The Korean Academy of Science and Technology, an academic institute of science and technology, has announced on December 1st that 33 young scientists under the age of 43 notable for outstanding research accomplishments in the field of science and technology have been chosen as members of the 2022 ‘Young Korean Academy of Science and Technology (Y-KAST)’. Their average age is 39.4.

New Y-KAST members of the upcoming year include several young scientists who have already achieved global fame. This includes POSTECH Electrical Engineering Professor Wonbin Hong, who developed ‘Antenna on Display(AoD)’, an innovation in compact antennae, and Sogang University Professor Jinhyung Park in the Department of Mathematics, who solved the secant variety equation of nonsingular projective curves, which was considered one of the most difficult problems in modern mathematics.

Four female scientists will be joining Y-KAST, including SNU Chemistry Professor Yun Jeong Hwang, for her groundbreaking research achievements in the field of carbon dioxide reduction, and GIST Professor Eunji Lee, a pioneer in the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) analysis of organic soft matter.

The list of Y-KAST members according to field is as follows: ▲Policy studies(2) Younghwan Kim(Science and Technology Policy Institute), Joo Young Park(Korea University) ▲Natural Sciences(9) Moon-Jin Kang(KAIST), Jinhyung Park(Sogang University), Dohun Kim(Seoul National University), Gil-Ho Lee(POSTECH), Hyo Jae Yoon(Korea University), Hyun-Woo Rhee(Seoul National University), Yun Jeong Hwang(Seoul National University), Sangsu Bae(Hanyang University), Jong-Yeon Park(Jeonbuk National University) ▲Engineering(12) Doo-Yeol Yoo(Hanyang University), Sukhwan Yoon(KAIST), Seunghwa Ryu(KAIST), Jeong Ik Lee(KAIST), Jae Sung Son(UNIST), Chul-Ho Lee(Korea University), Young Min Song(GIST), Kyunghan Lee(Seoul National University), Wonbin Hong(POSTECH), Eunji Lee(GIST), Dae Sung Chung(POSTECH), Nathanial Suk-Yeon Hwang(Seoul National University) ▲Agricultural and Fishery Sciences(4) Kyung-Rok Yu(Seoul National University), Samooel Jung(Chungnam National University), Sanguine Byun(Yonsei University), Yun-Sang Choi(Korea Food Research Institute) ▲Medical Sciences Hong-Hee Won(Sungkyunkwan University), Seung-Won Lee(Sejong University), Young Joon Seo(Yonsei University), Hyung-Jun Im(Seoul National University), Heejung Kim(Yonsei University), Gunhyuk Park(Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine).

Elected Y-KAST members have a three-year term beginning in January next year and can be reappointed until they reach the age of 45 through re-evaluation. They will have the opportunity to academically interact with young scientists from institutes of science and technology of around thirty major countries, including Sweden, Germany, Japan, and the U.S.

KAST President Min-koo Han stated, “The future and hope of Korean science and technology can be found in young scientists conducting original and innovative research. On behalf of the older generation of scientists, KAST will do its utmost to support talented young scientists in their path to become world-class researchers.”

KAST will hold the ‘2021 Y_KAST Members Day’ online at 4pm on the 14th and introduce the research and achievements of new Y-KAST members.

Y-KAST was launched in 2017 to support research environments where outstanding young scientists can devote themselves to research. The number of members is 150, and around 30 new members are selected through rigorous evaluation each year. In particular, the evaluation focuses on achievements accomplished by the candidate as an independent researcher in Korea after obtaining a Ph.D. degree to select next generation science and technology leaders who are highly likely to contribute to Korea’s science and technology.

Source: https://ee.snu.ac.kr/community/news?bm=v&bbsidx=51916

Translated by: Jee Hyun Lee, English Editor of Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, jlee621@snu.ac.kr