Seungbok Lee, Director of KBRI: "Building a Brain Science Ecosystem from Basic Research to Practical Application"

Seungbok Lee, the newly appointed director of the Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI), has presented “full-cycle brain research,” spanning from basic brain science to the practical application of treatments for intractable brain diseases, as his core vision. With his inauguration, the Korea Brain Research Institute is seen as shifting its strategy to simultaneously target both fundamental and mission-oriented national research for practical outcomes.

On April 6, the Korea Brain Research Institute held an inauguration ceremony for its fifth director at the main auditorium of its Daegu headquarters and unveiled Director Lee’s management vision. Director Lee stated, “We will establish an innovative research ecosystem that fulfills national missions based on creative basic research.”

Seungbok Lee, 5th President of Korea Brain Research Institute. Courtesy of Korea Brain Research Institute

원본보기 아이콘

The key focus is on establishing a full-cycle research structure that connects basic research to practical application. The institute plans to strengthen its organizational operations around three central pillars: a research system that covers everything from basic and fundamental research to practical application; a convergence hub that brings together domestic and international capabilities; and the advancement of brain research infrastructure.

Director Lee graduated from the Department of Microbiology at Seoul National University and received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States. He completed postdoctoral research at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and Vanderbilt University in the U.S., and has served as a professor at the School of Dentistry at Seoul National University since 2003. He has also gained extensive experience in both research and policy as a member of the National Science and Technology Advisory Council and as president of the Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology (KSMCB).

Leveraging his broad academic network as president of the Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology (KSMCB), Director Lee also aims to foster a collaborative ecosystem across industry, academia, research institutes, and hospitals. He envisions transforming the Korea Brain Research Institute’s infrastructure into a national brain science hub, where both basic scientists and clinicians can collaborate and utilize resources.

This vision translates into an integrated research model that links the outcomes of basic research to national strategic missions, such as overcoming intractable brain diseases. As demand grows for research on brain-computer interfaces (BCI), dementia, autism, and brain data-driven artificial intelligence (AI), the institute’s role is also expected to expand further.

Director Lee stated, “By supporting a challenging basic research environment that does not fear failure, we will produce meaningful research results that the public can truly experience,” adding, “We will elevate the Korea Brain Research Institute to a globally recognized strategic hub for brain science.”

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.