Explore research labs at leading universities worldwide — research fields and key papers at a glance.
Professor Takashi Kobayashi's research lab focuses on molecular oncology, particularly the mechanisms underlying prostate cancer progression and immune response in urothelial carcinoma. The lab investigates key signaling pathways such as androgen receptor (AR) signaling, c-Src/aPKC/Rac1, and mTOR/Rheb in castration-resistant prostate cancer, aiming to identify therapeutic targets. They also explore predictive biomarkers and immunotherapy responses in urological malignancies, with a strong emphasis on translational research linking molecular pathways to clinical outcomes.
Professor Kenoki Ohuchida's research lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progression, with a particular emphasis on tumor-stroma interactions, cancer cell invasion and metastasis, and the tumor microenvironment. The lab investigates key molecular players such as S100A6, miR-17-5p, and necroptosis-related pathways (e.g., CXCL5-CXCR2 axis) to identify novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. They also employ advanced techniques like microdissection and mRNA quantification from clinical samples (e.g., EUS-FNA specimens and FFPE tissues) to translate molecular findings into clinical applications for early detection and personalized therapy in pancreatic cancer.
Professor Ikramy A. Khalil's research lab specializes in the design and optimization of advanced nanocarriers for targeted nonviral delivery of nucleic acids, including siRNA and mRNA, with a focus on overcoming biological barriers in systemic administration. The lab investigates the mechanisms of cellular uptake, intracellular trafficking, and endosomal escape, particularly using peptide-modified liposomes and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) with tunable surface properties. A key research direction involves enhancing tissue specificity—especially for lung endothelium and immune cells in the spleen—through smart nanocarrier engineering, including pH-sensitive lipids and targeted ligands. The lab also explores how nanocarrier composition and surface density influence biodistribution and therapeutic efficiency.
Professor Kuk-Jin Yoon's research lab specializes in advanced sensing technologies and computer vision, with a strong focus on developing low-power, high-performance sensor systems and intelligent image processing algorithms. The lab pioneers innovations in electronic nose (e-nose) systems using semiconductor metal oxide (SMO) gas sensors combined with deep learning to enhance selectivity and real-time detection in environmental monitoring. In parallel, the lab develops novel computer vision techniques for challenging tasks such as stereo matching and reflection separation, emphasizing robustness to image ambiguity and computational efficiency. The integration of nanomaterials, smart sensing, and artificial intelligence defines the lab’s interdisciplinary approach to solving real-world sensing and perception problems.
Professor Soojin Park's research lab specializes in the design and synthesis of advanced silicon-based nanomaterials for next-generation energy storage applications, particularly in high-performance lithium-ion batteries. The lab focuses on developing innovative nanostructures—such as porous silicon, core-shell architectures, and covalent triazine frameworks—that enable high specific capacity, exceptional rate capability, and long-term cycling stability. By employing scalable and cost-effective processes like metal-assisted chemical etching, thermal annealing, and chemical activation, the lab creates binder-free, self-supporting electrodes with enhanced volumetric and gravimetric performance. Their work bridges fundamental materials science with practical battery engineering, targeting applications in fast-charging electric vehicles and high-energy-density storage systems.
Professor Ki Jae Kim's research lab specializes in advanced energy storage materials and systems, with a primary focus on next-generation batteries such as aqueous zinc-ion, lithium-metal, and solid-state batteries. The lab investigates novel electrode materials, electrolyte engineering, and interfacial stabilization strategies to enhance cyclability, safety, and energy density. Key research directions include suppressing dendrite growth in lithium metal anodes, mitigating polysulfide shuttling in lithium–sulfur batteries, and developing high-performance solid electrolytes and cathode coatings using functional oxides and ionic liquids. The lab also explores cost-effective and scalable solutions for large-scale energy storage applications, emphasizing practical viability and long-term stability.
Professor Hyung Mo Jeong's research lab specializes in the design and engineering of advanced nanomaterials for next-generation energy storage technologies. The lab focuses on developing high-performance electrodes and catalysts for ultracapacitors, lithium-ion batteries, and solid-state batteries, with an emphasis on enhancing capacitance, cycle life, and scalability. Key research directions include nitrogen-doped carbon and graphene architectures, silicon-based anodes with core-shell structures, and atomic-scale engineered copper catalysts for CO2 reduction. The lab integrates advanced synthesis techniques with in situ characterization and computational modeling to achieve fundamental insights into ion-to-atom redox mechanisms and interfacial stability.
Professor Jong-Won Lee's research lab specializes in advanced energy storage materials, with a primary focus on solid-state batteries and sustainable electrochemical systems. The lab develops innovative materials and architectures—such as surface-engineered graphite anodes, quasi-solid-state electrolytes, and carbon-free cathodes—to enhance the performance, safety, and scalability of lithium-ion and lithium-oxygen batteries. A key research direction involves designing high-conductivity, stable solid electrolytes like LATP and exploring novel fabrication methods for all-solid-state batteries. The lab also pioneers bio-based electrochemical processes, including microbial production of green solvents, demonstrating a multidisciplinary approach to sustainable energy and chemical technologies.
Professor Miji Kim's research lab specializes in geriatric health and aging, focusing on the assessment and management of sarcopenia, frailty, and sarcopenic obesity in older adults. The lab employs advanced body composition analysis, such as DXA and bioelectrical impedance, to evaluate muscle mass, fat mass, and physical function in community-dwelling older populations. Key research directions include identifying reliable and accessible tools for diagnosing sarcopenia and frailty, understanding the interplay between muscle health and cognitive function, and evaluating the utility of anthropometric indices in predicting cardiometabolic risk. The lab’s work contributes to improving early detection and intervention strategies for age-related physical decline.
Professor Sangmin‐Michelle Lee’s research lab specializes in technology-enhanced language learning, with a focus on integrating emerging technologies such as machine translation, context-aware augmented reality, and digital games into EFL/FL education. The lab investigates how these tools support second language writing, foster learner autonomy, and enhance motivation and creativity in authentic learning contexts. Current research directions emphasize the pedagogical potential of AI-driven translation tools and immersive technologies in promoting meaningful, context-rich language acquisition.
Professor Jin-Byung Park's research lab specializes in synthetic biology and systems metabolic engineering, focusing on the sustainable production of high-value chemicals from renewable feedstocks such as fatty acids and plant oils. The lab develops innovative whole-cell biocatalysts using engineered enzymes and microbial hosts—particularly *Escherichia coli* and *Saccharomyces cerevisiae*—to enable multi-step cascades for the synthesis of dicarboxylic acids, hydroxy- and aminocarboxylic acids, epoxides, and long-chain amines. A central theme is the optimization of enzyme stability and catalytic efficiency to enhance productivity and scalability in biotransformations.
Professor Yuichi Imanaka's research lab specializes in health services research and health policy evaluation, with a focus on healthcare system performance, physician distribution, and end-of-life care. The lab investigates the impact of healthcare delivery models on patient outcomes, particularly in acute and critical care settings, using administrative and population-based data. Key research directions include health equity, antimicrobial resistance, and the financial and clinical implications of intensive and palliative care. The lab also examines the effects of public health crises—such as the COVID-19 pandemic—on hospitalization rates, medication use, and healthcare system dynamics.
Professor Yaokai Feng's research lab specializes in cybersecurity, with a primary focus on lightweight and efficient intrusion detection systems for resource-constrained environments such as the Internet of Things (IoT). The lab develops machine learning-based detection frameworks, particularly emphasizing feature selection techniques to enhance detection accuracy while minimizing computational overhead. Key research directions include botnet and distributed attack detection, especially through identifying Command & Control (C&C) communications, and real-time anomaly detection using behavioral modeling in network traffic. The lab also explores optimized indexing and search algorithms, such as INN search on R*-tree, to support high-performance data retrieval in security-sensitive applications.
Professor Soo Lim's research lab focuses on the pathophysiological mechanisms linking body fat distribution, particularly visceral and ectopic fat depots, to cardiometabolic diseases such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The lab investigates the role of adipose tissue heterogeneity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and environmental toxins—especially persistent organic pollutants (POPs)—in driving metabolic syndrome and its complications. Using advanced body composition assessment tools like BIA and DXA, the lab evaluates the accuracy of clinical measurements in aging and obese populations to improve risk prediction and early intervention strategies.
Professor Sangtae Kim's research lab specializes in low-Reynolds-number hydrodynamics, particulate suspensions, and energy conversion systems. The lab focuses on theoretical and computational modeling of hydrodynamic interactions in complex fluids, with applications in porous media flow, particle dynamics, and microfluidic systems. Additionally, the lab explores advanced energy harvesting technologies based on stress-voltage coupling in electrochemically alloyed electrodes and investigates the fundamental mechanisms governing ion insertion and structural stability in alkali-ion battery materials. These interdisciplinary efforts bridge fluid mechanics, materials science, and energy engineering to address challenges in sustainable energy and microscale systems.
Professor Jin Woo Chang's research lab specializes in the development and clinical application of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for the treatment of movement disorders. The lab focuses on stereotactic ablation of specific brain targets—such as the thalamus and globus pallidus—to treat conditions like essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease-related dyskinesia. Their work emphasizes long-term efficacy, safety, and the optimization of thermal lesioning techniques, with a strong commitment to translational research and patient-centered outcomes. The lab also investigates the technical and biological limitations of MRgFUS, particularly in achieving consistent lesion formation.
Professor Tae Hyun Baek's research lab specializes in consumer behavior, with a focus on the psychological and emotional influences on consumer decision-making in digital and emerging technology contexts. Key research directions include the impact of personalized advertising, brand credibility, and emotional framing in advertising on consumer intentions, as well as the role of augmented reality and AI anthropomorphism in shaping self-perception and prosocial behaviors. The lab integrates theories from social psychology and marketing to explore how technology-mediated experiences affect brand perception, trust, and ethical consumer behavior.
Professor Jung Tae Lee's research lab specializes in advanced materials for next-generation energy storage systems, with a primary focus on lithium-sulfur and lithium-selenium batteries. The lab develops novel nanostructured carbon composites, such as carbide-derived carbon (CDC) and mesoporous carbon architectures, to enhance ion transport, suppress polysulfide shuttling, and improve electrochemical performance. Key innovations include in situ formation of solid electrolyte interphases, scalable electrode fabrication via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS), and the utilization of sustainable biomass-derived materials like lignin for battery components. The lab emphasizes practical, cost-effective solutions to challenges such as capacity fading, poor rate capability, and electrode processing difficulties.
Professor Tan Van Vu's research lab specializes in the intersection of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, quantum thermodynamics, and information geometry. The lab investigates fundamental limits on irreversibility, entropy production, and current fluctuations in both classical and quantum Markovian systems, with a focus on deriving tight bounds using optimal transport theory and information inequalities. Key research directions include thermodynamic uncertainty relations, speed limits in nonequilibrium processes, and the role of dynamical activity in constraining fluctuations. The lab also explores connections between stochastic thermodynamics and geometric metrics such as the Wasserstein distance in discrete and continuous systems.
Professor Nobuharu Iwasawa's research lab specializes in the development of innovative catalytic methods for the activation and transformation of small molecules, particularly carbon dioxide, under mild and sustainable conditions. The lab focuses on transition-metal-catalyzed C–H functionalization, carbonyl ylide chemistry, and photoredox-catalyzed reactions to enable direct carboxylation of arenes and alkenes, as well as the synthesis of complex polycyclic frameworks. A key theme is the design of selective, efficient, and environmentally benign catalytic systems using earth-abundant or base metals and visible light, often in synergy with redox-active ligands or supramolecular control.
