ishizukaProfessor Satoru Ishizuka, Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University, Japan, passed away on 22 January 2017. A longtime member of The Combustion Institute, Ishizuka’s sustained research for over 30 years in fundamental flame theory, especially the unique attributes of tubular flames, represents an exceptionally substantial body of work that has greatly influenced the course of combustion research worldwide.

In 1979, Prof. Ishizuka earned a doctoral degree in engineering from the University of Tokyo, Japan, under Prof. Hiroshi Tsuji and then began his post-graduate career as a Research Associate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Saitama Institute of Technology, Japan. After many successful years of research and lecturing at several institutions, Ishizuka was promoted to Associate Professor at Saitama Institute of Technology in 1984. He went on to join the Department of Reaction Chemistry as an Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo in 1989. He then moved to the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hiroshima University, Japan in 1995 as an Associate Professor and was promoted to Professor in 2000. In 2001, he became a Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University.

Prof. Ishizuka devoted much of his remarkable service to the international combustion community. He served in major leadership positions for the Combustion Society of Japan, including Executive Director, Vice President, and President. He served as a Colloquium Co-Chair in Laminar Flames for the 31st and 32nd International Symposia on Combustion. He also served on the editorial boards for the Proceedings of The Combustion Institute and Combustion Theory and Modeling.

To his combustion science colleagues, Prof. Ishizuka was an innovative, conscientious, and meticulous researcher. His contributions are highly regarded in the fundamental aspects of combustion and the development of many practical technology applications. In the field of laminar flames, Ishizuka made two outstanding achievements. He discovered a tubular flame, which is established in a stretched rotating flow field. He also developed the theory of the fast flame propagation phenomena in vortex flows, called a vortex bursting mechanism.

A highly respected educator, Prof. Ishizuka brought a unique style and positive energy to all of his teaching and collegial interactions. Both in his words and deeds, he encouraged creative scientific inquiry from his colleagues, students, and co-workers. His publications have influenced scientific professionals around the world to generate new ideas and innovations on how to advance new and existing concepts of combustion science.

The Combustion Institute honors Prof. Ishizuka’s accomplishments and the work of scientific leaders who make significant contributions for the advancement of many diverse communities around the world.