He was awarded the IEEE Edison Medal in 2023 for his pioneering contributions to the development of the material silicon carbide and its applications in electronic power devices.

[2] Over a span of 40 years, from 1964 to 2003, he held various positions at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering at Kyoto University, progressing from assistant to associate and then to full-time professor.

[2] Additionally, from 2004 to 2013, he assumed the role of director of the Innovation Plaza Kyoto, one of the 16 satellite offices of the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

[2] Matsunami directed his focus towards the significant potential of silicon carbide (SiC) as a material for optical and electronic power semiconductor applications.

This innovation led to the development of a method to grow high-quality epitaxial SiC, devoid of any polytype mixture (approximately 200 kinds), marking a groundbreaking achievement.