# Shuji Nakamura

_Japanese doctor of Engineering (1954-), inventor of the blue LED, 2014 Nobel laureate in Physics_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/shuji-nakamura
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> Shuji Nakamura (中村 修二, Nakamura Shūji; born May 22, 1954) is a Japanese–American electrical engineer and co-inventor of the blue LED, a major breakthrough in lighting technology. For this achievement, Nakamura, together with Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 22 May 1954 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q730065#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Ikata ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q730065#P19))
- **Citizenship:** Japan; United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q730065#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; engineer; inventor; professor ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q730065#P106))
- **Education:** University of Tokushima; Nagoya University; Ehime Prefectural Oshu High School ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q730065#P69))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Physics; Order of Culture; Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research; Benjamin Franklin Medal; Harvey Prize; IEEE Quantum Electronics Award; National Inventors Hall of Fame; Charles Stark Draper Prize; Zeiss Research Award; Person of Cultural Merit; Asahi Prize; Millennium Technology Prize; Edison Medal; Global Energy Prize; MRS Medal Award ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q730065#P166))

## About

Nakamura specializes in the field of semiconductor technology. He is Professor of Materials and of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) since 1999.

## Questions

**When was Shuji Nakamura born?**  
Shuji Nakamura was born on 22 May 1954 in Ikata.

**Where did Shuji Nakamura study?**  
Shuji Nakamura was educated at University of Tokushima, Nagoya University, Ehime Prefectural Oshu High School.

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- [Hideki Shirakawa](https://diginpl.com/people/hideki-shirakawa)
- [Hideki Yukawa](https://diginpl.com/people/hideki-yukawa)
- [Hiroshi Amano](https://diginpl.com/people/hiroshi-amano)
- [Isamu Akasaki](https://diginpl.com/people/isamu-akasaki)
- [Kenichi Fukui](https://diginpl.com/people/kenichi-fukui)
- [Koichi Tanaka](https://diginpl.com/people/koichi-tanaka)
- [Leo Esaki](https://diginpl.com/people/leo-esaki)
- [Makoto Kobayashi](https://diginpl.com/people/makoto-kobayashi)
- [Masatoshi Koshiba](https://diginpl.com/people/masatoshi-koshiba)
- [Osamu Shimomura](https://diginpl.com/people/osamu-shimomura)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Shuji Nakamura](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuji_Nakamura) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): सुजी नाकामुरा](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q730065](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q730065) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Shuji Nakamura Nobel.jpg by 文部科学省 (CC BY 4.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shuji_Nakamura_Nobel.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Shuji Nakamura, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Shuji Nakamura Nobel.jpg — 文部科学省, CC BY 4.0.

## Cite this page

"Shuji Nakamura". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/shuji-nakamura. Retrieved 6 November 2026.