Hiroshi Matsumoto (松本 紘, Matsumoto Hiroshi; November 17, 1942 – June 15, 2025) was a Japanese engineer and atmospheric scientist. He was the president of Kyoto University until August 2014, and then served as the president of RIKEN until March 2022. He was a member of the Japanese government's committee on space policy. He had a Doctorate in Engineering (1973, Kyoto University). He was born in Zhangjiakou, China.
His research centered on plasma in the geomagnetosphere and cosmosphere. He developed the KEMPO (Kyoto university ElectroMagnetic Particle) code to reproduce the dynamics of the physical processes of space plasma. He led the plasma wave Geotail observations, and helped elucidate mechanisms of excitation, such as electrostatic solitary waves. He also worked on studies for the practical application of microwave power transmission in space. Matsumoto died on June 15, 2025, at the age of 82.
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Career
1967: Research assistant at Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University
1974: Assistant Professor of Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University
1981: Assistant Professor of Radio Atmospheric Science Center (RASC), Kyoto University
1987: Professor of RASC, Kyoto University
1992–1998: Director of RASC, Kyoto University
2000: Professor of Radio Science Center for Space and Atmosphere, Kyoto University
2002: Director of Radio Science Center for Space and Atmosphere, Kyoto University
2004: Professor of Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere (RISH), Kyoto University
2005: Director of RISH, Kyoto University
2005: Executive Vice-President (Research and Finance), Kyoto University
2006: Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University
2008–2014: President, Kyoto University
2015–2022: President, RIKEN
Organizations
1999 – Chairman of International Union of Radio Science (URSI)
1999 – Chairman of Society of Geomagnetism and Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences (SGEPSS)
1999 – Fellow of American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2003 – Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEEE)
2004 – Foreign honorary member of Royal Astronomical Society (RAS)
2005 – Fellow of the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE)