Contribution to Research on Next-Generation Memory Devices
and Training of Semiconductor Professionals
Professor Hwang Cheolseong, Distinguished Professor at Seoul National University (photo), has been awarded the nation’s most prestigious science and technology honor.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies announced on July 3, 2025, that Professor Hwang Cheolseong of Seoul National University has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Korea Top Scientist and Engineer Award.
Professor Hwang has made significant contributions to the discovery of new devices and materials that go beyond the conventional memory semiconductor fields of DRAM and NAND flash. In particular, he was recognized for his pioneering achievements in the field of resistive switching materials and devices, which have contributed to the advancement of the national semiconductor industry.
Through collaborative research with fellow professors, Professor Hwang was the first to directly analyze nanofilaments within the platinum·titanium dioxide·platinum structure (Pt/TiO2/Pt) system, confirming that the switching mechanism of resistive random access memory devices originates from the formation and rupture of Magneli phase (TinO2n-1) titanium oxide filaments.
Since its publication in Nature Nanotechnology in 2010, this research has been cited over 2,450 times and is now ranked among the top five most-cited papers in the field of resistive random access memory semiconductors.
In addition, he has made significant contributions to the development of the semiconductor industry through the publication of 750 SCI papers, 227 domestic and international patents (142 applications and 85 registrations), 16 technology transfers, and ongoing industry-academia collaborations. Recently, he has been focusing on research into the development of neuromorphic semiconductors that operate like the human brain, and is expected to contribute to the sustainable advancement of semiconductor technology in the future.
Professor Hwang earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from the Department of Inorganic Materials Engineering at Seoul National University. He worked as a senior researcher at the Samsung Electronics Semiconductor Research Center, and since 1998 has served as a professor in his alma mater’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He has trained 65 master's and 100 doctoral graduates to date, contributing to the cultivation of next-generation semiconductor professionals.
The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to present Professor Hwang with a Presidential Citation and a prize of 300 million won at the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Korean Scientists and Engineers Convention, to be held at the Korea Science and Technology Center on July 9.
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