Sangyeop Lee, KAIST Distinguished Professor, Receives PonyJeong Innovation Award

Founder of System Metabolic Engineering

From the left, Cheolsoo Kim, Chairman of the Ponyjeong Foundation, Sangyeop Lee, Professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the late Seyoung Jung's wife, Youngja Park, Honorary Chairwoman of HDC Group (formerly Hyundai Development Company), and Mongkyu Chung, Chairman of HDC Group

The PonyJeong Foundation selected Professor Lee Sang-yeop, Distinguished Professor and Vice President for Research at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), a global authority and the founder of systems metabolic engineering, as the recipient of the 15th 'PonyJeong Innovation Award,' and presented the plaque on August 18 at PonyJeong Hall located in iPark Tower, Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

At the plaque presentation ceremony, Kim Cheol-soo, Chairman of the PonyJeong Foundation, stated, "Professor Lee Sang-yeop founded systems metabolic engineering and introduced bio-based eco-friendly technology that utilizes microorganisms to mass-produce various compounds, demonstrating innovation that is both efficient and ethical." He added, "His contributions overcome the limitations of the existing petrochemical-based industry and have a significant impact not only in Korea but also for humanity worldwide."

Professor Lee Sang-yeop is a world-renowned biotechnologist who pioneered systems metabolic engineering, which comprehensively designs and manipulates cellular metabolic pathways to mass-produce and utilize compounds. He developed an interdisciplinary field and foundational technologies by integrating systems biology and synthetic biology into traditional metabolic engineering, offering alternatives to overcome the limitations of the petrochemical-based industry.

Systems metabolic engineering was recognized for its excellence by being selected as one of the 'Top 10 Emerging Technologies' by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2016. In May of this year, Professor Lee was inducted as a member of the Royal Society of London, the world's most prestigious academic society founded in 1660, making him the only scientist worldwide?excluding those with U.S. and Commonwealth nationalities?to be simultaneously elected to the three major academies: the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society. Earlier this year in April, he became the first non-Western recipient of the Charles E. Scott Award from the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB), and in 2016, he was the first Asian to receive the James Bailey Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

At the award ceremony, Professor Lee expressed his gratitude, saying, "Together with my students and researchers, I hope to further develop the research we have conducted so far to contribute, even if only a little, to human health and the protection of the global environment." He added, "In line with the spirit of the PonyJeong Innovation Award, I will devote myself even more to innovative research for the advancement of humanity."

The 15th PonyJeong Innovation Award ceremony was held without a formal event due to COVID-19 considerations. Chairman Kim Cheol-soo of the PonyJeong Foundation, Mrs. Park Young-ja, widow of the late Chung Se-young, Honorary Chairman of HDC Group (formerly Hyundai Development Company), and Chung Mong-gyu, Chairman of HDC Group and founder of the foundation, invited the recipient to present the plaque and offer congratulatory remarks. The PonyJeong Foundation plans to release a special online lecture video by Professor Lee Sang-yeop on the foundation’s and HDC Hyundai Development Company’s official YouTube channels by the end of this month.

The PonyJeong Innovation Award, named after the late Chung Se-young, founder of Hyundai Motor Company and affectionately known as 'PONY 鄭 (PonyJeong),' was established in 2006. It honors individuals or organizations that have brought positive change to society through innovative thinking, awarding a prize of 200 million KRW and a plaque. The first award was given to Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General, and subsequent recipients include figure skater Kim Yuna, pianist Cho Seong-jin, Dr. Lee Guk-jong, head of the Trauma Center at Ajou University Hospital in the Gyeonggi Southern Region, Kim Ha-jong, CEO of the social welfare organization Anna’s House, and Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of HYBE.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.