Takafumi Matsui (Japanese: 松井孝典, 7 March 1946 – 22 March 2023) was a Japanese planetary scientist, geophysicist, science communicator and academic. He was professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo.

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Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Takafumi Matsui
松井孝典
Matsui in 2021
Born	7 March 1946 (1946-03-07) Shizuoka, Japan
Died	22 March 2023 (2023-03-23) (aged 77)
Other names	Takanori Matsui
Occupation	Scientist

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Born in Shizuoka, Matsui graduated from the Faculty of Science of the University of Tokyo, and after a stage as a visiting researcher at NASA he became professor at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences of his alma mater.^[1][2] He was specialized in astrobiology and comparative planetary science.^[3] He served as president of the Chiba Institute of Technology from June 2020 till his death.^[2] He authored numerous scientific articles and books.^[1]

Matsui died of prostate cancer on 22 March 2023, at the age of 77.^[1][2] The planet 7301 Matsuitakafumi, discovered in 1993, was named after him.^[3]