Pioneering Research on Brain Mechanisms of Cognitive Function and Social Behavior
First National Scientist, IBS's First Research Group Leader
[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] Shin Hee-seop, a pioneer of brain science in Korea and the first research group leader of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), retired on the 23rd. The retirement ceremony was held online, with congratulatory speeches delivered virtually by Jung Byung-sun, Vice Minister of Science and ICT, Oh Se-jeong, President of Seoul National University, and Yoon Seok-jin, President of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST).
After graduating from Seoul National University College of Medicine, Shin earned his Ph.D. at Cornell University College of Medicine in the U.S., shifting his career path from clinician to basic medical scientist. His area of interest was the brain. He elucidated the mechanisms underlying cognitive functions such as memory, emotion, and empathy, and was the first in Korea to introduce genetics into this research. Notably, he gained attention for his study identifying the genetic causes of brain neurological disorders such as epilepsy and paralysis (Nature, 1997).
Even after his appointment as IBS group leader, he continued to reveal the integrated functions of the brain involved in cognition, emotion, and sociality. He published over 197 papers in prestigious international journals, including research that doubled learning memory by regulating brain waves during sleep (Neuron, 2017), elucidated the genetic mechanisms controlling empathy (Neuron, 2018), and identified brain circuits that suppress fear memory (Nature, 2019).
Since July 2012, he was selected as the first research group leader of IBS and has led the Social Brain Science Group within the Cognitive and Sociality Research Division. Prior to this, he served as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology), and was a principal researcher and director of the Brain Science Institute at KIST.
Throughout his lifetime as a scientist, he received numerous awards including the Ho-Am Prize (2004), the Order of Civil Merit, Dongbaek Medal (2004), and the Korea’s Top Scientist Award (2005). He was also designated as the first National Scientist by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2006. Internationally, he earned academic honors such as membership in the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
IBS President Noh Do-young said in his farewell speech, "Today is a glorious yet bittersweet day as Shin Hee-seop, the first IBS research group leader and a great scientist who will be recorded in the history of Korean science, reaches retirement age." He added, "Although he is stepping down from his role as group leader, we ask him to generously guide and mentor junior scientists with his experience and wisdom as a senior scientist."
Shin said, "It has been 46 years since I started my life as a basic scientist, having disliked following the predetermined path of a doctor after graduating from medical school." He continued, "Starting without a mentor and driven only by passion, I have conducted brain science research, received many benefits from the nation, and traveled a happy path as a researcher with the help of countless colleagues and senior and junior researchers."
He further stated, "Thanks to being appointed as the IBS group leader, I received full support for research and was able to seriously devote myself to brain science research until the end by observing and learning from outstanding young group leaders." He revealed his post-retirement plans, saying, "Based on the system established in the research group, I intend to help junior researchers advance deeper and higher."
Meanwhile, the Social Brain Science Group of the Cognitive and Sociality Research Division, which Shin led, will be dissolved according to the institute’s regulations. The affiliated researchers will transfer to the Cognitive Glial Cell Science Group within the division to continue their research activities.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
