Kim Sang-kyu and Kim Yun-hee Named Recipients of Korea Toray Science and Technology Award; Five Selected for Fellowship

[Financial News] The Korea Toray Science Foundation announced on the 8th that it had selected Kim Sang-kyu, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at KAIST, for the basic chemistry and materials category, and Kim Yun-hee, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at GNU, for the applied category, as recipients of the 9th Korea Toray Science and Technology Award. Each recipient will receive KRW 100 million in prize money.
Professor Kim Sang-kyu developed an innovative experimental technique to study changes in chemical reactivity according to molecular structure. By observing molecular changes occurring in extremely short moments, he elucidated the structural dynamics of the transition state and conical intersection, which govern the rates of chemical reactions.
Professor Kim Yun-hee secured core technologies for highly efficient deep-blue organic light-emitting diode (OLED) materials and has led technological advances through collaboration with companies.
Five early-career scientists were also selected for the Korea Toray Fellowship. Each will receive a total of KRW 150 million in research funding over three years.
The fellowship recipients are Song Intek, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Physics at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), and Seung Youn Hong, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Seoul National University, in the basic chemistry and materials category; and Hyeong Jun Kim, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Sogang University, Cheon Dong-won, a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), and Donghyo Hahm, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Hanyang University, in the applied category.
The Korea Toray Science and Technology Award and Korea Toray Fellowship evaluate candidates comprehensively based on academic achievements, originality, and their potential contributions to the future development of science and technology. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in October.
Including this year’s recipients, the Korea Toray Science Foundation has selected 18 science and technology award recipients and 40 fellowship researchers to date. It also provides scholarships to 30 science and engineering university students each year, supporting a total of 255 scholarship recipients through the second semester of this year.

[email protected] Kim Mi-hee Reporter