Noboru (Nobi) Tokita

Born in Sapporo, on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, Tokita earned a Ph.D. in physics and chemistry in 1957 from the University of Hokkaido. He began his career as a professor of applied physics at Waseda University, in Tokyo. Then, he moved to Duke University to work as a researcher and teach polymer rheology.

In the early 1960s, he began a 30-year career with Uniroyal. He focused on the processing of elastomers and, by 1968, held the highest research position at the company. Later, he held research positions at Uniroyal Goodrich Tire and Cabot Corp.

Tokita had an exceptional ability for translating scientific results into solutions to problems arising in the factory as well as the developmental laboratory. He received nine U.S. patents and two Canadian patents.

In 1994, Tokita received the Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award from the Rubber Division of ACS, of which he was a member from 1975 until 1999.