[Photo from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology]
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation of Korea announced on April 28 that five scientists including the two from POSTECH were nominated as National Scientists for their original, world-class research achievements. The prestigious award to the two POSTECH professors is not only recognition of their remarkable scientific achievements but also proof that POSTECH has secured its place as the nation’s best research-oriented university.
The “National Scientist” Program is the highest research support program funded by the government, which enables the selected scientists to receive 1.5 billion won per year for up to ten years. Unlike previous years, this year’s selection was based on the originality and the impact of the research and the worldwide reputation of the researcher.
Prof. Kwang S. Kim of the Department of Chemistry is the first scientist in the world to develop nanolenses capable of optical resolution beyond the diffraction limit that displays new physical phenomena. This research result has drawn much attention since it was published in Nature last year. Prof. Kim is well-known as a pioneer in the field of Nanochemistry, and has been cited more than 11,000 times. He has been acknowledged for creating the core technology of the future nano-based science industry.
Prof. Hong Gil Nam of the Department of Life Science is a world authority on plant senescence and a pioneer in the field of Integrative Biosciences. He has recently identified a mechanism of aging-induced cell death, and published the result in Science. Apart from this, Prof. Nam has accomplished the rare feat of publishing research papers in all three of the world’s most influential scientific journals―Science, Nature, and Cell.
President Baik expressed, “We believe that this is a result of unsparingly supporting competent professors and it is very gratifying to be acknowledged for that. POSTECH will provide ongoing extensive support to turn out world renowned scientists.”
The names of the other three scientists who were selected as National Scientists this time are Prof. V. Narry Kim and Prof. Tae Won Noh (both at Seoul National University) and Prof. Jun-Muk Hwang (Korea Institute for Advanced Study). With the addition of these five new names, the total number of National Scientists has now reached eight.
The award is expected to foster leading scientists for national scientific and technological progress, strengthening of research capabilities in basic science and guiding young potential researchers and students by exhibiting role models.
