KAIST

< The 1st KAIST-Caltech Joint Workshop on Molecular Science and Chemical Innovation >

KAIST is building a new global cooperation model with the Caltech — a world-renowned U.S. research institution — that goes beyond joint research to jointly nurture next-generation researchers as well.

KAIST, led by President Choongsik Bae, is holding the 1st KAIST-Caltech Joint Workshop on Molecular Science and Chemical Innovation with the Caltech in the United States from September 1 to 2.

The workshop is designed not merely to share the latest research achievements in advanced molecular science and future chemical technologies, but to build a sustainable framework of cooperation that links joint research and talent development, extending even to the shared use of research facilities.

At this workshop, particular attention is being given to establishing and operating the KAIST-Caltech Global Research Fellow (KCGRF) platform, a joint mentoring program for postdoctoral researchers.

< Sarah Reisman, Professor Sarah Reisman from Caltech’s Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering >

KCGRF is a program in which faculty members from both institutions identify joint research topics and jointly select and mentor postdoctoral researchers. By enabling participating researchers to experience the research environments of both KAIST and Caltech, the program aims to nurture next-generation scientists with strong international research capabilities.

This joint initiative represents a concrete practice model of KAIST's Global Connect strategy. The vision goes beyond simple exchange with overseas universities. It aims to realize a collaborative internationalization, in which talent, knowledge, and research ideas flow between the two institutions, leading to joint research and the joint training of next-generation researchers.

Caltech is a world-renowned research institution with a long-standing tradition of excellence in the natural sciences, including chemistry and physics, and has produced numerous Nobel laureates. KAIST plans to combine Caltech's basic science research capabilities with KAIST's strengths in AI-driven and autonomous research to jointly pioneer new research topics in the field of future chemistry.

Collaboration between KAIST and Caltech began in 2024 through the BrainLink program, which supports exchanges among outstanding researchers. Centered on the Nitrogen-Hydrogen Synergy Hub Research Center, led by Professor Hyungjun Kim of the KAIST Department of Chemistry, the two institutions have continued joint research and researcher exchanges. This year, the partnership expanded further after being selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Top-Tier Research Institution Cooperation Platform and Joint Research Support Program. Through this program, KAIST launched the Center for Intelligent Circular Chemical Ecosystem Innovation, led by Professor Sang Woo Han of the KAIST Department of Chemistry.

Building on this cooperation, the KAIST Department of Chemistry and Caltech’s Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in March 2026, further strengthening their collaborative framework. The two institutions plan to hold joint workshops every year, match faculty members for joint mentoring, identify postdoctoral researchers, promote reciprocal research visits, and establish a sustainable operating structure for the joint mentoring program.

At the workshop, researchers are exploring new opportunities for collaboration in key fields shaping the future of chemistry, including AI for chemistry, autonomous laboratories, computational and theoretical chemistry, molecular science, catalysis, synthesis, electrochemistry, and sustainable and circular chemistry. KAIST is also pursuing plans to jointly utilize its autonomous laboratories in synthesis and electrochemistry with Caltech researchers. By jointly utilizing this advanced research environment, in which AI supports experimental design, execution, and data analysis, researchers from both institutions plan to expand the speed and scope of their joint research.

In addition, the two institutions plan to promote short-term reciprocal visits by graduate students, building a sustainable human and academic exchange system that connects graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty members. The vision goes beyond one-off, project-centered cooperation, aiming to build a long-term foundation in which next-generation researchers from both institutions naturally interact and create new joint research.

The Center for Intelligent Circular Chemical Ecosystem Innovation aims to build a new chemical technology platform that contributes to carbon neutrality and the circular economy by developing intelligent chemical upcycling technologies that convert chemical industry byproducts into high-value chemicals and materials.

Professor Sang Woo Han of KAIST's Department of Chemistry said, "Through this workshop, we aim to expand the KAIST-Caltech collaboration from joint research to a stage where we jointly nurture next-generation researchers." He added, "By connecting the strengths of both institutions, we will work to create new research topics and achievements in the field of future chemistry."

President Choongsik Bae of KAIST said, "KAIST's international cooperation is about building relationships in which outstanding universities, people, and knowledge from around the world flow back and forth and grow together." He emphasized, "By expanding collaboration with world-class research institutions such as Caltech, we will carry KAIST's 'Global Connect' forward into concrete achievements."

Professor Sarah Reisman from Caltech’s Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, “Caltech and KAIST chemistry faculty have a long history of student exchanges and research collaboration, and this workshop is a wonderful opportunity to bring our faculty together and launch new projects supported by the Center for Intelligent Circular Chemical Ecosystem Innovation.” She added, “We are delighted to continue our strong partnership with KAIST.”