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Specially-appointed Professor and Professor Emeritus
Organization for Fundamental Research, Institute of Integrated Research
Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Institute of Technology), Japan
I don't accept students or postdocs because of retirement.
Professor Masuo Suzuki, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo, passed away on September 10, 2025, at the age of 88.
He made numerous outstanding contributions to statistical physics, including the proposal of the Suzuki–Trotter decomposition, which is now a standard tool for classical simulations of quantum systems. For his achievements, he was honored with prestigious awards such as the Nishina Memorial Prize and the Medal with Purple Ribbon.
As an educator, Professor Suzuki captivated students through his passionate lectures and supervised a large number of graduate students, thereby leaving a profound legacy in fostering the next generation of researchers in the field of statistical physics. He also served as President of the Physical Society of Japan, dedicating himself to the advancement of physics in Japan.
As one of his former students, I respectfully express my deep sorrow at his passing and offer my heartfelt condolences.
I am a theoretical physicist. The following are my main contributions.
[Spin glass theory]
Spin glass is a magnetic material with an extremely complex state of microscopic constituents. Its analysis is notoriously difficult. I discovered the exact solution to the spin glass problem in a specific part of the phase diagram in my thesis work. This theoretical framework has turned out to be crucial for addressing a wide range of topics including quantum error correction, statistical (Bayesian) inference, quantum state preparation (see also here), and even an April fool's joke 😄.
[Quantum annealing]
Quantum annealing is a framework (metaheuristic) for finding the optimal solution among many possibilities using quantum mechanical effects. We proposed and tested the idea of quantum annealing, which has now blossomed into an active field of research and development. The initial proposal was driven by pure academic curiosity, and recent advances have been mesmerizing as the field has evolved far beyond mere theoretical construction.
Our paper on quantum annealing was referred to in the document by the Nobel Committee as one of the important developments related to the Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 🏆.
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