34 Top Scientists and Engineers from Each Field Join the Academy as Regular Members for 2026

World-Renowned Scholars Including Shin Seokwoo and Lee Saro Selected
Two Female Scientists Also Elected

The Korean Academy of Science and Technology (President: Jung Jin-ho), the nation’s most prestigious academic society in the field of science and technology, newly elected 34 regular members for 2026 at the '2nd Regular General Meeting for 2025' held on November 27. The inclusion of outstanding scientists and technologists across four divisions-Natural Sciences, Engineering, Agricultural and Fisheries Sciences, and Medical Sciences-once again reaffirmed the stature of the Academy’s regular membership.

This year’s elected regular members consist of 10 from the Division of Natural Sciences, 11 from Engineering, 3 from Agricultural and Fisheries Sciences, and 10 from Medical Sciences. The average age is 55, with the youngest member being Shin Seokwoo, a distinguished professor at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study and also a professor at UC Berkeley, at 47 years old. Among the new members, two are women-Kim Hyunjung, professor at Sogang University, and Park Sojung, professor at Ewha Womans University-making up 5.9% of the total.

Korean Academy of Science and Technology 2026 Regular Member. Provided by the Korean Academy of Science and Technology

There were also firsts for certain institutions. Lee Sa, a director at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), became the first regular member to be elected from among the institute’s in-house researchers. Although Jang Howan, professor emeritus at Seoul National University, previously served as president of KIGAM, this is the first time a researcher affiliated with the institution has become a regular member. At Sookmyung Women’s University, Professor Kim Yonggi became the second regular member in 30 years, following Professor Emeritus Park Youngja in 1995.

Regular members of the Academy are selected from individuals who have conducted research in the science and technology field for more than 20 years, based on their achievements over the past five years and ten representative papers. The selection process comprehensively evaluates research excellence, academic and technological impact, and contributions both domestically and internationally. As candidates must pass a rigorous three-stage review, being elected as a regular member is regarded as recognition of being among the nation’s top researchers in the field.

The Academy plans to officially introduce the research achievements of the newly elected regular members at the '2026 New Member Award Ceremony' scheduled for January 22, 2026.

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