Hyundai Motor's First Female Outside Director
Also the First Female Director at the Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences
The unique background of Professor Ji-Yoon Lee, KAIST Department of Aerospace Engineering (KAIST Distinguished Professor), who became the first Korean to receive the Thurlow Award from the Institute of Navigation (ION) in the United States, is drawing attention.
Professor Ji-yoon Lee, Chair Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), recipient of the Institute of Navigation (ION) Thurlow Award. [Photo by KAIST]
Since 2021, she has been serving as a member of the Audit Committee overseeing the management of Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor) and as an outside director of Hyundai Motor. At that time, she was appointed as Hyundai Motor's first female outside director, breaking the glass ceiling. Hyundai Motor expressed expectations, stating, "We anticipate that Professor Ji-Yoon Lee will provide in-depth advice and opinions on the direction of the UAM (Urban Air Mobility) business and technological trends as an outside director."
Professor Ji-Yoon Lee is one of the leading experts in aerospace engineering in Korea. In 2019, she was the first Korean professor to be elected as a director of the Institute of Navigation in the United States and also served as the first female director of the Korean Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences.
Meanwhile, ION announced at its annual awards ceremony held alongside the international conference in Long Beach, California (local time in the U.S.) the day before, that Professor Lee was selected as the recipient of the Thurlow Award. She is the first Korean to receive the Thurlow Award. The Thurlow Award was established in 1945 to honor Colonel Thomas L. Thurlow, who contributed to the development of navigation equipment and navigator training. This award, intended to recognize individuals who have contributed to navigation advancement, is given annually to one eligible recipient when there is a qualified candidate.
Professor Lee received the Thurlow Award in recognition of her contributions to technological advancements ensuring the safety of satellite-based navigation systems for aviation. She is acknowledged for her work in guaranteeing the safety of aviation satellite-based navigation systems against ionospheric disturbances caused by external factors such as changes in the solar space environment.
Previous recipients include Professor Charles Stark Draper of MIT, known as the father of inertial navigation. Professor Draper developed the guidance navigation computer for the Apollo lunar landing project.
Professor Lee expressed her award acceptance, saying, "I am honored to receive the Thurlow Award," and added, "I will continue to strive to secure safe and sustainable navigation technologies to contribute to the development of the future mobility industry."
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