Chonnam National University (CNU) selected three professors as receipients the “Monthly Award of Distinguished CNU Members” for December 2022 to recognize their academic achievements and celebrate their election to the new fellows of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), the most authoritative academic institution comprised of leading science and technology scholars in Korea. Professor Min Jung-joon (Department of Nuclear Medicine), Professor Kim Jae-kook (School of Materials Science and Engineering), and Professor Kook Hyun (Department of Pharmacology) have been inducted into the most prestigious organization, which announced its new fellows for the year 2023 on November 17.

CNU also held a symposium to celebrate that three professors at once are one the list of the regular members of the KAST on December 7. They are among the 28 newly elected fellows for the year 2023 from five fields — agricultural and fishery, engineering, medical sciences, natural sciences and policy research. All of them graduated from CNU and have shown excellent academic results, leading world-class research at their fields.

Professor Min Jung-joon pioneered a new field of molecular imaging while working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles and Stanford University. He has been recognized as a world-renowned scholar in this research field, and he was elected a member of the World Molecular Imaging Society. Professor Min is creating a new paradigm of cancer treatment technology, developing anti-cancer immune treatments using cancer-targeted bacteria.

Professor Kim Jae-guk introduced the concept of nanostructure in the field of secondary battery electrode materials for the first time in the world during his doctoral coursework at the University of Texas at Austin, and his research result was published in the world’s leading science journal, Nature (impact factor 43.070). In addition, Professor Kim developed the source technology for lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) cathode active materials used in most electric vehicles, and contributing to the development of domestic industry through transferring more than 30 patented technologies to domestic companies.

Professor Kook Hyun has been recognized his achievements in the pharmacology field, conducting intensive researches in cardiovascular disease for nearly 30 years and leading the development of new treatments for the disease. Particularly, he was honored to become a fellow of the KAST following his father Kook Yeong-jong (Honorary Professor, Department of Pharmacology) who has contributed to the development of medicine in Korea, while working as a fellow emeritus of the KAST.

Every year, the KAST inducts scholars, who are recognized for their academic excellence, as new fellows through the selecting process conducted by its membership review committee. The new fellows take part in various projects such as researches and international exchanges in science and technology or play a role to make suggestions and give advice in the fields. The induction ceremony for new fellows of the KAST is scheduled to be held on January 13 next year.

By Lee Eun-ji, Tribune Reporter