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Dr. Yoon, Seok Jin, the 25th President of KIST (July 20, 2020)
- Date : 2020-08-25
- Views : 2607
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International Cooperation Team
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Dr. Seok Jin Yoon Appointed as 25th President of KIST
The inauguration
ceremony for the 25th President of KIST was held at its Seoul headquarters on
July 20. In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the ceremony was broadcast
online, with only key KIST executives taking part.
Founded in 1966,
KIST was Korea’s first comprehensive research institute, and over the past 50
years, it has been leading a paradigm shift in science and technology research,
driving the economic growth of the nation. Welcoming the new President, KIST
unveiled its renewed vision, which will be upheld by the extensive research
capabilities KIST has accumulated since its establishment and the robust human
network and infrastructure it possesses as the nation’s leading research
institute.
Dr. Seok Jin Yoon,
the new President of KIST, mentioned “the establishment of a research
implementation structure that deals with national issues and global agendas” as
the top priority for KIST. He stated that KIST’s key missions going forward
will be “to overcome disasters at the national level, such as dementia,
infectious diseases, and fine dust, and to prepare ultimate solutions for those
issues.” He also clarified the role of KIST as “a research institute that
suggests new growth engines” for securing the world’s future competitive core
technologies. Lastly, he revealed his plans to strengthen “KIST’s role as a hub
for innovative national systems” that focuses on convergence and cooperation
among universities, research institutes, and enterprises while conducting
world-class level research.
As KIST’s 25th President,
Dr. Yoon promised “to suggest a vision that everyone in KIST can sympathize
with and participate in, and to communicate sincerely with open heart to KIST
members while doing away with unnecessary formalities and conventions and
lowering the threshold of the President’s office.”
Dr. Yoon graduated
from Yonsei University in 1983, majoring in electrical engineering, and earned
his Ph.D. from the same University. He joined KIST in 1988, and has served in
various roles, including Director of the Materials and Life Science Research
and Research Planning & Coordination Divisions. These experiences honed his
expertise in both research and administration, and would later serve him well
as he sought to pioneer innovation in convergent research areas while serving
as Director of the Convergent Research Division at The National Research
Council of Science & Technology (NST) from 2014 to 2016. Prior to his
current appointment, he had been the Vice President of KIST since 2017.