Nobel Laureate Ben Feringa on Science, Life and the Joy of Discovery

Tohoku University hosted Nobel Laureate Ben Feringa for a public lecture, "The Art of Building Small," on September 6 at Aobayama Commons. A packed auditorium of some 300 faculty, students and community members were transported from the farmlands of the Netherlands to Stockholm's Nobel Prize ceremony, in a three-hour event that wove anecdotes of scientific achievements with profound life lessons.

Feringa began by suggesting that his talk be renamed "The Joy of Discovery" to better reflect scientific pursuit. "When I discovered the first molecular motor, people asked, 'Why are you doing this? It's useless science!'" he recalled, noting how this scepticism parallels reactions to many historical innovations, including the Wright brothers' first flight.

He defended fundamental research by highlighting how today's technologies emerged from abstract scientific work. "Chemistry made the first liquid crystals and physics made the first transistors in the mid-20th century. It's been a 50-year route to building a smartphone," he said. "Smartphones have existed for only 17 years, yet they've completely changed the world."

Feringa also cited mRNA vaccine technology as another example of transformative basic research. "Katalin Karikó's work in the 1980s and 90s was dismissed as unimportant, but she persisted. In 2020, that became the solution for COVID vaccines," he said. "In science, you need perseverance and belief in your dreams."

Born to Dutch farmers, Feringa grew up with limited resources, but his natural curiosity flourished, nonetheless. He became one of the first from his village to attend university, and his journey to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was shaped by inspirational teachers (and hard work!) along the way.

His Nobel Prize-winning work focuses on molecular machines - nanoscale structures that perform controlled movements. Feringa described his approach to chemical synthesis as being "like Lego," building increasingly complex molecules with specific functions. His research has produced remarkable innovations, including molecular switches inspired by the human eye and potential applications in smart pharmaceuticals.

"We want to have the medicine inactive and activate it exactly where needed. Switch it on, off, off, on with high spatial temporal control," he explained. These developments show particular promise for addressing bacterial resistance and improving cancer treatment through precision therapy.

When asked about maintaining motivation, Feringa said, "I get much of my enthusiasm from my students who create, ask questions and challenge me. It's a privilege to work with young people."

In fact, throughout his lecture, Feringa offered special guidance to the young students in the audience. "Don't be afraid of something going wrong because from a failed experiment you might learn something or make a fantastic discovery," he said. "Always follow your dreams and be confident."

Despite his obvious dedication to research, Feringa also stressed the importance of life-balance, engaging in other hobbies and spending time with family and friends. An avid cyclist, he even incorporates a mental re-set into his daily commute. "At the end of work, I bike 15 kilometres home through a nice area where there are birds singing, there's a lake and it's beautiful. And by the time I'm home, my disk is empty and I am refreshed."

He credited his family's support as being crucial to his success, describing frequent activities and holidays together. "They tolerate that you are a scientist, which is important because scientists are all a bit crazy."

Concluding with Louis Pasteur's words - "Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity and is the torch which illuminates the world" - Feringa added, "Let's keep the torch burning together."

The lecture - organised by the Tohoku Forum for Creativity as part of its 2nd International Symposium on Molecular Materials for the Future - featured a brief introduction to molecular machines by Nagatoshi Koumura of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization.

Feringa and Koumura were then joined by Professor Ryojun Toyoda from the Graduate School of Science, Romain Morodo from CatSciand Assistant Professor Naoya Fukui from Tokyo University of Science for a Q&A panel.

Feringa's lecture and the panel interaction clearly resonated deeply with the audience.

Manabu Kanno, an assistant professor at Tohoku University's Graduate School of Science, appreciated how Feringa shared personal stories alongside scientific insights. "I especially liked the Q&A when he talked about his challenges because I could relate to some of them. It was very inspiring."

Marina Makarova, a postdoctoral researcher at Akita University, travelled to Sendai specially for the event. "I enjoyed it so much," she said. "It was inspiring and informative - a perfect lecture with a very good perspective on the future."

Fujisaki Yukinori, a Tohoku University alumnus and current teacher at St. Ursula Gakuin Eichi High School, even brought several of his students to the lecture. "It's not often that a Nobel Laureate gives a lecture in Sendai. So, I thought it would be a huge learning opportunity for my high school students who are pursuing natural science fields, or who are considering doing research in the future."

For more information about other events organised by the Tohoku Forum for Creativity, please visit https://www.tfc.tohoku.ac.jp/