my timesThe Korea Times
  1. Lifestyle
  2. People & Events

SNU Prof. Hyeon is first Korean to win IUVSTA prize

Listen
  • Published KST
  • Updated KST

Hyeon Taeg-hwan, SNU professor

By Kim Yoo-chul

The International Union for Vacuum Science, Technique and Applications (IUVSTA) selected Hyeon Taeg-hwan as the winner of this year’s Prize for Technology.

Hyeon, a professor at Seoul National University and head of the school’s Nanoparticle Research Center, is the first Korean to win the prize.

The IUVSTA, an international federation of 33 national vacuum science organizations, has held the International Vacuum Congress (IVC) every three years since its inception in 1958.

It has been giving out the IUVSTA Prize for Technology and Prize for Science to outstanding scientists and engineers in the fields of vacuum science and technology since its 14th congress.

Hyeon was selected as the recipient in recognition of his innovative and exceptional research in the areas of the fundamental mechanisms of nanocrystal formation, uniform-sized nanoparticle manufacturing and nanoparticle design for medical applications, the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) said in a statement, Thursday.

“His winning reaffirms that Professor Hyeon is a globally recognized scientist in vacuum and nanoscience and technology,” according to the statement.

“I couldn’t be happier to receive such a prestigious prize by doing what I enjoy most. This honor was possible thanks to my students and co-researchers with whom I have been working closely. I’d also like to express my gratitude to IBS, SNU and the National Research Foundation of Korea for their wholehearted support,” Hyeon said in the statement.

The award ceremony will be held at the 20th IUVSTA Congress at the BEXCO center in Busan, this August.

Hyeon will deliver a keynote lecture along with Jean-Marie Dubois, a professor at the University of Lorraine in France and this year’s winner of the IUVSTA Prize for Science.

The IBS said the upcoming event will bring together nearly 2,000 distinguished scholars and experts from 33 IUVSTA member countries to discuss the present and future of vacuum science.