Osamu Shimomura was born on August 27, 1928, in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto and died on October 19, 2018.
He was a Japanese organic chemist and marine biologist.
Osamu Shimomura was also a Professor Emeritus at Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and Boston University School of Medicine.
Shimomura was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008 for the discovery and development of green fluorescent protein (GFP) with two American scientists: Martin Chalfie of Columbia University and Roger Tsien of the University of California-San Diego.
His wife, Akemi, whom Shimomura met at Nagasaki University, is also an organic chemist and a partner in his research activities.
Osamu Shimomura’s son, Tsutomu Shimomura, is a computer security expert who was involved in the arrest of Kevin Mitnick.
They had a daughter named Sachi Shimomura, who is director of Undergraduate Studies for the English Department at Virginia Commonwealth University and the author of Odd Bodies and Visible Ends in Medieval Literature.
Osamu Shimomura passed away at 90 years old.