Lara, Ryosuke, Hiroki, and Ibuki left the group / 2025年度末送別会
Lara Browne (博士研究員), 磯貝 涼介 (D3), 柴谷 拓輝 (M2), 中村 伊吹 (M2) の4名が2026年3月末で当研究室から巣立ちました。
Lara さんは 2025年4月から当グループに参画し，博士研究員として1年間頑張って研究に取り組んでくれました。研究活動はもとより，icembly (iCeMS の交流行事) でオーストラリアのお菓子を振る舞ってくれたり，クリスマスのプレゼント交換を企画してくれたり，色々な方法でグループを盛り上げてくれました。
磯貝くんは名古屋大学工学部で化学を学んだのち，2021年4月から大学院生として当グループに参画し，一貫してペンタレンの実用的合成法の開拓に取り組んできました。合成実験が大好きで，人名反応や反応機構の本を読み漁り，人一倍よく考え，実験で数多くの試行錯誤を重ねた結果，毎年末に表彰される Fukazawa Group Awards では3年連続で “Hard Worker of the Year” を受賞して殿堂入りを果たしました。努力が実り，ついには複素芳香環が縮環したペンタレンの合成法を確立し，ペンタレンの反芳香族性を置換基の電子効果によりチューニングできることを見出しました (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2022, Chem. Sci. 2026, 続報を投稿準備中)。その成果によりこの3月に博士後期課程を修了し，京大深澤研究室からの博士第一号となりました。気さくで上下関係なく誰からも慕われており，その研究に取り組む姿勢もあいまって，研究室の礎を築いてくれました。
柴谷くんと中村くんは学部4回生時の 2023年4月 に当研究室に参画し，3年間コツコツと研究に邁進してきました。柴谷くんは，含窒素芳香環が縮環した反芳香族化合物に特に注目し，その合成研究を通して，いくつもの予期せぬ反応や生成物を見出してきました。物怖じせず行動力にあふれ，その社交的な性格で研究室のイベントも大いに盛り上げてくれました。
また，中村くんは，フラーレン C60 の一次元部分構造を繰り返し構造とする共役ポリマーの合成に果敢に取り組み，当研究室ではノウハウのなかったポリマーの分析から物性解析まで，さまざまな共同研究の中心となって研究を推進しました。淡々とコツコツ物事に取り組むクールな印象がありつつ，ジャグリングが得意という意外な一面を披露してくれたのもよい思い出です。
3月25日に最後のプレゼンを行ってもらったあと，送別会を催しました。4人が巣立っていくのは本当にさみしいですが，次なるステージでの挑戦を全力で応援しています。
At the end of March 2026, four members of our group, Dr. Lara Browne, Ryosuke Isogai (D3), Takumi Shibatani (M2), and Ibuki Nakamura (M2), moved on from the Fukazawa Group.
Lara joined our group in April 2025 and worked with us for one year as a postdoctoral researcher. In addition to her research activities, she contributed to the group in many other ways, from sharing Australian sweets at icembly, an iCeMS social event, to organizing our Christmas gift exchange. Her cheerful presence helped make the group a more lively and welcoming place.
Ryosuke studied chemistry at the School of Engineering, Nagoya University, before joining our group as a graduate student in April 2021. Throughout his time here, he worked consistently on the development of practical synthetic methods for pentalenes. He truly enjoyed synthetic experiments, read extensively about named reactions and reaction mechanisms, thought deeply about his chemistry, and carried out countless trials in the lab. His dedication earned him the Fukazawa Group Award for “Hard Worker of the Year” three years in a row, leading to his induction into the Fukazawa Group Awards Hall of Fame. His efforts ultimately led to the development of synthetic methods for heteroarene-fused pentalenes and to the discovery that the antiaromaticity of pentalenes can be tuned by electronic effect of substituents (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2022; Chem. Sci. 2026; a follow-up study is currently in preparation). Based on these achievements, he completed his doctoral degree this March, becoming the first Ph.D. graduate from the Fukazawa Group at Kyoto University. Friendly, approachable, and respected by everyone regardless of seniority, Ryosuke helped lay the foundation of our group through both his personality and his attitude toward research.
Takumi and Ibuki joined the group in April 2023 as fourth-year undergraduate students and have steadily devoted themselves to research over the past three years. Takumi focused particularly on antiaromatic compounds fused with nitrogen-containing aromatic rings. Through his synthetic studies, he discovered a number of unexpected reactions and products. With his fearless, energetic, and outgoing personality, he also brought great enthusiasm to many group activities.
Ibuki took on the ambitious challenge of synthesizing conjugated polymers based on a one-dimensional substructure of fullerene C60 as a repeating unit. Since polymer research was a new area for our group, he played a central role in driving the project forward through various collaborations, ranging from polymer characterization to physical property measurements. Although he often gave the impression of calmly and steadily working through things, we also fondly remember the unexpected side he showed us through his skillful juggling.
After their final presentations on March 25, we held a farewell party for them. It is truly sad to see these four members leave the group, but we sincerely wish them all the very best as they take on new challenges in the next stages of their careers.