'Don't fear failure — hold on to long-standing problems to the end'

"Over the next five years, I will establish more than 10 'pioneer-type research centers' to greatly strengthen the dynamism and diversity of the research ecosystem, so that new discoveries and new concepts can flourish at IBS."

Jang Seok-bok, the newly inaugurated director general of the Institute for Basic Science, laid out his vision for running the organization at his inauguration ceremony Thursday.

Jang has led the Center for Molecular-Level Control of Organic Reactions since being selected as a research center director in 2012, when IBS was in its early days. He is widely regarded as a researcher who understands the institute's philosophy and research environment more deeply than anyone, and has been credited with driving both center operations and institutional development. His term runs through June 2031.

Jang said that, building on the world-class research capabilities IBS has accumulated over the past 15 years, the institute must now move beyond excellence to make new discovery and new concepts its core values. He also presented a vision of developing IBS into a "Discovery Hub" — an institution that ventures into uncharted territory first, rather than accumulating results in already-established fields, and sets new questions and new directions for research.

To that end, he outlined five key operational priorities: introducing pioneer-type research centers, building an open research center system, strengthening the competitiveness of IBS headquarters and research infrastructure, charting future-oriented research directions, and fostering a healthy organizational culture grounded in public trust.

Jang said he would particularly introduce pioneer-type research centers to support young and innovative researchers, strengthening the system for identifying and nurturing talent with world-class potential.

Emphasizing the need to build research competitiveness centered on IBS headquarters, he said the institute would create a research environment that attracts outstanding domestic and international researchers around the recently completed second headquarters building, while expanding research infrastructure. He also said he was committed to stabilizing operations at the heavy-ion accelerator facility so it can establish itself as a leading research facility actively used by researchers at home and abroad.

"Only when researchers who hold on to long-standing problems to the very end, a culture that does not fear failure, and the best administrative and technical support all come together will IBS truly excel," Jang said. "I will do my utmost to help IBS grow into a research institution that earns the trust and support of the public and sets new directions for world science."

Jang was born in 1962 in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Korea University in 1985, a master's degree in chemistry from KAIST in 1987, and a doctorate from Harvard University in 1996.

He is recognized as the top authority in South Korea in organochemical catalysis and is regarded internationally as a leading researcher. He has been named to Clarivate's Highly Cited Researchers list — the top 1 percent of researchers worldwide — for eight consecutive years, and currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.