Masao Doi graduated from the Department of Applied Physics of University of Tokyo in 1970. In 1976 he received his Doctoral Degree in Engineering at the University of Tokyo and began his academic career as an Assistant Professor of Physics at the Tokyo Metropolitan University. He moved to Nagoya University in 1989 and to Tokyo University in 2004. He retired from Tokyo University in 2012, and is now working as a fellow of Toyota Physical and Chemical Research Institute.His early research was concerned with the dynamics and rheology of flexible polymers, especially with developing a theoretical description of the role of molecular entanglements for determining the transport properties to flexible polymer solutions and melts. He then worked on various aspects of the rheological properties of soft matter, polymers, liquid crystals, colloidal suspensions and gels. His current research is focused on the surface phenomena of polymers, such as adhesion, friction, and drying.

1: What is soft matter

Soft matter (polymers, colloids, surfactants, liquid crystals) are an important class of materials for modern and future technologies. They are complex materials that behave neither like a fluid nor a solid. This book describes the characteristics of such materials and how we can understand such characteristics in the language of physics.