Noriko Akutsu is the Head of the Division of Electronics and Applied Physics at the Graduate School of Engineering of the Osaka Electro-Communication University (OECU, Japan). She is a Professor at the Department of Environmental Science of the OECU. She holds a Master degree in Physics from the Ochanomizu University (Japan), and holds a Doctor of Science in Physics from the Gakushuin University (Japan). She earned the Best Paper Award from the Japanese Association of Crystal Growth with co-workers in 1993.She has published more than 50 papers in journals such as Physical Review Letters, Physical Review B, Physical Review E, AIP Advances, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matters, Journal of Physics A (UK), Crystals, Surface Science, Applied Surface Science, Journal of Crystal Growth, Advances in Condensed Matter Physics, Surface and Interface Analysis, e-Journal of Surface Science and Nanotechnology, Progress of Theoretical Physics, andthe Journal of Physical Society of Japan. She has also published one section in the Hand Book of Crystal Growth from Elsevier. She is appointed in Academic society as Cooperation-Member of the ScienceCouncil of Japan, a Representative of the Physical Society of Japan, and a Member of Executive Committee of the Japanese Association of Crystal Growth. Previously, she was appointed as a member of Sub-committee 2, Scientific Research (S), and Committee on Grants-Aid for Scientific Research in Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Currently, she is interested in the calculations of the surface tension of crystals, the step dynamics of faceted macrosteps, and two-dimensional heterogeneous nucleation at the facet edge on the macrostep.