Naver Recruits Global Experts in AI and Search to Advance AI Search Technology

Professor Kim Yoon-hyung of MIT (left) and Professor Carl Stratos of Rutgers University (right)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Naver announced on the 24th that it has recruited Professor Kim Yoonhyung of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Professor Carl Stratos (Korean name Lee Jangseon) of Rutgers University as Naver Scholars.

Naver Scholars are professors and researchers affiliated with universities and research institutions located in the US, Europe, and other regions, who work at their home institutions while leading the development of next-generation AI technologies and search services at Naver's AI center in the US, ‘Naver Search US’.

Professor Kim, newly recruited this time, earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Harvard University and is currently an assistant professor at MIT. In 2014, he attracted attention from academia and the AI industry by publishing a solo paper applying convolutional neural network (CNN) technology, a part of deep learning, to the field of natural language processing (NLP). This paper has been cited more than 12,000 times worldwide.

Additionally, Professor Kim’s research on Character-Aware language models and OpenNMT machine translation is widely used in the industry and is recognized for leading innovation in deep learning research.

Professor Carl, who also joined Naver, holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Columbia University and is an expert in the AI field. He is currently an assistant professor at Rutgers University, researching unsupervised learning methods and knowledge usage model development. He has gained international recognition by serving as the chair of the machine learning section at top-tier NLP conferences (ACL, EMNLP, NAACL).

Professor Carl redefined the statistical theory of mutual information, which is the basis of information theory, achieving results that fundamentally change the direction of AI research methodologies. He has received awards such as the Google Faculty Research Award (2020).

These professors plan to focus on advancing next-generation AI search technologies to be integrated throughout Naver’s search services at Naver Search US. Kim Kwanghyun, CEO of Naver Search CIC, said, "Through this recruitment, we will combine the big data, technology, and service operation know-how accumulated by Naver with the experience of talented individuals equipped with the latest technical knowledge to present innovative services that can broaden the horizon of search experiences." He added, "This year as well, we plan to actively recruit excellent researchers who are active on the global stage in the US, Europe, and other regions."