Leading IBS Quantum Transformation Research Team,
Leading surface and interfacial chemistry scholar Professor Kim Yusoo, GIST appointment,
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, ‘[Herald Economy (Gwangju)=Reporter Seo In-joo] Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), under the leadership of President Lim Ki-cheol, announced on the 2nd that Kim Yusoo, a professor at the University of Tokyo who was appointed as a chief scientist at Japan’s RIKEN for the first time as a Korean, has been appointed as a chemistry professor.’,
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, ‘Professor Kim Yusoo, who was appointed on September 1, will lead the “Quantum Transformation Research Team” at the IBS GIST campus, which was launched on the same day.’,
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, ‘Professor Kim (56) graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in chemistry and obtained a Ph.D. in Applied Chemistry from the University of Tokyo. He has continued his research at RIKEN and the University of Tokyo, and in 2015, he was selected as the highest-ranking researcher, chief scientist, at RIKEN leading the surface and interfacial science laboratory. This marks the first time a Korean scientist has held this position. In 2022, he was also appointed as a professor in the Department of Applied Chemistry at the University of Tokyo.’,
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, ‘Professor Kim is considered a leading researcher in the field of surface and interfacial chemistry. Surface chemistry research is intricate, as emphasized by Wolfgang Pauli, the 1945 Nobel laureate in physics, who said, “Matter is created by God, but surfaces are created by the devil.” This is because the chemical tools learned in textbooks are often not applicable in surface research.’,
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, ‘To study surfaces, new tools suited for the task are needed. In the case of Professor Kim, he uses scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to observe and study chemical reactions occurring at the atomic or molecular level on the surface and interface of materials.’,
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, ‘Professor Kim has received numerous scientific awards, including the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award (2018), the Japan Society of Molecular Science International Academic Award (2018), and the Chemical Society of Japan Award (2019).’,
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, ‘The “Quantum Transformation Research Team” led by Professor Kim aims to develop innovative methodologies for quantitatively measuring and controlling interactions between quantum states to generate innovative functions and properties manifested by quantum transformation phenomena. In particular, leveraging the infrastructure built by Professor Kim over the past 20 years in Japan, active joint research between Korea and Japan is being planned.’,
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, ‘Professor Kim stated, “The foundation of technologies that bring convenience to humanity, such as catalysts, batteries, and OLEDs, all lies in the research of reactions occurring on solid surfaces conducted by basic scientists.” He also mentioned, “At a point where I felt significant change was needed in my research, the direction of change and the goals of GIST and IBS aligned well, leading to my decision to return to Korea.”‘,
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, ‘President Lim Ki-cheol expressed his expectations by saying, “For the purpose of welcoming Professor Kim Yusoo, we have closely cooperated with IBS and devoted our utmost efforts. Through globally top-level basic science research led by Professor Kim, I hope GIST can contribute to the advancement of human civilization.”‘,
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