At just 13 years old, UNIST already boasts ‘world-class’ research environment

Lee Yong-hoon, president of the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), has great ambitions for his 13-year-old university and is confident that its groundbreaking research will pave the way for a bright future. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Lee Yong-hoon, president of the Ulsan Nationwide Institute of Science and Know-how (UNIST), has nice ambitions for his 13-year-old college and is assured that its groundbreaking analysis will pave the best way for a vibrant future. [PARK SANG-MOON]

As head of a college positioned in one of many farthest corners of the nation from Seoul, Lee Yong-hoon is assured that his college has what it takes to draw the world’s brightest minds.

Within the 13 years because the Ulsan Nationwide Institute of Science and Know-how, also referred to as UNIST, was established within the southeastern industrial port metropolis of Ulsan, the college has shattered expectations, touchdown coveted spots on world rankings — as Lee always identified in a current interview with the Korea JoongAng Each day.

It got here in eleventh on this 12 months’s Younger College Rankings by the Occasions Increased Schooling, which lists the world’s main universities which are 50 years previous or youthful. The rank was the very best amongst Korean universities.

On Clarivate’s Extremely Cited Researchers record, 70 scientists based mostly in Korea have been acknowledged and 10 have been from UNIST, the most important determine for any Korean institute.

The key, Lee highlighted, comes all the way down to the college’s “world-class” analysis setting.

“Our largest power is that we’ve got practically 70 billion received [$54.4 million] price of analysis tools and a few 50 full-time employees solely devoted to upkeep,” Lee stated.

“This permits our college students and professors to focus all their power on analysis,” he continued, “as a result of in contrast to different universities, they’re not sparing any time checking whether or not the tools really capabilities correctly.”

Within the interview, Lee mentioned how UNIST is striving to take its analysis capabilities to the subsequent degree and the way worldwide college students can profit from becoming a member of the journey.

The next are edited excerpts from that dialog.

How would you introduce UNIST to potential worldwide college students?

UNIST was based in 2009 and formally acknowledged as a government-funded analysis institute for science and know-how in 2015, changing into the fourth such institute in Korea. All through the years, the college has made nice leaps within the chemical and chemical engineering fields equivalent to secondary batteries, photo voltaic cells, graphene and semiconductor supplies. Particularly, UNIST has been concentrating on new applied sciences linking AI with different fields whereas aiming to play a key position within the “sensible transition” of the nation’s southeastern industrial zone by way of the appliance of AI and massive information deep studying strategies.

An electric vehicle produced by a 3-D printer during research led by Professor of Mechanical Engineering Kim Nam-hun in 2017 [YONHAP]

An electrical car produced by a 3-D printer throughout analysis led by Professor of Mechanical Engineering Kim Nam-hun in 2017 [YONHAP]

How is UNIST completely different from different home analysis institutes for science and know-how?

All our programs on the undergraduate and postgraduate ranges are carried out in English and we provide a world-class analysis setting. Our UCRF, generally known as the UNIST Central Analysis Amenities, overlooks 70 billion received price of analysis tools and affords shut steerage to any pupil who needs to make use of it. Whereas different universities usually depend on graduate college students for upkeep, we’ve got some 50 “managers” on the UCRF for the duty, who additionally educate college students easy methods to use the tools for his or her analysis.

An aerial view of the school campus in Ulsan [UNIST]

An aerial view of the college campus in Ulsan [UNIST]

They’re professionals with grasp’s levels, some with a Ph.D., of their respective fields who used to work for firms. For the reason that college was established, our first president made a clever and hard resolution to rent 40 full-time managers, who, right this moment, have grow to be considerably like our secret weapon. And since we’ve got such good analysis tools, we’re capable of appeal to distinguished professors who want to use it, which in flip permits us to up our analysis capabilities.

Research conducted in the UNIST Nano Fabrication Cleanroom has been published in numerous journals, including a paper featured in Nature by Professor of Chemistry Shin Hyeon-suk, whose team developed a new material that’s expected to pave the way for miniaturizing semiconductors. [UNIST]

Analysis carried out within the UNIST Nano Fabrication Cleanroom has been revealed in quite a few journals, together with a paper featured in Nature by Professor of Chemistry Shin Hyeon-suk, whose workforce developed a brand new materials that’s anticipated to pave the best way for miniaturizing semiconductors. [UNIST]

What’s UNIST’s globalization technique?

We hope to construct a world community by way of which our professors and college students can talk with the world’s biggest scientists. We particularly plan to launch a program subsequent 12 months that sends our professors overseas to go to the highest specialists of their respective fields, ideally with considered one of their college students following in tow. The mission is to go to these specialists and see what analysis they’re as much as, maybe even invite them to UNIST for a month or perhaps a week. We wish to push our college members and college students out of their consolation zones and encourage them to work together with the world’s biggest, as a result of the extra they accomplish that, the extra seemingly they may grow to be the world’s biggest themselves. That’s what I name globalization.

The university’s Gamak Pond, seen blanketed with algae during the summer [UNIST]

The college’s Gamak Pond, seen blanketed with algae in the course of the summer season [UNIST]

I additionally heard you began a journey program for college kids that takes them to close by vacationer sights on buses each weekend.

Coming from Daejeon, I discover Ulsan a really enticing metropolis to reside in. The campus right here has such a fantastic pure setting with clear air. Sadly, nonetheless, college students don’t agree with me. They will’t stand the mundane campus life after their first month right here as a result of the college is surrounded by mountains. Each Saturday, I usually get up questioning the place I ought to go to subsequent. Bulguksa Temple [in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang] is only a 40-minute drive from the place I reside. Haeundae Seaside [in Busan] is a 50-minute drive. However then, it occurred to me that almost all college students don’t have a automobile, to allow them to’t drive out of town like me. That’s how I got here up with the so-called Youth Bus, which drops off college students at standard vacationer locations each weekend in close by cities for anybody who registers. The college covers half the charge, whereas college students are required to pay the remainder, which is 5,000 received at most.

A solar cell co-developed by a UNIST research team achieved the highest power conversion efficiency (PEC) for a single-junction perovskite solar cell (PSE), breaking the world record in 2021. [YONHAP]

A photo voltaic cell co-developed by a UNIST analysis workforce achieved the very best energy conversion effectivity (PEC) for a single-junction perovskite photo voltaic cell (PSE), breaking the world file in 2021. [YONHAP]

What recommendation would you supply to foreigners who’re serious about finding out in Korea?

UNIST is a college with a imaginative and prescient — a college that by no means settles and strives for the higher. If you wish to conduct analysis, UNIST is undoubtedly the most suitable choice. Our professors are younger and their labs have solely 5 to 6 college students max, which permits them to offer extra help and a spotlight to every particular person. Not solely do college students be taught from professors, however in addition they achieve sensible data from our managers on the UCRF. All of those elements create an setting for college kids to shortly enhance their competence and develop their profession paths.

The iconic Face the Future structure near the school’s entrance, which symbolizes UNIST’s vision to contribute to the prosperity of humankind and illuminate the world with scientific and technological advances. [YONHAP]

The long-lasting Face the Future construction close to the college’s entrance, which symbolizes UNIST’s imaginative and prescient to contribute to the prosperity of humankind and illuminate the world with scientific and technological advances. [YONHAP]

━

President’s bio

Lee Yong-hoon is the fourth president of the Ulsan Nationwide Institute of Science and Know-how. His four-year time period started in November 2019.

Earlier than becoming a member of the institute, he spent an in depth interval of his profession instructing at KAIST in Daejeon. There, he was vp for educational affairs from 2011 to 2013; vp of the IT Convergence Campus in 2011; dean of the School of Info Science and Know-how from 2008 to 2011; dean of the School of Engineering from 2005 to 2008; and a professor {of electrical} engineering from 1989 to 2019, amongst different roles.

Off campus, he’s at the moment a member of the fifth Science and Know-how Fundamental Plan Institution Committee underneath the Ministry of Science and ICT and the vp of the Korean Federation of Science and Know-how Societies.

Lee received the Greatest Paper Award from the Korean Institute of Communications and Info Sciences, also referred to as KICS, in 2016 and 2017 and the Greatest Paper Award from the 2016 Joint Convention on Communications and Info, generally known as JCCI. Lee was awarded a commendation from the minister of data and communication in 2003 and obtained a presidential quotation in 2002.

He earned his bachelor’s and grasp’s in electrical engineering at Seoul Nationwide College and his Ph.D. in the identical subject from the College of Pennsylvania.

━

In regards to the college

Identify
Ulsan Nationwide Institute of Science and Know-how (UNIST)

Sort
Nationwide

Established
March 1, 2009

English slogan
First in Change

Location
Ulsan

Campus measurement
1,041,657 sq. meters (257.4 acres)

Undergraduate faculties and departments
Faculties: 3
Faculties and departments: 21

Graduate faculties
21

College students (2022)
Undergraduates: 2,266
Postgraduates: 2,256
Complete: 4,522

Full-time educational workers (2022)
331

Administrative workers (2022)
427

Employment fee (2021)
Undergraduates: 68.4 p.c
Postgraduates: 85 p.c

English web site
www.unist.ac.kr

Worldwide college students

Variety of college students (2022)
Undergraduates: 130
Postgraduates: 204
Quick-term college students (language studying): 20
Complete: 354

By nation
Kazakhstan 20 p.c
India 11 p.c
Vietnam 10 p.c
Different 59 p.c (41 nations)

Division with essentially the most worldwide college students (2022)
Undergraduate: Division of Laptop Science and Engineering
Postgraduate: Faculty of Vitality and Chemical Engineering

Dormitory acceptance fee (2022)
81 p.c

Common tuition of self-funded undergraduate college students per semester (2022)
All worldwide college students are totally funded by scholarships.

Admissions web sites
Undergraduate: admu-intl.unist.ac.kr
Postgraduate: admg-intl.unist.ac.kr

YouTube
UNIST