“Many hospitals acknowledge the need for artificial intelligence (AI), but still hesitate, asking, ‘Do we really need to adopt it now?’ However, within just a few years, the gap in both quality and profitability between AI-ready hospitals and those that are not will become enormous.” Professor Jongmo Seo of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University, who also serves as a faculty member at the Seoul National University Hospital Biomedical Research Institute, expressed strong confidence in the transformative impact of AI in healthcare. While debates range from skepticism about AI’s utility to concerns about the “end of physicians,” Prof. Seo firmly stated that “healthcare is the field where AI transformation (AX) will have the greatest impact—and where it is absolutely essential.” What makes his perspective particularly compelling is his unique background as a physician-engineer. After earning a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Seoul National University’s College of Medicine and practicing as an ophthalmologist, he joined the College of Engineering at Seoul National University in 2008—the first case of a licensed physician being appointed as an engineering professor in Korea. Since then, he has focused on addressing real-world challenges faced by both clinicians and patients through engineering solutions. Prof. Seo also participated in the development of an electronic medical record (EMR) system in 2004. Although EMR has since become an indispensable system in hospitals, he initially faced strong resistance from practitioners during its development. “Most physicians, who were accustomed to paper records, found the transition to EMR cumbersome or were concerned about it,” he recalled. “Even when we demonstrated the need for adoption by showing error-prone handwritten records, many opposed it, asking, ‘Won’t this make doctors focus more on monitors than on patients?’” Despite these concerns, within just one year of EMR implementation, both patient and physician satisfaction at Seoul National University Hospital increased significantly. The number of outpatient visits also rose markedly, from approximately 1.5 million in 2003 to over 2 million within three years, by 2006. According to Prof. Seo, the impact of AI adoption is expected to far exceed that of EMR, benefiting hospitals, governments, and patients alike. “Currently, many preemptive tests are conducted out of uncertainty on the part of both physicians and patients,” he explained. “With improved diagnostic accuracy enabled by AI, such unnecessary procedures can be significantly reduced. This will lead to fewer hospital visits and shorter hospital stays, ultimately lowering social and economic costs.” One of the most promising outcomes, he noted, is the potential reduction of regional disparities in healthcare. “Differences in medical outcomes across regions are not solely due to variations in equipment or physician expertise,” he said. “Access to shared clinical experience—often exchanged through academic meetings or informal networks—is also critical. However, physicians in regional or smaller practices face limitations in participating due to distance and scheduling constraints. AI can help bridge this information gap.” For successful AI transformation in healthcare, Prof. Seo emphasized that physicians’ attitudes toward AI will be crucial. “While some apprehension is natural, there is minimal risk in using AI as a decision-support tool,” he said. “Rather than clinging to existing workflows, healthcare professionals should actively communicate with colleagues, experts in other fields, and patients—and lead the adoption of AI in medicine.” Source: https://www.mk.co.kr/news/it/12001811 Translated by: Changhoon Kang, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, changhoon27@snu.ac.kr...

Seoul National University’s College of Engineering announced that a research team led by Professor Jeonghun Kwak from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (co-first authors Dr. Juhyung Park and Dr. Sun Hong Kim) has developed a flexible, ultra-thin “pseudo-transverse thermoelectric generator” capable of generating electricity from body heat. The research was published on March 19 in Science Advances, a prestigious international journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Thermoelectric generators produce electricity from temperature differences and are considered a promising next-generation energy solution for wearable electronics, as they can operate without batteries. Thin film-type devices are especially advantageous due to their lightweight and flexible nature, allowing seamless attachment to skin or clothing. However, this thin structure can also pose a limitation in that thermoelectric generators require a temperature difference to produce electricity. When the device is attached flat to the skin, body heat passes directly through it and dissipates into the surrounding air—much like heat passing through a thin sheet of paper. As a result, almost no temperature gradient is formed within the device, making it difficult to generate electricity. Previous efforts to solve this issue have explored forming thermoelectric generators into three-dimensional structures, such as bending them or stacking them upright like pillars. However, these approaches increase the device’s thickness and volume, ultimately undermining the key advantages of thin, flexible film-type devices. To address this challenge, Prof. Kwak’s team proposed a novel approach that alters the direction of heat flow itself. By selectively incorporating copper nanoparticles—which have high thermal conductivity—into portions of a stretchable silicone (PDMS) substrate, they successfully designed a “dual thermal conductivity substrate” in which regions of high and low thermal conductivity coexist within a single platform. When thermoelectric semiconductor elements are placed at the interface between these two regions, heat generated from the body is prevented from escaping vertically and instead flows laterally along the high-conductivity pathways. As a result, warm and relatively cooler regions form across the substrate surface, creating a temperature gradient that enables electricity generation even in a thin-film structure. Through this approach, the study is the first to demonstrate that a temperature gradient can be maintained—and electricity generated—even in thin-film devices by introducing a novel substrate structure that redirects heat flow. The research team named this technology a “pseudo-transverse thermoelectric generator,” as its operating principle structurally mimics the conventional transverse thermoelectric effect. ▲ Figure 1. Schematic illustration of the operating principle of the “pseudo-transverse wearable thermoelectric generator”: (Left) In conventional thermoelectric generators, body heat escapes vertically through the thin substrate, resulting in little to no electricity generation within the device. (Right) The proposed pseudo-transverse thermoelectric generator utilizes a dual thermal conductivity substrate composed of two materials with different thermal conductivities, redirecting vertical heat flow into the lateral direction to create a temperature gradient and successfully generate electricity. The developed wearable thermoelectric generator can convert body heat into electricity even in a completely flat configuration, without requiring structural modifications such as bending or vertical stacking of the substrate. In addition, it is fabricated using an ink-based printing process, ensuring high flexibility. Moreover, the device offers strong design versatility and scalability, allowing its size and shape to be freely configured and easily expanded in a modular, building-block manner. Owing to these advantages, the pseudo-transverse wearable thermoelectric generator is expected to be widely adopted as a self-powered energy solution for a range of applications, including smart clothing, health monitoring sensors, and wearable electronic devices. Prof. Kwak stated, “This study overcomes the limitations of conventional thin-film wearable thermoelectric generators through a novel structural approach that controls heat flow. In particular, it is significant in that it presents a new thermoelectric platform capable of generating a temperature gradient while maintaining a fully planar structure. This technology holds strong potential as a power source for various wearable sensors and electronic devices that can be attached to the skin or clothing.” Dr. Juhyung Park, a co-first author of this study, is currently continuing his research on organic electronic devices as a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven in Belgium following his graduation. Another co-first author, Dr. Sun Hong Kim, completed his postdoctoral training and was appointed to the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Seoul in March 2025, where he is conducting research on next-generation electronic systems based on soft electronic nanomaterials. ▲ Figure 2. Demonstration of the 2D “pseudo-transverse wearable thermoelectric generator” The device successfully generates electricity even when conformally attached to surfaces such as human skin (left) or a cup containing hot water (right), without requiring any three-dimensional structural deformation. [Reference] Paper Title/Journal: All-solution-processed scalable and wearable organic thermoelectrics by structurally mimicking transverse thermoelectric effects, Science Advances 12, eaea9094 (2026. 3. 20.) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aea9094 Source: https://ece.snu.ac.kr/ece/news?md=v&bbsidx=57633 Translated by: Changhoon Kang, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, changhoon27@snu.ac.kr...

The research team led by Professor Se Young Chun of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University has been selected for the NVIDIA Academic Grant Program. The NVIDIA Academic Grant Program is an initiative that supports AI researchers at accredited academic institutions worldwide, particularly full-time faculty at research-focused universities, including those in PhD programs. Selected teams undergo a rigorous evaluation process and are provided with computational resources for AI research at no cost. Through this program, Professor Chun’s team will receive 32,000 GPU-hours on NVIDIA A100 GPUs, delivered via the cloud-based high-performance computing platform Brev. In collaboration with Professor Hoon Kim’s research at Sungkyunkwan University, the team will utilize these resources to develop a megabase-scale DNA foundation model. The model will be specifically optimized for analyzing extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA), which is closely associated with rapid cancer progression, treatment resistance, and high intratumoral heterogeneity. Existing analysis methods often require several days, creating a major bottleneck in research. The team aims to dramatically reduce analysis time from days to a significantly shorter duration through this foundation model. Leveraging large-scale GPU resources, this research is expected to overcome current limitations in cancer genomics analysis and contribute to the acceleration of both fundamental research and clinical applications in the field. Source: https://ece.snu.ac.kr/ece/news?md=v&bbsidx=57624 Translated by: Changhoon Kang, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, changhoon27@snu.ac.kr...

(From left) Professors Taewhan Kim, Hyungbo Shim, and Jerald Yoo of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University On January 28, Seoul National University’s College of Engineering announced that Professors Taewhan Kim, Hyungbo Shim, and Jerald Yoo of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have been selected as Fellows of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest professional association in electrical and electronics engineering. Headquartered in New York, United States, IEEE has more than 400,000 members across over 160 countries and plays a leading role in developing international standards and advancing academic research in the field of electrical and electronic engineering. Among members of IEEE, the IEEE Fellow grade is the highest level awarded only to individuals within the top 0.1% of the organization’s total membership who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments and technological achievements. Candidates must first be nominated by existing IEEE Fellows and then pass a rigorous evaluation by the selection committee. Prof. Taewhan Kim was elected as an IEEE Fellow for his contributions to dynamic voltage scaling theory and automated standard-cell generation. His research established a computational framework that determines the optimal voltage level in real time according to changing performance requirements inside semiconductor circuits, enabling chips to operate with minimal power consumption. In addition, his work provided the theoretical foundation for power-management algorithms widely used in low-power semiconductor chip design. Prof. Kim commented, “It was not easy to foresee the future impact of the research I was conducting at the time. I am pleased that the work I pursued with curiosity and passion 20 years ago has now become a foundation for the next generation of researchers and has also contributed to semiconductor chip design in industry.” Prof. Hyungbo Shim was elected an IEEE Fellow for his contributions to control theory for multi-agent systems and disturbance observers. Prof. Shim has conducted extensive research on control methodologies that enable multiple robots to cooperate in a coordinated manner, as well as on disturbance observer technologies that accurately estimate and compensate for unpredictable external disturbances in dynamic systems. These techniques are crucial for ensuring the stability and synchronization of complex robotic systems, such as humanoid group dance performances and large-scale drone light shows. Regarding the recognition, Professor Shim said, “Control theory sometimes receives great attention and at other times less interest, but it is a fundamental discipline that forms the foundation of engineering and will never disappear. It was not easy to continue working in this field during periods when it was less popular, but I am pleased that this recognition feels like a reward for those efforts. I am also deeply grateful to my students who worked alongside me and shared that journey.” Prof. Jerald Yoo was elected an IEEE Fellow in recognition of his contributions to semiconductor circuit design for biomedical and body-area networks. Prof. Yoo is a leading researcher who has pioneered ultra-miniaturized circuits for healthcare devices that are worn on or implanted in the human body, as well as body-area network technologies that enable communication and power delivery within the human body. His work has significantly contributed to performance innovations in next-generation wearable and digital healthcare devices. Prof. Yoo stated, “Compared to many senior professors, I feel humbled to receive such recognition at a relatively early stage of my career. In the rapidly evolving fields of semiconductors and healthcare, I will continue striving to develop innovative semiconductor circuits that improve human health and quality of life without becoming complacent.” Source: https://biz.chosun.com/science-chosun/science/2026/01/28/KYMPGRNSCJGXROJO4MD5O2JW2Q/ Translated by: Changhoon Kang, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, changhoon27@snu.ac.kr...

At the 30th National Academy of Engineering of Korea (NAEK) Awards Ceremony, Professor Jangwoo Kim of Seoul National University received the inaugural New Frontier Award. The New Frontier Award, newly established this year, was presented to Prof. Jangwoo Kim (CEO of MangoBoost) for developing high-speed interconnection technology for AI accelerators that maximizes the efficiency of large-scale AI data centers and for achieving world-leading performance in the MLPerf benchmark. Source: https://www.dnews.co.kr/uhtml/view.jsp?idxno=202603091056007180359 Translated by: Changhoon Kang, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, changhoon27@snu.ac.kr...

A research team led by Professors Namkyoo Park, Sunkyu Yu, and Jongho Lee (B) has proposed a new technology that addresses the longstanding challenges of image inhomogeneity and tissue heating in ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) operating at 7 tesla or higher. The researchers developed a metasurface design algorithm based on electromagnetic scattering theory, successfully achieving a uniform magnetic field distribution across the entire brain. MRI is a widely used non-invasive medical imaging technology that enables observation of internal anatomical structures and physiological changes. Higher static magnetic field strength (B0) improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spatial resolution, allowing more precise diagnosis of complex neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Although the recent development of ultra-high-field MRI has significantly enhanced brain imaging precision, it has also introduced new physical challenges. The primary issue arises from the wavelength of the RF magnetic field (B1+). As magnetic field strength increases, the RF frequency rises and the wavelength inside human tissue becomes shorter. When this wavelength becomes comparable to the size of the human head, complex electromagnetic interference occurs. As a result, the B1⁺ field—responsible for generating MRI signals—tends to concentrate at the center of the brain while weakening at the periphery, leading to non-uniform images. In addition, localized concentration of electromagnetic energy can increase the specific absorption rate (SAR), causing unwanted tissue heating. Conventional solutions have relied on two main approaches. One involves passive methods, such as using high-permittivity pads or metallic structures to locally adjust RF fields. The other is parallel transmission (pTx), which employs multiple RF transmit coils to control phase and amplitude. However, passive methods struggle to achieve uniformity across the entire brain, while pTx systems require complex hardware and control mechanisms and pose additional safety management challenges. To overcome these limitations, the research team proposed a new approach using a phase-controlled metasurface. A metasurface consists of arrays of artificial subwavelength structures that can precisely manipulate the phase and wavefront of electromagnetic waves. By applying an optimization algorithm based on scattering theory, the researchers designed a metasurface that rearranges RF waves with a minimal number of elements, enabling the formation of a uniform B1+ field throughout the brain. One notable advantage of this technology is that it can be implemented without modifying the hardware of existing MRI systems. The team validated its performance using commercial electromagnetic simulation software with multiple human brain models, including male, female, and pediatric anatomies. The results showed that applying the metasurface improved B1+ field uniformity by approximately twofold. The coefficient of variation (CV), a metric for field uniformity, decreased from 0.32 to 0.16 on average. At the same time, the SAR value decreased by about 23%, indicating improved safety. The researchers explained that the study applies the concept of “constant intensity waves,” previously explored in optics, to the problem of electromagnetic field control in MRI. This approach is expected to enable more uniform and safer brain imaging in ultra-high-field MRI, ultimately improving the diagnostic accuracy for neurological disorders. Volumetric B1+ field homogenization in 7 Tesla brain MRI using metasurface scattering. Gyoungsub Yoon, Sunkyu Yu*, Jongho Lee & Namkyoo Park* ACS Photonics, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.5c02781, February 2026 Source: https://ece.snu.ac.kr/ece/news?md=v&bbsidx=57568 Translated by: Changhoon Kang, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, changhoon27@snu.ac.kr...

Professor Jongmo Seo of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering was featured in “Hyuk-soo Kwun’s KHIDI Newsroom,” a program by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), where his research experience and work in the K-Biohealth field were introduced. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcGjmPTyRdE&t=67s Translated by: Changhoon Kang, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, changhoon27@snu.ac.kr...

On February 25, 2026, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering held its 80th Commencement Ceremony for 2025 Academic Year (Spring Semester). At the event, the following students received awards for Outstanding Graduate Thesis and Summa Cum Laude. < Outstanding Graduate Thesis Awards > Semiconductor Field Kahyun Kim (Advisor: Prof. Woo-Seok Choi) Jae Seung Woo (Advisor: Prof. Woo Young Choi) Electric Energy Field Yongseung Lee (Advisor: Prof. Yong-Kweon Kim) Electric Energy Field Juwon Lee (Advisor: Prof. Jung-Ik Ha) Computer Field Jooyoung Choi (Advisor: Prof. Sungroh Yoon) Communications Field Jihoon Moon (Advisor: Prof. Byonghyo Shim) Taehyun Cho (Advisor: Prof. Jungwoo Lee) < Summa Cum Laude> Seoyong Lee (Representative Awardee) Congratulations to all graduates and award recipients. Source: https://ece.snu.ac.kr/ece/news?md=v&bbsidx=57551 Translated by: Changhoon Kang, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, changhoon27@snu.ac.kr...