Incoming Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) President Bae Choong-sik / Courtesy of KAIST
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has appointed Bae Choong-sik, a professor within the mechanical engineering division, as its new president, ending a 16-month management vacuum on the nation’s prime science establishment, the college mentioned Monday.
During a board assembly at its Seoul campus, the college appointed the 63-year-old as its 18th president.
Bae is a famend knowledgeable in eco-friendly vitality and carbon-neutral energy engineering. He earned his bachelor’s and grasp’s levels in aerospace engineering from Seoul National University and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Imperial College London.
He joined KAIST in 1998 and has since served in key posts, together with as the dean of KAIST College of Engineering.
Bae has performed a key function in shaping Korea’s science and expertise insurance policies, serving as a daily member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea and a local weather change adviser for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He grew to become the primary Korean to be named a fellow by the Society of Automotive Engineers within the powertrain discipline and obtained the group’s Best Paper Award twice.
He additionally obtained a presidential commendation in 2021 and a National Assembly advantage award in 2024 for his contributions to the event of the automotive trade and the nation’s industrial competitiveness.
KAIST mentioned it expects Bae to steer analysis primarily based on his experience in vitality and carbon neutrality, whereas additional strengthening the college’s competitiveness as a world-class analysis establishment.
The appointment got here 16 months after outgoing President Lee Kwang-hyung’s time period resulted in February final yr. In February this yr, three contenders, together with Lee and semiconductor professor Kim Joung-ho, vied for the publish, however all didn’t safe a majority vote.
Bae’s appointment shall be finalized after receiving the consent of the training minister and the approval of the deputy prime minister and the minister of science and ICT.