Explore research labs at leading universities worldwide — research fields and key papers at a glance.
Professor Kee Young Lee's research lab specializes in synthetic organic chemistry with a focus on the development of novel catalytic methodologies for the stereoselective synthesis of biologically active natural products and bioactive molecules. The lab employs palladium(0)-catalyzed reactions—particularly oxazoline formation and allylic substitution—for efficient and diastereoselective construction of complex molecular architectures. Additionally, the lab investigates redox signaling pathways and the role of reactive oxygen species in cellular processes, particularly in apoptosis and inflammation, often using model systems such as Chang liver cells. The integration of synthetic methodology with biological evaluation underpins the lab’s interdisciplinary approach to drug discovery and mechanism-based chemical biology.
Professor Inseong Yeo's research lab specializes in sport and leisure psychology, focusing on the psychological and behavioral factors influencing athletic performance, participant motivation, and well-being in sports and recreational activities. The lab investigates key constructs such as achievement goal orientation, self-confidence, life satisfaction, and engagement (mood and immersion) across various sports contexts, including taekwondo, golf, line dancing, and fitness centers. Using advanced statistical methods such as structural equation modeling (SEM), factor analysis, and regression analysis, the lab aims to uncover causal relationships and develop evidence-based strategies for enhancing athlete development and leisure participation. The research also emphasizes practical applications in sports coaching, leadership, and lifestyle-based interventions to improve mental health and long-term adherence to physical activity.
Professor Sungshin Kim's research lab specializes in non-invasive and invasive brain stimulation techniques to understand and modulate neural circuits underlying cognition, motor control, and memory. The lab investigates how targeted stimulation—such as intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)—can restore sensory and motor functions in neurological disorders, particularly in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and tetraplegia. Using a combination of neuroimaging, computational modeling, and behavioral experiments in nonhuman primates and humans, the lab explores the neural mechanisms of learning, memory, and motor adaptation across multiple timescales. A central focus is on developing personalized, network-targeted stimulation protocols to enhance cognitive and functional outcomes.
Professor Yeonsung Jung's research lab specializes in machine learning and artificial intelligence with a focus on metric learning, representation learning, and knowledge transfer in visual and educational contexts. The lab develops advanced deep learning methods that leverage both structured and continuous supervision signals to improve embedding quality, generalization, and robustness—particularly in challenging scenarios like noisy data and limited supervision. A key research direction involves designing novel loss functions that preserve semantic relationships beyond simple classification, enabling models to learn fine-grained similarity and relational understanding. The lab also investigates affective and motivational aspects in language learning environments, exploring anxiety and goal orientations in foreign language education.
Professor Kyung-mi Jung's research lab specializes in child and adolescent mental health, with a primary focus on parenting stress, parental overprotection, and socioemotional development in youth. The lab develops and validates culturally adapted psychological assessment tools—such as the Korean Parenting Stress Index (K-PSI) and Korean Parental Overprotection Scale (K-POS)—to enhance clinical and research applications in Korean populations. Current research directions include longitudinal studies on developmental trajectories of social withdrawal in adolescent boys, genotype-phenotype correlations in neurodevelopmental disorders, and the psychosocial adaptation of children with early-onset conditions such as precocious puberty.
Professor Sok-Bae Yoon's research lab specializes in kinetic theory and mathematical physics, with a focus on the analysis of Boltzmann-type kinetic equations and their hydrodynamic limits. The lab investigates the well-posedness, stability, and asymptotic behavior of solutions to the BGK and ellipsoidal BGK models, particularly in the context of rarefied gas dynamics and fluid-kinetic coupling. Key research directions include entropy production, coercivity estimates, and the correct modeling of transport coefficients such as the Prandtl number. The lab also explores coupled systems of kinetic and fluid equations, employing advanced analytical tools like velocity averaging and compactness methods.
Professor Jiboom Kim's research lab focuses on interdisciplinary social science and engineering research, with key strengths in understanding aging societies and volunteerism in non-Western contexts, particularly in Korea. The lab also investigates environmental attitudes, especially regarding complex issues like climate change, and examines how education and political affiliation shape public perception. In addition, the lab conducts advanced technical research in smart infrastructure, including LoRa network deployment and mesh optimization for engineering simulations. These diverse research directions reflect a commitment to both societal well-being and technological innovation.
Professor Kyung-Tae No's research lab focuses on molecular mechanisms underlying innate immunity, stress response, and cancer immunotherapy. The lab investigates key signaling pathways involving heat shock proteins, dendritic cell activation, and kinase regulation—particularly GSK-3β and PKCδ—in the context of inflammation, infection, and tumor immune evasion. A central theme is the development of novel immunomodulatory strategies using microbial components like HBHA and small molecule inhibitors to enhance T-cell immunity and improve cancer vaccine efficacy. The lab also explores host-pathogen interactions, particularly in malaria drug resistance, through genetic analysis of parasite drug transporters.
Professor Jae-Won Jeong's research lab specializes in sustainable chemistry and catalysis, focusing on the transformation of renewable biomass—particularly carbohydrates and lignocellulosic materials—into high-value chemicals and functional materials. The lab develops innovative catalytic systems, especially gold- and metal chloride-catalyzed reactions, to enable atom-economical, selective, and efficient synthesis of complex organic structures such as spirocycles, azabicycles, and furanic compounds. A key research direction involves replacing petroleum-derived chemicals with bio-based alternatives, including adhesives, polymerizable monomers, and platform chemicals like HMF and furfural.
Professor Min-Sung Jeong's research lab focuses on translational oncology and surgical outcomes, with a strong emphasis on understanding the biological and clinical factors influencing cancer recurrence, survival, and postoperative morbidity. Key research directions include the impact of perioperative blood transfusions on oncological outcomes, the role of systemic inflammation (via the Dietary Inflammatory Index) in breast cancer progression, and the molecular mechanisms involving transcription factors like FOXO in triple-negative breast cancer. The lab also investigates surgical complications, particularly shoulder morbidity after mastectomy with TRAM flap reconstruction, and explores novel, radiation-free methods for assessing swallowing function using thyroid cartilage movement as a surrogate for hyoid bone motion. These studies reflect a multidisciplinary approach integrating clinical surgery, molecular pathology, and patient-centered outcomes research.
Professor Sang Min Kim's research lab specializes in power electronics, energy systems, and low-power integrated circuit design. The lab focuses on developing hybrid energy systems for industrial applications—particularly for rubber-tyred gantry cranes—by integrating supercapacitors with diesel generators to enhance energy efficiency and reduce power demands. It also conducts advanced research in sensor technologies, such as Rogowski coil-based current sensing with offset compensation for high-frequency power inverters, and in low-power ASIC design using pulsed-latch circuits with optimized clock gating techniques. The lab emphasizes practical implementations through innovative hardware design, signal processing, and system-level energy management solutions.
Professor Sungahn Ko's research lab specializes in visual analytics, human-computer interaction, and spatio-temporal data science, with a focus on developing interactive visualization systems and intelligent models for complex real-world data. The lab integrates machine learning, graph-based methods, and domain-specific knowledge to address challenges in traffic flow analysis, financial data exploration, and biomedical data interpretation. Key strengths include the design of novel visual interaction techniques—such as VSRivers and WordBridge—and the development of attention-based models for dynamic spatial-temporal systems. The lab emphasizes collaboration with domain experts to ensure practical relevance and usability in critical applications.
Professor Sung-Yong Baek's research lab specializes in video restoration and deep learning, with a strong focus on challenging problems such as video deblurring, super-resolution, and few-shot learning. The lab develops advanced deep neural network architectures and optimization techniques, often leveraging large-scale, realistic datasets like REDS to benchmark and advance state-of-the-art performance. A key emphasis is placed on improving model generalization, efficiency, and robustness—especially under low-data or resource-constrained conditions. The lab also actively contributes to international challenges (e.g., NTIRE), driving innovation through large-scale competitions and open datasets.
Professor Im Doo Jung's research lab specializes in advanced functional materials and intelligent systems for sustainable energy and healthcare applications. The lab focuses on developing novel materials such as Prussian blue-based electrochromic systems, perovskite quantum dot composites, and hybrid supercapacitors for energy harvesting and storage. A key research direction involves integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning with advanced manufacturing and sensing technologies to optimize material performance and enable real-time diagnostics in biomedical and industrial settings.
Professor Dae-Hyun Ham's research lab specializes in neuropharmacology and natural product therapeutics, focusing on the neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects of plant-derived compounds. The lab investigates how bioactive molecules from traditional medicinal plants—including ginsenosides, amygdalin, Rehmannia glutinosa extracts, and berberine—modulate neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and cognitive dysfunction in rodent models of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Key research directions include the molecular mechanisms underlying memory enhancement and stress resilience, with an emphasis on the cholinergic system, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and neurotrophic factors such as BDNF. The lab integrates behavioral testing with molecular and biochemical analyses to evaluate the therapeutic potential of natural compounds in neurological diseases.
Professor Young Jun Kim's research lab specializes in virology, immunology, and host-pathogen interactions, with a focus on understanding the evolutionary dynamics of poxviruses and their global dissemination. The lab investigates antiviral innate immune responses, particularly the role of interferon-stimulated genes such as OAS in viral restriction, and explores lipid signaling pathways in immune cell activation. Their work integrates virology, host response mechanisms, and systems biology to uncover molecular mechanisms underlying viral pathogenesis and immunity.
Professor Ha Eun-Ja's research lab specializes in theoretical nuclear physics, focusing on the interplay of pairing correlations, shell evolution, and nuclear deformation in medium-mass and heavy nuclei. The lab investigates Gamow-Teller transitions, shape coexistence, and the role of neutron-proton (np) pairing in $N=Z$ and $N\approx Z$ nuclei across the $pf$-shell and beyond. Using advanced many-body frameworks such as deformed quasiparticle random-phase approximation (DQRPA) and deformed BCS theory, the group explores how pairing interactions—especially $T=0$ and $T=1$ superfluidity—modify ground-state properties and excitation spectra. The lab emphasizes realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions, employing the Brueckner $G$-matrix based on the CD-Bonn potential to minimize model dependence.
Professor Young Jun Choi's research lab focuses on social policy innovation in the context of aging societies and economic transformation, with a particular emphasis on social investment, long-term care insurance, and evidence-based governance. The lab investigates how welfare states navigate the tensions between developmentalism, Confucian values, and global social policy trends, especially in East Asian contexts. It also explores the social risks emerging from crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of administrative decision-making under uncertainty. The lab integrates comparative, empirical, and normative approaches to analyze the interplay between institutional design, equity, and policy effectiveness.
Professor Jongmuk Won's research lab specializes in environmental and geotechnical engineering, focusing on the transport, deposition, and geochemical interactions of fine particles in porous media. Key research directions include contaminant transport in groundwater systems, clogging mechanisms in hydraulic infrastructure, and microbially induced calcite precipitation for sustainable ground improvement. The lab combines experimental investigations with advanced modeling techniques such as artificial neural networks to predict complex soil–structure and soil–fluid interactions under varying geochemical and hydrological conditions.
Professor Soo-Il Kim's research lab specializes in head and neck oncology, with a focus on laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The lab investigates the pathophysiology, diagnostic biomarkers, and personalized treatment strategies for LPR using advanced manometry and symptom monitoring. In HNSCC, the lab emphasizes molecular profiling, including HPV status and FAT1 gene signatures, to predict outcomes and guide risk-adapted therapy. The integration of clinical data with machine learning models further enhances survival prediction and precision oncology in oropharyngeal cancer.
