Masami Okamoto is the recipient of the prestigious Morand Lambla Award, which recognizes originality, high achievement and potential for continuing creativity among young researchers in the science and technology of polymer processing.

He is currently Assosiate Professor in the Toyota Technological Institute (TTI) in Nagoya, Japan.

Prof. Okamoto received his PhD. Degree from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (working with Prof. Takashi Inoue) in 1994. Following postdoctral stay in National Institute of Advanced Industrial Sci. & Tech., Kyushu, he joined the faculty at TTI.

Prof. Okamoto’s main research interests are in material science and engineering. The numerous publications document his dynamism and ability to produce high quality work of interest to academia and the plastics industry. During the last few years his activities focused on polymer nanocomposites and their processing.

He is widely known for his original contributions in the field of nanocomposites. He has received several international awards for his accomplishments including "Thomson Scientific Research Front Award 2004" for Biopolymer-based Nanocomposites.

He has published more than 80 papers in refereed high impact journals, 19 reviews (in Japanese and English), 16 books or book chapters, numerous articles in conference proceedings, and 4 international patents. Furthermore, he managed to build an enviable international status, evidenced by 16 plenary/invited lectures in Canada, China, Malaysia, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Mexico and the USA and has given more than 40 seminars to foreign industrial and academic organizations.