On April 8, UNIST held its annual ‘Outstanding Faculty Awards‘ ceremony to shine a spotlight on the exceptional accomplishments of its faculty members throughout the 2023 academic year.

The Outstanding Faculty Awards aim to acknowledge faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in research, industry-academic cooperation, and education. Each year, candidates in various categories are carefully selected for their notable contributions to the university and their respective fields. This year, a total of twelve faculty members—four in scholarly work, three in research, three in education, and two in industry-academic cooperation—were recognized for their dedication to their students and the outstanding expertise they bring to their fields.

In the education category, Professor Min Sup Hur from the Department of Physics received the Grand Prize for his expertise in plasma physics. The Excellence Award in education was bestowed upon Professor Soon-Yong Kwon from the Graduate School of Semiconductor Materials and Devices Engineering, Professor Kyoseung Sim in the Department of Chemistry, and Professor Kyungdon Joo in the Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

For the Research category, Professor Seok Ju Kang in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering was recognized for his leadership in the UNIST secondary battery project. Excellence Awards in Research were granted to Professor Ja Young Ryu from the Department of Chemistry and Professor Ji Young Park from the Department of Life Sciences.

Professor JongEun Lee from the School of Liberal Arts received the grand prize in the Education category for her contributions to the innovation of liberal arts subjects through guidance of UNISTra and the implementation of the UNIST Performing Arts Festival. Additionally, Professor Oh Hoon Kwon in the Department of Chemistry and Professor Kyungho Lee in the Department of Design were honored with the Excellence Award for their dedication to enhancing basic subject education and creating a conducive learning environment for students, respectively.

In the Industry-Academia Cooperation category, Professor Jiseok Lee in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering and Professor Sunghoon Lim from the Department of Industrial Engineering received the Excellence Award for their roles in technology commercialization and problem-solving through industry collaboration, respectively.

President Lee expressed his gratitude, stating, “UNIST’s success in 2023 is a testament to the exceptional achievements of our dedicated faculty members.” He further encouraged continued hard work and excellence, urging everyone to strive for greater heights in the future.