The Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology has named Bae Choong-sik, a professor of mechanical engineering, as its new president, the college mentioned Monday.
KAIST’s board of trustees chosen Bae, 63, as the college’s 18th president throughout a unprecedented board assembly held at its Yangjae campus in Seoul.
Bae is a number one scholar in eco-friendly vitality and carbon-neutral energy engineering. He graduated from Seoul National University’s division of aeronautical engineering in 1985 earlier than incomes his doctorate in mechanical engineering from Imperial College London in 1994.
Since becoming a member of KAIST in 1998, Bae has held key administrative posts, together with head of the division of mechanical and aerospace engineering and dean of the College of Engineering.
He has additionally been concerned in nationwide policymaking, serving as a fellow of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea and as chair of the local weather division of the Foreign Ministry’s Science and Technology Diplomacy Advisory Committee.
Bae turned the primary Korean to be named a fellow within the powertrain division of SAE International, a worldwide affiliation of automotive engineers. He has additionally acquired the SAE Arch T. Colwell Merit Award twice.
He was awarded a presidential commendation in 2021 and an award from the National Assembly in 2024 for his contributions to the event of the automotive trade and nationwide competitiveness.
KAIST mentioned it expects Bae to assist lead future convergence analysis in science and expertise and strengthen the college’s competitiveness as a worldwide research-oriented establishment.
The KAIST presidency had been vacant for 16 months after earlier President Lee Kwang-hyung’s time period led to February 2025 and the varsity failed to pick a candidate who obtained a majority of votes from its board of trustees.
Bae’s appointment shall be finalized upon the schooling minister’s consent and approval from the science and ICT minister.