Dr. Masatoshi Nei

Dr. Masatoshi Nei, age 92, of Moorestown, NJ, passed away on Thursday, May 18^th, 2023.

Masatoshi was born in Miyazaki, Japan to the late Tadashi and Masae Nei. He immigrated to the United States in 1969 and lived in Providence, RI; Houston, TX; State College, PA and most recently in Moorestown, NJ.

Masatoshi received a B.S. degree in biology from the University of Miyazaki. He then went on to earn his PhD in genetics from Kyoto University. He was subsequently a Professor of Biology at Brown University, University of Texas Health Science Center, Evan Pugh Professor Pennsylvania State University, and became an adjunct Laura H. Carnell Professor at Temple University in 2015.

Dr. Nei was a leader in the field of molecular biology and received many honors for his work. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1997 and won several prizes for his advances in the understanding of evolution at the molecular level, including the International Prize for Biology (2002), Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal (2002), Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences (2013), and Philadelphia's John Scott Award (2017).

He authored several books, including Molecular Population Genetics and Evolution (1975), Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics (2000), Mutation-Driven Evolution (2013), and his memoir, My Life as a Molecular Evolutionist (2021) as well as over 300 scientific papers.

In his free time, Masatoshi enjoyed listening to classical music and gardening, especially sculpting topiary. He was always inspired by the beauty of nature and enjoyed traveling with his wife and family, both in the US as well as abroad. He also enjoyed listening to home concerts with his family playing piano and string instruments.

Masatoshi is survived by his beloved wife, Nobuko Nei; children, Keitaro Nei, and Maromi Nei; grandchildren, Ethan and Jeremy Ho; and his four sisters.

Pennsylvania State University posted this memorial article:

https://www.psu.edu/news/eberly-college-science/story/masatoshi-nei-kyoto-prize-winning-evolutionary-geneticist-dies-92/

Temple University posted this memorial article: https://cst.temple.edu/news/2023/05/masatoshi-nei-kyoto-prize-winning-evolutionary-geneticist-dies-92

In lieu of flowers, donations in Masatoshi’s memory may be made to the PYO Music Institute.