Professor Sangwan Lee of KAIST to Receive IBM Academic Award

Recognition of Contributions to Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence

Professor Sangwan Lee, Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on the 17th that Professor Lee Sang-wan of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering (Director of the Neuroscience-Artificial Intelligence Convergence Research Center) has been finally selected as the recipient of the 2021 IBM Academic Award (formerly IBM Faculty Award) in recognition of his research achievements in brain-based artificial intelligence.

In 2019, Professor Lee published excellent papers as the corresponding author in Science Robotics and Nature Communications. He was recognized for pioneering a new research field that integrates computational neuroscience and artificial intelligence.

The IBM Academic Award was established to promote research collaboration between IBM in the United States and leading universities worldwide. Candidates are selected through internal nominations by key researchers within the organization, including IBM research directors. The final awardees are determined by comprehensively evaluating the impact, creativity, and research achievements of the research proposals.

The awardees receive prize money in the form of research funds without any restrictions related to research scope or patents. They can also engage in various forms of research exchanges with IBM research institutes. In Korea, past recipients include Professor Yoon Sung-ro of Seoul National University (2018), Professor Lee Jae-sung of Korea University (2005), and Professor Moon Soo-mook of Seoul National University (2000).

Professor Lee said, "Research that interprets the brain's complex information processing using machine learning theory and implants the brain's high-level information processing into artificial intelligence models is still in its infancy." He added, "Using brain-artificial intelligence co-evolution engine technology and prefrontal cortex meta-reinforcement learning modeling technology, I plan to conduct joint research with IBM researchers in the future."

Professor Lee was also selected as a recipient of the Google Faculty Research Award in 2016. The Google Faculty Research Award was established with a similar purpose to the IBM Academic Award, to promote research collaboration between Google and leading researchers at universities worldwide. In the field of computational neuroscience, Professor Lee Sang-wan remains the only Korean recipient to date.