The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has appointed Professor Bae Choong-sik as its 18th president.
On June 29, KAIST held an extraordinary board meeting at its Seoul campus in Yangjae-dong, where Professor Bae was selected for the position.
Bae graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in aerospace engineering and earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Imperial College London. He joined KAIST in 1998 and has held several key positions, including chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and dean of the College of Engineering. Recently, he was appointed as a distinguished professor at Korea Electric Power Corporation.
As head of the COVID-19 Response Science and Technology New Deal Task Force, Bae contributed to establishing a science and technology-based crisis response system. He has also served as president of the Carbon Neutral Fuel Technology Research Association, proposing future energy transition technologies to address climate change.
Additionally, Bae has participated in national science and technology policy formulation as a regular member of the Korean Academy of Engineering and as chair of the Climate Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Science and Technology Diplomacy Advisory Committee.
He was the first Korean to be named a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and has received the SAE Outstanding Paper Award twice. For his contributions to the automotive industry and national competitiveness, he was honored with the Presidential Citation in 2021 and the National Assembly Award in 2024.
KAIST expressed optimism that Bae's expertise in energy and carbon neutrality, along with his policy leadership, will enhance future interdisciplinary research and strengthen the university's competitiveness as a global research institution.
Bae's appointment comes approximately 16 months after the term of the current president, Lee Kwang-hyung, ended. In February, the KAIST board voted on three candidates, including Lee, Professor Kim Jeong-ho from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and former Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology President Lee Yong-hoon, but failed to reach a majority vote.
Bae's final confirmation as the 18th president of KAIST is pending approval from the Minister of Education and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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