Johannes Linneborn Prize

The European Linneborn Prize for Outstanding Merits in biomass is being awarded on the occasion of the EUBCE Conference.

This prize was established by the European Commission in 1994 to honor scientific, technical or managerial merit in the development of energy from biomass.

For more information please visit www.linneborn-prize.org

Wim P.M. van Swaaij introduces the Linneborn Prize website (video)

Congratulations to Yukihiko Matsumura
winner of the 2026 Linneborn Award.

Congratulations to Prof. Yukihiko Matsumura, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, Japan, recipient of the 2026 Linneborn Award.
Prof. Matsumura receives this prestigious distinction in recognition of his long-standing commitment, outstanding scientific achievements, and continuous dedication to the international biomass and bioenergy research community. Throughout his career, he has played a key role in strengthening collaboration between the Japanese, Asian, and European research communities.
A long-standing contributor to the EUBCE, Prof. Matsumura has consistently promoted the exchange of scientific knowledge and technological advancements from Japan within the EUBCE community. He has also been actively involved in the Asian Conference on Biomass Science (ACBS), organised by the Biomass Division of the Japan Institute of Energy, which fosters academic discussion on the effective utilisation of biomass resources across Asian countries.
Prof. Matsumura’s research background is in chemical engineering. His scientific work has focused on chemical heat pumps, supercritical water gasification of biomass, and hydrothermal biomass pretreatment technologies. He obtained his PhD from the University of Tokyo in 1994 and subsequently spent two years as a visiting scholar at the University of Hawaii, where he worked with Prof. Michael Jerry Antal, one of the pioneers of modern thermochemical conversion.
In 1996, he joined the University of Tokyo as a Research Associate and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1997. He moved to Hiroshima University in 2001 and became Full Professor in 2007.
Prof. Matsumura is internationally recognised for his pioneering contributions to supercritical water gasification and hydrothermal technologies for biomass processing. In 2004, he received the Progress Award from the Japan Institute of Energy for his achievements in the field of supercritical water gasification of biomass.
Over the course of his career, he has published more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers, providing fundamental reaction engineering knowledge that has significantly advanced hydrothermal carbonisation and gasification technologies.
His exceptional scientific contributions, international leadership, and continuous dedication to the biomass community make Prof. Yukihiko Matsumura a highly deserving recipient of the 2026 Linneborn Award.

Prof. David Chiaramonti
Chair Linneborn Committee