoelectrics, including basic research on materials, device
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designing and fabrication processes, as well as development of solid-state actuators
for precision positioners, ultrasonic motors, and energy harvesting systems. He has
authored 584 papers, 84 books, and 33 patents in the piezoelectric actuator and
optical device area. He is Life Fellow of American Ceramic Society from 1997,
Life Fellow of IEEE since 2012, Senior Member of National Academy of Inventors
since 2019, and also a recipient of 34 awards, including Japan Ceramics Award from
Japanese Ceramics Society (2022), the Wilhelm R. Buessem Award from the Center
for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics, The Penn State University (2019), Distinguished
Lecturer of the IEEE UFFC Society (2018), International Ceramic Award from Global
Academy of Ceramics (2016), IEEE-UFFC Ferroelectrics Recognition Award (2013),
Inventor Award from Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems, Virginia
Tech (2011), Premier Research Award from The Penn State Engineering Alumni
Society (2011), the Japanese Society of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics
Award (2008), the SPIE Smart Product Implementation Award (2007), R&D 100
Award (2007), ASM
