UST Appoints 165 New Faculty Members Including Top 0.1% Highly Cited Researchers

More Than 50% Under 40 Years Old
114 Tenure-Track Professors Appointed for the First Time

The University of Science and Technology (UST) has appointed 165 of the nation's top researchers-including Highly Cited Researchers (HCRs) in the top 0.1% globally and leaders of Global TOP Strategy Research Teams-as new faculty members for the latter half of 2026. More than half of these newly appointed professors are aged 40 or younger, signaling a generational shift in the research and education system.

UST announced that it has newly appointed top-tier researchers selected from 24 national research institute schools. This group includes individuals named as Clarivate's "2025 Highly Cited Researchers" (HCRs), recognized as some of the most influential researchers in the world.

From the left, Rose, Professor at KIOST School; Sungkyu Park, Professor at KIMS School; Kyungchul Ko, Professor at KRIBB School; Donggeun Lee, Professor at KISTI School. Courtesy of UST

Rose, Professor at the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) School, is a UST Ph.D. graduate who has published numerous highly cited papers in the environmental and ecological fields over the past 11 years, placing her among the HCRs. Professor Rose stated, "I will give back the experiences I gained at my alma mater to the next generation of students."

Sungkyu Park, Professor at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) School, leads the "Ultra-Sensitive Precision Cancer Gene Analysis Research Group" and has developed liquid biopsy technology based on urine and blood. This technology was transferred for 4 billion won and was selected as one of the Top 100 Outstanding National R&D Achievements.

Kyungcheol Ko, Professor at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) School, served as Secretary General of the COVID-19 R&D Support Council and led the establishment of the National Preclinical Trial Support Center. Donggeun Lee, Professor at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) School, has conducted research on the design of practical quantum algorithms in NISQ environments.

The newly appointed faculty members were selected from institutes such as the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), and Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT). Among them, five are UST Ph.D. alumni, demonstrating a virtuous cycle of talent cultivation.

This year, UST introduced a tenure-track faculty system for the first time, appointing 114 professors. The selection was based on criteria such as more than 10 years of service, having supervised at least three Ph.D. graduates, and outstanding research achievements.

President Kang Daeim stated, "The appointment of early-career researchers and tenure-track faculty signifies a qualitative expansion of the talent pool based on national research institutes," adding, "We will cultivate world-class global R&D talent."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.