KAIST

< (From left) KAIST Professors Yoonjae Choi, Tae-Kyun Kim, Jong Chul Ye, Hyunwoo Kim, Seunghoon Hong, Sang Yup Lee >  KAIST announced on the 14th of November that it has been selected as a major participating institution in the 'Lunit Consortium' for the 'AI Specialized Foundation Model Development Project' supervised by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and has officially started developing an AI foundation model for the medical science and bio fields. Through this project, KAIST plans to develop an 'AI Foundation Model Specialized for Medical Science' that encompasses the entire lifecycle of bio and medical data, and lead the creation of an AI based life science innovation ecosystem. The 'Lunit Consortium' includes 7 companies-Lunit, Trillion Labs, Kakao Healthcare, Igenscience, SK Biopharm, and Rebellion-along with 9 medical and research institutions, including KAIST, Seoul National University, NYU, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, and Yonsei Severance Hospital. This consortium will be supported by 256 state of the art B200 GPUs to build and demonstrate a 'Chain of Evidence-Based Full-Cycle Medical Science AI Model', an AI system that connects and analyzes medical data from beginning to end, and a 'Multi-Agent Service', a system where multiple AIs collaborate to perform diagnosis and prediction. KAIST's participation in this project involves a joint research team formed by professors from the School of Computing and the Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI. Professors Yoonjae Choi, Tae-Kyun Kim, Jong Chul Ye, Hyunwoo Kim, and Seunghoon Hong will serve as the research team, and Vice President for Research  Sang Yup Lee will take on an advisory role. The research team is not merely collecting data but they are establishing a strategy (L1~L7 stages) to precisely process and systematically manage medical and life science data so that the AI can actually learn and utilize it. Through this, they plan to develop and verify an AI model that connects and analyzes diverse life science data, including medical information, gene/protein data, and new drug candidates. The data the research team aims to integrate includes a wide range from language to actual patient treatment information. Specifically, L1 represents language data, L2 is the structure of molecules, L3 is proteins and antibodies, L4 is omics data encompassing genetic and protein information, L5 is drug information, L6 is medical science research and clinical data, and L7 is real-world clinical data obtained from actual hospitals. In essence, the data handled by the AI connects everything from speech and text to molecules, proteins, drugs, clinical research, and actual patient treatment information. < The process of training AI by viewing X ray images and doctor's interpretation (text) together (MedViLL from Professor Jae-Yoon Choi' s lab) >  Vice President Sang Yup Lee is a world-renowned scholar in the fields of synthetic biology and systems metabolic engineering, leading the establishment of a bio manufacturing platform and policy advice through the convergence of life science, engineering, and AI. He advises on the analysis of life information (omics) such as genes and proteins and designs a feedback system for verifying experimental results, supporting the Korean-developed medical AI model to secure international reliability and competitiveness. Vice President Lee stated, "AI technology is breaking down the boundaries of life science and engineering, creating a new paradigm for knowledge creation," adding, "KAIST will utilize full cycle medical science data to accelerate the era where AI uncovers the causes of diseases and predicts treatments." KAIST President Kwang Hyung Lee said, "KAIST will contribute to creating an AI-based life science innovation ecosystem, lead the innovation of national strategic industries through world-class AI-bio convergence research, and drive the progress of human health and science and technology." The model developed in the Lunit Consortium will be released as an Open License for commercial use, and is expected to expand into various medical and healthcare services such as national health chatbots. With this participation, KAIST plans to strengthen research on AI-based life science data infrastructure establishment, medical AI standardization, and AI ethics and policy advice, leading the AI transition of national bio and medical science research.

<(From Left) Professor Hyunjoo Jenny Lee, Dr.Sang-Mok Lee, Ph.D candidate Xiaojia Liang> Conventional wearable ultrasound sensors have been limited by low power output and poor structural stability, making them unsuitable for high-resolution imaging or therapeutic applications. A KAIST research team has now overcome these challenges by developing a flexible ultrasound sensor with statically adjustable curvature. This breakthrough opens new possibilities for wearable medical devices that can capture precise, body-conforming images and perform noninvasive treatments using ultrasound energy. KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on November 12 that a research team led by Professor Hyunjoo Jenny Lee from the School of Electrical Engineering developed a “flex-to-rigid (FTR)” capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) capable of transitioning freely between flexibility and rigidity using a semiconductor wafer process (MEMS). The team incorporated a low-melting-point alloy (LMPA) inside the device. When an electric current is applied, the metal melts, allowing the structure to deform freely; upon cooling, it solidifies again, fixing the sensor into the desired curved shape. Conventional polymer-membrane-based CMUTs have suffered from a low elastic modulus, resulting in insufficient acoustic power and blurred focal points during vibration. They have also lacked curvature control, limiting precise focusing on target regions. Professor Lee’s team designed an FTR structure that combines a rigid silicon substrate with a flexible elastomer bridge, achieving both high output performance and mechanical flexibility. The embedded LMPA enables dynamic adjustment and fixation of the transducer’s shape by toggling between solid and liquid states through electrical control. As a result, the new sensor can automatically focus ultrasound on a specific region according to its curvature—without requiring separate beamforming electronics—and maintains stable electrical and acoustic performance even after repeated bending. The device’s acoustic output reaches the level of low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU), which can gently stimulate tissues to induce therapeutic effects without causing damage. Experiments on animal models demonstrated that noninvasive spleen stimulation reduced inflammation and improved mobility in arthritis models. In the future, the team plans to extend this technology to a two-dimensional (2D) array structure—arranging multiple sensors in a grid—to enable simultaneous high-resolution ultrasound imaging and therapeutic applications, paving the way for a new generation of smart medical systems. Because the technology is compatible with semiconductor fabrication processes, it can be mass-produced and adapted for wearable and home-use ultrasound systems. This study was conducted by Sang-Mok Lee, Xiaojia Liang (co–first authors), and their collaborators under the supervision of Professor Hyunjoo Jenny Lee. The results were published online on October 23 in npj Flexible Electronics (Impact Factor: 15.5). Paper title: “Flexible ultrasound transducer array with statically adjustable curvature for anti-inflammatory treatment”DOI: [10.1038/s41528-025-00484-7] The research was supported by the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program (Brain Science Convergence Research Program) of the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the Korea Medical Device Development Fund, a multi-ministerial R&D initiative.  

<(From left) Dr. Neetu Singh, Ph.D candidate Haneul Im, Dr. Seongyeon Kwon (IBS) (Back) Professor YunJung Baek> Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), which we consume, acts as an important coenzyme that helps food convert into energy within the body. Korean researchers have successfully created a new artificial enzyme for the first time in the world by combining this riboflavin (flavin) with metal, adding the metal's reaction-controlling ability to riboflavin's electron-transfer function. This technology is expected to operate more precisely and stably than natural enzymes, demonstrating potential for use in various fields such as energy production, environmental purification, and new drug development. The research team led by Professor Yunjung Baek of KAIST Department of Chemistry, in collaboration with Dr. Seongyeon Kwon of the Institute for Basic Science, announced on the 11th of November that they have succeeded in synthesizing a new molecular system that allows flavin to bind with metal ions. Until now, scientists have long been unable to realize "flavin combined with metal" because flavin has a structural limitation—a complex ring structure entangled with nitrogen and oxygen—which makes it difficult for a metal to selectively bind. To overcome this limitation, the research team designed a binding site for the metal within the flavin at the molecular level and applied a metallochemical approach that precisely arranges the ligand structure that traps the metal. Through this, they successfully and stably synthesized the flavin-metal complex by delicately controlling the electronic and spatial interactions around the metal. This achievement is the first case that integrates flavin's inherent properties and metal's reactivity into a single system, opening up the possibility for the development of 'metal-based artificial enzymes' that finely tune chemical reactions. Professor Yunjung Baek stated, "We have moved beyond the limitations of naturally occurring flavin and expanded a biomolecule into a new component of metallochemistry. This research suggests a new direction for the design of next-generation catalysts and energy conversion materials based on biomolecules." This achievement, in which Dr. Neetu Singh and Ph.D candidate Haneul Im of KAIST Department of Chemistry participated as co-first authors, was published in the international journal Inorganic Chemistry, issued by the American Chemical Society (ACS), on November 5th. It was recognized for its creativity and completeness and was selected as the cover article. Furthermore, it was chosen as an ACS Editors’ Choice—a representative paper selected once a day from all 90+ journals published by ACS—acknowledging the importance of the research. Article Title: Tautomerizable Flavin Ligands for Constructing Primary and Secondary Coordination Spheres, DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.5c03941 Author Information: Total 5 authors including Neetu Singh (KAIST, Co-first Author), Haneul Im (KAIST, Co-first Author), Seongyeon Kwon (IBS, Co-second Author), Dongwook Kim (IBS, Co-third Author), and Yunjung Baek (KAIST, Corresponding Author). <Cover Article Selection Photo for Inorganic Chemistry, an International Academic Journal Published by the American Chemical Society> This research was supported by the 'Excellent New Researcher' project of the Basic Research Program for Individuals funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the 'Materials and Components Development Program' supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.  

<(From left) Professor Won Do Heo (KAIST), Postdoctoral Researcher Heeyoung Lee (KAIST, First Author), Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho (KAIST), Professor Kapsang Lee (Johns Hopkins University, USA), Dr. Sangkyu Lee (IBS), Dr. Dongsan Kim (LIBD), Dr. Yeaji Seo (Hulux) (Co-First Authors)> Cell movement is an essential biological process, whether it's cancer cells metastasizing to other parts of the body or immune cells migrating to heal a wound. However, the principle by which cells autonomously determine their direction of movement without external stimuli has remained unknown until now. Through this research, KAIST and an international joint research team have elucidated the principle by which cells decide their direction and move on their own, offering a crucial clue for identifying the causes of cancer metastasis and immune diseases and establishing new treatment strategies. KAIST announced on the 10th of November that the research team led by Endowed Chair Professor Won Do Heo of the Department of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with the research team of Endowed Chair Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, and Professor Kapsang Lee's research team at Johns Hopkins University in the US, has for the first time in the world identified the 'autonomous driving mechanism' by which cells determine their direction of movement without external signals. The research team developed a new imaging technique called 'INSPECT (INtracellular Separation of Protein Engineered Condensation Technique)' that allows direct visualization of how proteins interact within living cells. Using this technology, they revealed the principle of the cell's internal program for autonomously deciding its direction of movement. The team newly analyzed the operation of the key proteins that regulate cell movement, the Rho family proteins (Rac1, Cdc42, RhoA). The results showed that these proteins do not merely divide the front and back of the cell, as previously theorized, but that the cell's decision to move straight or change direction depends on which protein it binds with. The INSPECT technology artificially implements the phenomenon of 'phase separation,' where proteins, upon binding, naturally form segregated regions that do not mix well. This technique allows for the direct visualization of how proteins actually bind within the cell using a fluorescent signal. <Figure 1. INSPECT: A technique for visualizing Intracellular Protein-Protein Interactions"> The research team used the proteins ferritin and the fluorescent protein DsRed to make the clusters, or 'condensates,' visible to the eye when proteins bind together like small droplets. Using this technology, the team analyzed a total of 285 pairs of interactions by combining 15 types of Rho proteins with 19 types of binding proteins, confirming actual binding in 139 pairs. Specifically, they identified that the Cdc42–FMNL protein combination is the core circuit responsible for the cell's 'straight movement,' while the Rac1–ROCK protein combination is responsible for the cell's 'change of direction.' The research team slightly modified a part of the Rac1 protein (the 37th amino acid), which is crucial for cell direction control, to prevent it from binding well with the 'steering wheel' protein, ROCK. As a result, the cells could not change direction and continued to move in a straight line. In contrast, in normal cells, Rac1 and ROCK bind well, forming a structure called 'arc stress fiber' at the front of the cell. This fiber enables the cell to make near-perpendicular turns when changing direction. Furthermore, in an experiment where the environment the cells were attached to was changed, normal cells adjusted their moving speed according to the surrounding environment, but the Rac1F37W cells (cells with a broken 'steering wheel') maintained the same speed regardless of environmental changes. This demonstrates that the Rac–ROCK protein axis subtly controls the cell's ability to recognize and adapt to its surrounding environment. <Figure 2. Analysis of the Signaling Network through Screening of Protein Interactions that Bind to a Cell Migration-Controlling Protein> Professor Won Do Heo stated, "This research reveals that cell movement is not a random motion but is precisely controlled by an intrinsic program created by the ensemble of Rho signaling proteins and cell migration-related proteins." He added, "The newly developed INSPECT technology is a powerful tool for visualizing intracellular protein interactions and will be broadly utilized to uncover the molecular mechanisms of various life phenomena and diseases, such as cancer metastasis and neuronal cell migration." This research, in which Dr. Heeyoung Lee of KAIST, Dr. Sangkyu Lee (currently at IBS), Dr. Yeji Seo (currently at Hulux Co., Ltd.), and Dr. Dongsan Kim (currently at LIBD) participated as co-first authors, was published in Nature Communications on October 31st. Journal Name: A Rho GTPase-effector ensemble governs cell migration behavior DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64635-0 The research was supported by the Samsung Future Technology Foundation and the National Research Foundation of Korea.

<(From Left) Professor Sukyoung Ryu, Researcher  Jaemin Hong> As the C language, which forms the basis of critical global software like operating systems, faces security limitations, KAIST's research team is pioneering core original technology research for the accurate automatic conversion to Rust to replace it. By proving the mathematical correctness of the conversion, a limitation of existing Artificial Intelligence (LLM) methods, and solving C language security issues through automatic conversion to Rust, they presented a new direction and vision for future software security research. This work has been selected as the cover story for CACM, the world's highest-authority academic journal, thereby demonstrating KAIST's global research leadership in the field of computer science. KAIST announced on the 9th of November that the paper by Professor Sukyoung Ryu's research team (Programming Language Research Group) from the School of Computing was selected as the cover story for the November issue of CACM (Communications of the ACM), the highest authority academic journal published by ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), the world's largest computer society. <Photo of the Paper Selected for the Cover of Communications of the ACM> This paper comprehensively addresses the technology developed by Professor Sukyoung Ryu's research team for the automatic conversion of C language to Rust, and it received high acclaim from the international research community for presenting the technical vision and academic direction this research should pursue in the future. The C language has been widely used in the industry since the 1970s, but its structural limitations have continuously caused severe bugs and security vulnerabilities. Rust, on the other hand, is a secure programming language developed since 2015, used in the development of operating systems and web browsers, and has the characteristic of being able to detect and prevent bugs before program execution. The US White House recommended discontinuing the use of C language in a technology report released in February 2024, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) also explicitly stated that Rust is the core alternative for resolving C language security issues by promoting a project to develop technology for the automatic conversion of C code to Rust. Professor Sukyoung Ryu's research team proactively raised the issues of C language safety and the importance of automatic conversion even before these movements began in earnest, and they have continuously developed core related technologies. In May 2023, the research team presented the Mutex conversion technology (necessary for program synchronization) at ICSE (International Conference on Software Eng), the top authority conference in software engineering. In June 2024, they presented the Output Parameter conversion technology (used for result delivery) at PLDI (Programming Language Design and Implementation), the top conference in programming languages, and in October of the same year, they presented the Union conversion technology (for storing diverse data together) at ASE (Automated Software Eng), the representative conference in software automation. These three studies are all "world-first" achievements presented at top-tier international academic conferences, successfully implementing automatic conversion technology for each feature with high completeness. Since 2023, the research team has consistently published papers in CACM every year, establishing themselves as global leading researchers who consistently solve important and challenging problems worldwide. This paper was published in CACM (Communications of the ACM) on October 24, with Dr. Jaemin Hong (Postdoctoral Research Fellow at KAIST Information and Electronics Research Institute) as the first author. ※Paper Title: Automatically Translating C to Rust, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3737696 Dr. Jaemin Hong stated, "The conversion technology we developed is an original technology based on programming language theory, and its biggest strength is that we can logically prove the 'correctness' of the conversion." He added, "While most research relies on Large Language Models (LLMs), our technology can mathematically guarantee the correctness of the conversion." Dr. Hong is scheduled to be appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department at UNIST starting in March 2025. Furthermore, Professor Ryu's research team has four papers accepted for presentation at ASE 2025, the highest-authority conference in software engineering, including C→Rust conversion technology. These papers, in addition to automatic conversion technology, cover various cutting-edge software engineering fields and are receiving high international acclaim. They include: technology to verify whether quantum computer programs operate correctly, 'WEST' technology that automatically checks the correctness of WebAssembly programs (technology for fast and efficient program execution on the web) and creates tests for them, and technology that automatically simplifies complex WebAssembly code to quickly find errors. Among these, the WEST paper received the Distinguished Paper Award. This research was supported by the Leading Research Center/Mid-career Researcher Support Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea, the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP), and Samsung Electronics.  

< Professor Hyeonmin Bae (Director of  Startup KAIST), Department of Electrical Engineering, KAIST >  The 'K-Global Deep Tech Startup Strategy' promoted by our university is leading to concrete results. KAIST announced on the 14th that BarrelEye Co., Ltd. (CEO Hyeonmin Bae), an medical AI solution company fostered by the Startup Center, has secured a strategic Series A investment of approximately 14 billion won (10 million USD) from a global healthcare leader, establishing itself as a representative success case of the KAIST Deep Tech startup ecosystem. ■ KAIST Strengthens Full-Cycle Support System for Research-Based Deep Tech Startups Startup KAIST Center aims to create an innovation ecosystem through science and technology-based startups, operating a full-cycle support system including technology commercialization, startup incubation, investment linkage, and global expansion. Focused on the 'K-Global Deep Tech Startup Strategy', it promotes market entry of research outcomes and global investment attraction, growing into a leading Deep Tech startup hub in South Korea. KAIST is particularly gaining attention as a model institution for national innovation-growth startups, producing dozens of Deep Tech startups annually, centered on advanced industrial fields such as AI, Bio-Health, Semiconductors, and Future Mobility. ■ Results: Diffusion of AI-Centric Deep Tech Startup Ecosystem... Accumulated Investment of 3.5 Trillion Won Secured KAIST is positioning itself as a hub for Deep Tech startups centered on the AI sector. Representative AI startups, based on KAIST research achievements, are rapidly growing in the global market. Rebellions, an AI semiconductor startup founded in 2020, has grown into a unicorn company with a valuation exceeding 1 trillion won by designing and developing AI chips optimized for artificial intelligence deep learning. Panacea, founded in 2022, is an AI infrastructure link solution company in the semiconductor and display sectors, providing an AI-based link solution specialized in manufacturing process optimization, growing to a valuation of 350 billion won. BarrelEye (BarrelEye) succeeded in entering the global healthcare market and attracting a strategic investment of 14 billion won with its ultrasound image-based AI diagnostic technology, proving KAIST's capabilities in AI-medical convergence startups. In this way, KAIST is building a Deep Tech startup ecosystem where researcher-led startups lead to tangible industrial results, based on its AI-leading technology. The cumulative domestic and foreign investment secured by KAIST startups that have succeeded in attracting investment over the past 5 years amounts to 3.5 trillion won. KAIST President Kwang Hyung Lee stated, “KAIST's K-Global Deep Tech Startup Strategy is establishing itself as a Korean-style Deep Tech startup model where research outcomes lead to industrial innovation,” adding, “BarrelEye's global investment attraction is a symbolic case proving the technological competitiveness of KAIST researcher-led startups in the world market. KAIST will continue to lead national innovation growth through science and technology-based startups.” ■ Medical AI Startup 'BarrelEye' Establishes Strategic Cooperation with Global Healthcare Company This investment is evaluated as a result of BarrelEye's ultrasound image-based AI diagnostic technology being recognized as commercially viable in global clinical and industrial settings. The investing company is a global leader in the field of medical imaging and diagnostics, and the two companies plan to establish a strategic partnership for joint technology development and overseas market expansion. BarrelEye is developing an AI diagnostic solution that detects minute tissue changes inside the human body with high resolution, based on deep learning and RF (radio frequency) signal-based quantitative ultrasound analysis technology. It is currently expanding its application area to various clinical fields such as breast cancer, thyroid disease, liver disease, and cardiovascular disease. Professor Bae Hyun-min, Head of KAIST Startup Center and CEO of BarrelEye, said, "This investment is meaningful as the technology developed through R&D at KAIST has been recognized for its competitiveness in the global market," and "The Startup Center will further strengthen the full-cycle support system for Deep Tech startups so that researcher-centered technology startups can actually connect to the industry." For reference, BarrelEye Co., Ltd. was established in 2021 and is developing an innovative diagnostic solution that enables the extraction of quantitative tissue information, previously only possible with MRI, from ultrasound images through AI-based quantitative ultrasound analysis technology. It is currently leading the commercialization of the medical imaging AI field in cooperation with global medical device companies and hospitals.

< (From Left) Professor Joo Han Nam, President Kwang Hyung Lee, President and Vice President Students of KAIST Orchestra, Professor Han-Na Chang, Professor Hyeon-Jeong Suk > "It is very meaningful to be able to share the joy of music with future science and technology leaders at KAIST and to explore the possibilities of a new field of performing arts hand-in-hand with AI." – Han-Na Chang, KAIST Visiting Distinguished Professor KAIST announced on the 13th of November that it has appointed Han-Na Chang, a world-renowned conductor and musician who was formerly a cellist, as a Visiting Distinguished Professor at the Graduate School of Culture Technology (GSCT). This appointment was pursued to expand the base of culture and arts within KAIST by inviting a world-class artist, and to lay the foundation for students to grow into creative and converged talents. Furthermore, it is expected to serve as an opportunity to share Professor Chang's experiences of challenge and achievement on the world stage, thereby delivering dreams and inspiration to the members of KAIST. Professor Han-Na Chang will share her 31 years of research as a musician and her stage experience through the 'Orchestra Master Class' (an open practical class where the conductor directly guides student performers on musical interpretation and collaboration through live performance). She will also conduct leadership special lectures for undergraduate and graduate students, sharing her vision for music and her philosophy on a conductor's leadership. In particular, Professor Chang will participate in advising on Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology necessary for orchestral performance through the Sumi Jo Center for Performing Arts Research at the Graduate School of Culture Technology, thereby suggesting a new research direction that explores the convergence of art and science and technology. The term of appointment is two years, starting from November 2025. Professor Han-Na Chang stated, "It is very meaningful to be able to share the values of art, leadership, and collaboration with students at KAIST, the center of science and technology," adding, "It is a great joy and honor to contribute to the future science and technology leaders' development of artistic sensibility, creativity, and expressiveness through the joys and sorrows of music. KAIST President Kwang Hyung Lee remarked, "The joining of Professor Han-Na Chang, who possesses both artistic insight and leadership as a world-renowned conductor, will be a great stimulus to the members of KAIST," and "We expect her to breathe new creative inspiration into the convergence of science and art." Meanwhile, Professor Han-Na Chang garnered global attention at the age of 11 by winning the First Prize at the Fifth International Rostropovich Cello Competition for the youngest ever. After her career as a cellist on the international stage, she transitioned to conducting in 2007. She is currently recognized for her musical leadership and artistic vision by conducting world-leading orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. <Professor Han-Na Chang Conducting an Orchestra> For the reference, KAIST has two orchestras: the 'KAIST Orchestra', which is centered on undergraduate students, and the 'KAIST Art Orchestra', composed of graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The KAIST Orchestra was founded in 1992 and currently has about 90 members. It holds regular concerts every May and November and has established itself as a representative on-campus arts organization voluntarily planned and operated by students. The KAIST Art Orchestra, founded in 2024, is a project-based performance group with approximately 50 members who perform for specific events or projects.

<Professor Sang Yup Lee of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering> Professor Sang Yup Lee of KAIST Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering has been selected as a 'Laureate Distinguished Fellow,' the highest rank of fellow, by the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI). Professor Lee is a globally renowned biotechnologist who has been leading research on the sustainable production of bio-based chemicals, and he received the 'ENI Award' in 2018. With this selection, he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the world's top scholars, including recipients of the Nobel, Fields, and Turing Prizes. IETI is an international academic organization established in Hong Kong in 2015 to promote innovation and international cooperation in the fields of engineering, technology, and science. Each year, the institute selects researchers with significant academic influence worldwide and appoints them into three grades: Laureate Distinguished Fellow, Distinguished Fellow, and Fellow. Professor Lee has been named to the most prestigious grade among these. <IETI 2025 Fellow Selection Photo> A total of 70 new fellows were selected in 2025. Among them, 14 individuals were named Laureate Distinguished Fellows, which includes recipients of top honors such as the Nobel, Fields, and Turing Prizes. Besides Professor Lee, this group includes Dudley Herschbach of Harvard University (Nobel Prize in Chemistry), Vint Cerf of Google (Turing Award), and Shigefumi Mori of Kyoto University (Fields Medal). IETI stated that the selection process involved a rigorous five-step procedure: nomination, qualification review, document screening, expert voting, and final evaluation. It also expressed hope that the newly appointed fellows will demonstrate academic leadership in their respective research fields and contribute to global scientific and technological innovation and the promotion of international cooperation.

Kathleen A. Kramer, President of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to electrical and electronic technology, visited our university on the 30th and delivered a special lecture under the theme, 'Drawing the Future of Artificial Intelligence Together.' < IEEE Leadership and KAIST EE Meeting KITIS Director (Sung-Hyun Hong), KAIST EE Professors (Joonwoo Bae), (Ian Oakley), (Hye-Won Jeong), (Chang-Shik Choi), (Dong-Soo Han), Head of EE Department (Seunghyup Yoo), IEEE President (Kathleen A. Kramer), IEEE Senior Sales Director (Francis Staples), IEEE Regional Manager for APAC (Ira Tan), KAIST EE Professor (Hee-Jin Ahn), Head of Semiconductor System Engineering Department (Sung-Hwan Cho)> Standing at the colloquium podium by invitation of the Department of Electrical Engineering (Head: Seung-Hyup Yoo), President Kramer emphasized based on IEEE's core vision, 'Advancing Technology for Humanity,' that "Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a concept of the distant future; it has become a technology that is transforming human lives at the center of innovation." < Photo of IEEE President's KAIST EE Colloquium Lecture > She further added, "Technology must advance with human values at its core, and AI based on ethics and inclusiveness can lead to true innovation," sharing her insights on the direction of AI development and the social responsibility of technology. Seung-Hyup Yoo, Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering, stated, "We expect President Kramer's visit to be a stepping stone that will not only widely promote our department's capabilities in advanced fields such as AI, semiconductors, signal processing, and robotics to the international academic community but also strengthen cooperation in various ways." < Tea Meeting with the IEEE Leadership and the Vice Presidents . KITIS Director (Sung-Hyun Hong), IEEE Senior Sales Director (Francis Staples), IEEE President (Kathleen A. Kramer), KAIST Executive Vice President for Research (Sang Yup Lee), Head of EE Department (Seunghyup Yoo), IEEE Regional Manager for APAC (Ira Tan)> Meanwhile, prior to the lecture, President Kramer paid a courtesy visit to Sang-Yup Lee, KAIST Executive Vice President for Research, and reaffirmed the commitment of both organizations to advancing sustainable technology and building an ethical and inclusive research ecosystem to contribute to a better life for humanity.

KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced its strong support for the meeting between Korean President Jae-myung Lee and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang on October 31, where both sides discussed strategies to advance Korea’s AI ecosystem.   KAIST stated that the meeting marks “a significant turning point for Korea’s AI innovation and global cooperation.” During the discussion, NVIDIA, a global leader in artificial intelligence, explored partnership opportunities with the Korean government to realize its vision of becoming one of the “Top Three AI Nations” and achieving an “AI-based Society.”   NVIDIA also unveiled plans to expand Korea’s AI computing infrastructure by introducing more than 260,000 of its latest GPUs, while strengthening technology cooperation to meet both public and private sector AI demand.   The meeting covered a wide range of potential collaborations, including: Building advanced AI infrastructure, joint research and technology cooperation in physical AI (AI in robotics, autonomous systems, and manufacturing), and expanding AI talent development and startup support programs.   At the APEC CEO Summit, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said, “NVIDIA’s goal is not only to provide hardware to Korea, but to help build a sustainable AI ecosystem. And we will work closely with AI researchers in Korea universities, amazing university like KAIST, startups, the government, and research institutions to become the AI Frontier.”   He further emphasized that, “The evolution of AI will inevitably converge with robotics. Realizing autonomous robots and robotic factories that can work alongside humans represents the next stage and ultimate goal of AI technology.”   As Korea’s leading AI research institution, KAIST has long collaborated with government and industry partners in key areas such as AI semiconductors, autonomous driving, robotics, digital twins, and quantum computing.   Building on this dialogue, KAIST plans to further strengthen its partnership with NVIDIA and major domestic industries through next-generation AI semiconductor and HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) research, physical AI applications in robotics and autonomous systems, hands-on AI education and talent development, and global open innovation through academia–industry joint research.   KAIST President Kwang Hyung Lee stated: “AI is the core driver of national competitiveness. Jensen Huang’s visit represents a symbolic milestone as Korea emerges as a global leader in AI.” He added: “Huang’s vision of integrating AI and robotics aligns perfectly with KAIST’s research direction. KAIST will continue to work closely with NVIDIA to build an AI innovation ecosystem that benefits humanity.”   Following CEO Huang’s proposal, KAIST will further concretize its collaboration with NVIDIA and expand partnerships with both global enterprises and domestic industries.   Through these efforts, KAIST aims to advance AI research clusters, develop next-generation AI computing platforms, nurture AI professionals, and foster a vibrant startup ecosystem, contributing continuously to Korea’s global AI competitiveness.  

From a duck walk to moonwalk, a humanoid with the strongest stability is coming / Professor Hae-Won Park from Mechanical Engineering

Sweat Instead of Blood Test? The Era of the Smart Patch is Coming, Professor Ki-Hun Jeong, Researcher Jaehun Jeon of KAIST Bio and Brain Engineering

Who's the Winner This Year? A 25 Freshman's First KAIST-POSTECH War Experience