[Profile] Electrical and Computer Engineer Formerly at Samsung and Bell Labs... Im Hye-sook Nominated as Minister of Science and ICT

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] On the 16th, President Moon Jae-in nominated Im Hye-sook (58), the current Chairperson of the National Research Council of Science & Technology, as the Minister of Science and ICT.

Nominee Im is a former professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Ewha Womans University. She graduated from Seoul Songgok Girls' High School and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Control and Instrumentation Engineering from Seoul National University. She received her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. She has worked as a researcher at Samsung Hewlett-Packard, Bell Labs in the United States, and Cisco Systems. She also served as the Dean of the College of Engineering at Ewha Womans University and as President of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers.

Im was appointed Chairperson of the National Research Council of Science & Technology in January and, after three months, has been promoted to oversee the nation's science, technology, and ICT policies.

When appointing Im as Chairperson of the National Research Council of Science & Technology, the Blue House explained, "She is the youngest and first female chairperson in the history of the National Research Council of Science & Technology, representing 25 government-funded research institutes in the field of science and technology." They added, "With her passionate attitude, fresh perspective, and communication skills, she is expected to contribute to supporting public safety and improving quality of life through science and technology in the era of 100 trillion won R&D investment."

Below is a summary of nominee Im's major career highlights.

▲1963 (58) ▲Seoul Songgok Girls' High School ▲Seoul National University, Department of Control and Instrumentation Engineering (Bachelor's and Master's) ▲University of Texas at Austin, Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering ▲Samsung Hewlett-Packard ▲Bell Labs (USA) ▲Cisco Systems Researcher ▲Dean of College of Engineering, Ewha Womans University ▲President of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers ▲Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Ewha Womans University ▲Full Member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea