Ken-ichi Honma


	Ken-ichi Honma is a professor emeritus of Hokkaido University. He used to be the chair of Department of Physiology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine in Sapporo, Japan. He explored the human circadian clock, and described for the first time in the world a phase-response curve (PRC) to a single bright light pulse in human subjects living under temporal isolation. PRC is a key to understand the synchronization with a day-night environment. He also advanced an animal model for human sleep-wake cycle which desynchronizes from the circadian rhythms such as plasma melatonin rhythm. Ken-ichi graduated from Hokkaido University School of Medicine and practiced clinical psychiatry. Then, he switched to basic medical sciences and began to study biological rhythms. In 1977, Ken-ichi got his Ph.D. from Hokkaido University and became an assistant professor at Hokkaido University School of Medicine. Two years later, he extended his study under a supervision of Professor Jürgen Aschoff at Max-Planck Institute in Andechs, Germany. In 1983, he promoted to an Associate Professor at the same department and started temporal isolation experiments. In 1992, he became a full professor at Hokkaido University School of Medicine. His focused his researches not only to human circadian clock but also to the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, a site of mammalian circadian clock. He contributed to the development of chronobiology in Japan and world as well, as the chairperson of Sapporo Symposium on Biological Rhythm (1995–present), the head of Japan / USA joint project on Biological Timing (1993–1995), the president-elect of Japanese Society of Chronobiology (2005 to 2010), the founding president of World Federation for Societies of Chronobiology (2001–2011), the vice-president of Japanese Society of Sleep Research (JSSR) (2007–2012) and the council chief of Asian Forum on Chronobiology (2015). He is currently the council-chair of Aschoff and Honma Memorial Foundation, the vicepresident of Asian Society of Sleep Research (ASRS), an Editor-in-Chief of an English Journal of JSSR and ASRS ‘Sleep and Biological Rhythm’ and an associate member of Japan Academic Society.

Ken-ichi Honma is a professor emeritus of Hokkaido University. He used to be the chair of Department of Physiology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine in Sapporo, Japan. He explored the human circadian clock, and described for the first time in the world a phase-response curve (PRC) to a single bright light pulse in human subjects living under temporal isolation. PRC is a key to understand the synchronization with a day-night environment. He also advanced an animal model for human sleep-wake cycle which desynchronizes from the circadian rhythms such as plasma melatonin rhythm. Ken-ichi graduated from Hokkaido University School of Medicine and practiced clinical psychiatry. Then, he switched to basic medical sciences and began to study biological rhythms. In 1977, Ken-ichi got his Ph.D. from Hokkaido University and became an assistant professor at Hokkaido University School of Medicine. Two years later, he extended his study under a supervision of Professor Jürgen Aschoff at Max-Planck Institute in Andechs, Germany. In 1983, he promoted to an Associate Professor at the same department and started temporal isolation experiments. In 1992, he became a full professor at Hokkaido University School of Medicine. His focused his researches not only to human circadian clock but also to the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, a site of mammalian circadian clock. He contributed to the development of chronobiology in Japan and world as well, as the chairperson of Sapporo Symposium on Biological Rhythm (1995–present), the head of Japan / USA joint project on Biological Timing (1993–1995), the president-elect of Japanese Society of Chronobiology (2005 to 2010), the founding president of World Federation for Societies of Chronobiology (2001–2011), the vice-president of Japanese Society of Sleep Research (JSSR) (2007–2012) and the council chief of Asian Forum on Chronobiology (2015). He is currently the council-chair of Aschoff and Honma Memorial Foundation, the vicepresident of Asian Society of Sleep Research (ASRS), an Editor-in-Chief of an English Journal of JSSR and ASRS ‘Sleep and Biological Rhythm’ and an associate member of Japan Academic Society.