Professor Susumu Noda, newly appointed as the Technical Advisor, is a pioneer in the field of “Photonic Crystals”. He has developed numerous innovative concepts for arbitrarily controlling light and has invented a new type of semiconductor laser, the Photonic Crystal Surface-Emitting Laser (PCSEL). SPACECOOL INC.’s radiative cooling materials, which the company researches, manufactures, and sells, apply principles of photonic crystals. By welcoming Professor Noda as Technical Advisor, the company aims to accelerate its medium- to long-term research and development efforts while also strengthening collaboration between academia and industry.

With Professor Noda’s appointment, SPACECOOL INC. will further advance its research and business development in radiative cooling materials and other Smart Surface technologies, striving to contribute to mitigating global warming at an even faster pace.

Masahiro Suemitsu, CEO of SPACECOOL INC., earned his PhD from my laboratory (Noda Laboratory) in 2019. During his doctoral research, he worked hard on thermophotovoltaics, utilizing photonic crystals to efficiently convert heat to electrical power, achieving the highest conversion efficiency in the world at that time. Building upon these achievements, he extended the result to developing radiative cooling materials and founded SPACECOOL INC., successfully bringing the laboratory technology into real-world applications. I am very pleased to see this progress and am excited to contribute to SPACECOOL INC.’s pioneering initiatives as its Technical Advisor.

I firmly believe that SPACECOOL INC.’s radiative cooling technology, leveraging photonic crystal expertise, will play a crucial role in carbon neutrality. I look forward to seeing the company grow into a key player leading the future of industry.

After graduating from Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University, Professor Susumu Noda served as a researcher of Central Research Laboratories, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. He then joined Kyoto University as an assistant professor in 1988 and become an associate professor at 1992. He was appointed as Full Professors at the Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University in 2000. In April of 2025, he is appointed as Distinguished Professor at Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study (KUIAS). He is also serving as the Representative Director of the Photonic Crystal Laser Research Center, a general incorporated association from December 2024.

Professor Noda is recognized as a pioneer in the field of Photonic Crystals, having developed numerous new concepts for arbitral control of light and invented the innovative semiconductor laser, the Photonic Crystal Surface-Emitting Laser (PCSEL). His achievements have been widely recognized both domestically and internationally, earning him numerous prestigious awards, including the IBM Science Prize (2000), the Osaka Science Prize (2004), an Honorary Doctorate from Ghent University in Belgium (2006), the Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize from the Optical Society of America (OSA, now Optica, 2006), the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Prize for Science and Technology (2010), the Reona Esaki Prize (2010), the IEEE Nanotechnology Pioneer Award (2010), the Medal with Purple Ribbon (2014), and the Japan Academy Prize (2022), among a total of 30 awards. His outstanding contributions have been highly regarded worldwide.

Founded in April 2021 as a climate tech startup, SPACECOOL INC. was established as a carve-out from Osaka Gas with investment from venture capital firm WiL and Osaka Gas. The company develops and markets SPACECOOL, a radiative cooling material that applies the natural phenomenon of radiative cooling to enable zero-energy cooling. By applying SPACECOOL to buildings and outdoor infrastructure, the company contributes to addressing global warming through reduced energy consumption and CO₂ emissions.
Company Website: https://spacecool.jp/en/