Immigrant Professor and Researcher Ei-ichi Negishi has won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Professor Negishi is an immigrant from Japan who has been in the United States since the 1960s. Professor Negishi obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Penn., and has been a professor at Syracuse University and Purdue University for nearly five decades. Professor Negishi’s research involves, “developing chemical reactions that enable the building of complex organic compounds with wide application in medicine, industry and agriculture.”
Congratulations to Professor Negishi, his family, and his colleagues.
Professor Negishi joins a long line of Nobel Prize winners who are immigrants to the United States. Last year, four American immigrants won Nobel Prizes. These immigrant researchers, along with countless other researchers and professors, have contributed substantially to the economic, scientific, and cultural growth of the United States. Going forward, the United States must make sure it ensures that outstanding researchers and individuals with extraordinary ability have the ability to quickly and efficiently immigrate to the United States. The earlier these immigrants are able to enter and remain in the United States the better. As Professor Negishi’s case demonstrates – often a researcher makes countless contributions to his or her field before being recognized as deserving the Nobel Prize. Professor Negishi contributed nearly fifty years of research to the United States before receiving the Nobel Prize.