My Research and Work at NINT
My Research and Work at NINT
  • Professor Hoon-Kyu Shin
  • 승인 2021.11.13 23:29
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Professor Hoon-Kyu ShinThe vice president of the NINT
Professor Hoon-Kyu Shin
The vice president of the NINT

 

Professor Hoon-Kyu Shin is the vice president of the POSTECH National Institute for Nanomaterials Technology (NINT). His recent research on molecular electronics and devices was awarded this year’s grand prize from the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers. Professor Hoon-Kyu Shin shared some details about NINT, his research, and the recent experience of being awarded the grand prize. 

NINT was established in 2004 when POSTECH was selected to be part of the university consortium for the government’s project on business development. Now NINT has become an integral part of the research infrastructure of POSTECH. It is composed of around 60 researchers, 187 high-tech equipments for measurement analysis of semiconductors and display materials, and research facilities like the cleanroom. The cleanroom is a facility that is designed to maintain extremely low levels of particulates, such as dust, airborne organisms, or vaporized particles.
As one of the three major Nanofab centers in Korea, NINT supports external research and acts as a gateway to connect POSTECH’s research with companies. Such effort has led NINT to be appointed as a national research facility in the material and equipment field in 2019. NINT is currently expanding its role as a bridge connecting research with companies and aiding development research by providing facilities equipped with cutting-edge technology and high-tech equipment.
There are around 20 companies which NINT supports with research facilities and high-tech equipment. Since 2009, NINT has developed a new system to support the commercialization of technology developed by companies at NINT so that small or startup companies can use expensive facilities and equipment without purchasing them. Other benefits include one-stop services like trial mass production of their products. This helps them to gain better insight into the costs and the general production process. In addition, all businesses can conduct joint research, solve errors, re-educate the workforce, receive aid during their employee selection process, provide specialized education on customers’ demands, and more. We try to minimize the burden on the companies during their efforts to commercialize their research or product. 
My main role as the vice president of NINT is to assist the President and be responsible for the transactions in technical and business support. Other responsibilities include planning for new business, stabilizing finance, finding ways to operate efficiently, and improving the overall welfare of workers at NINT while participating in external activities. Also, I work as a businessman that creates strategies by analyzing the government’s recent decisions, or representing the government as an expert for certain required roles.
I strive to actively provide support with one-stop services when requested by professors and students. Many people have expressed their thoughts that the fee to use our facilities and equipment is expensive. Although we are a research institute at POSTECH, we are running under an individual funding system and operate on our budget. Although we cannot lower the fee instantly, we are trying our best to make our facilities and equipment more accessible by allowing all researchers from POSTECH to use them at a cheaper price.
Lastly, I lead the process of finishing the NINT 2020 plan, and finalizing the NINT 2030, which is our new plan to develop and expand  further. In conclusion, my role in NINT is to be a versatile player: I act as a researcher and as the vice president who leads in various fields of research while promoting NINT. I am also an expert communicator for the government or local governments.
My research area is molecular electronics and devices. I research the electrical properties of organic molecules at the molecular level such as making organic molecules into single molecules or monolayers. My master’s research was on surfactant molecules and during my Ph.D., I researched electron tunneling. After successfully finishing my Ph.D., I continued to conduct research related to surfactant molecules and electron tunneling at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan from 1997 to 1999, and at the University of Houston, in the United States from 2005 to 2006.
I came to POSTECH in 2006 and became interested in applied research. I started to research conductive polymers while conducting research on OLED to support technical development in OLED companies. I started my research on Silicon Carbide material development in 2010 and signed an MOU with the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, a globally renowned practical research institute. In 2017, I was selected to be part of the GRDC inducement business by the Ministry of Science and Technology Information and Communication and will lead the SiC Power Semiconductor research as the leader of POSTECH-Fraunhofer IISB Research Center until 2022. 
The Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers’ grand prize is awarded to the researcher with the best performance in all fields including research, writing thesis, and participating in volunteer work from among their 2500 members. An award ceremony is held for the winner, and I was very honored that I received the grand prize. Personally, this award meant a great deal to me. Not only did I receive credit and recognition for the research I have conducted for a very long time, but I also felt proud of the fact that I contributed to the development of the electric material field in Korea through constant research in an area that I first started researching during my masters degree. 
 Moving forward I will strive to focus on my research and continue my personal development while contributing to the growth of NINT and POSTECH.