Dr. So Hirata

Biography

Professor Hirata received a B.S. in 1994, an M.S. in 1996 from the University of Tokyo, and a Ph.D. in 1998 from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (Institute of Molecular Science) in Japan. He became a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley in 1998-1999, followed by a postdoctoral research associate position at the University of Florida from 1999 to 2001. Hirata served as a Senior Research Scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory from 2001 to 2004 before being appointed as an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida, where he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2009. He joined the faculty at the University of Illinois in August 2010 and is currently the Marvin T. Schmidt Professor and a Beckman Affiliate Faculty member. His research interests lie in electronic vibrational many-body theory, focusing on computational methods for interpreting and predicting molecular properties. His work pushes the limits of quantitative theories and computing technology within quantum chemistry to study the mathematical structures of wave functions and interactions in molecules and solids.

Research Interests

Awards