Homegrown Doctor Becomes Harvard Medical Professor

A doctor who grew up and was educated in Korea all his life, graduating from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), has been appointed professor at Harvard Medical School in the U.S.

KAIST announced on July 5 that Dr. Yoon Seok-hyun , 35, a physical science major from KAIST who has been working as full-time lecturer at Harvard Medical School since 2003, has been officially appointed as assistant professor starting in July and teaches biotechnology and optics.

He made the cut in the recent professor screening process after a fierce competition with over 100 individuals from prestigious U.S. universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford.

Yoon currently is also a researcher at the Wellman Center of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which is reputed in optical diagnostics.

Yoon graduated from Daejeon Science High School, entered the electrical and electronic engineering department at KAIST with top scores, and earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree after changing his major to physics. The title of his master’s thesis is “All-Fiber Acousto-Optic Devices and Fiber Lasers.”

Since then, he has promoted applied research by developing high-tech biomicroscope technology and optical video equipment clinical tests for the early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and cancers. He has released more than 100 related papers on domestic and foreign academic journals and received over 30 relevant U.S. patents.

In 2000, he was an engineering manager at a Californian venture Novera Optics, Inc. and attracted $67 million from U.S. leading institutional investors by commercializing optical communications devices. Dr. Yoon said, “I will contribute to developing biological medicine and optical research through optical technology development and applied research.”

Meanwhile, as of 2003, a total of eight Korean KAIST-graduate doctors, including Dr. Yoon, have been appointed professors of prestigious foreign universities.

Myung-Hun Jee mhjee@donga.com