Deaf researcher who made it to Meta AI returns to mentor UST students

Moon Ji-hye, a UST alumna who overcame congenital deafness to become an AI researcher at global tech giant Meta, has stepped up as a mentor for current UST students.

The University of Science and Technology (UST) is holding its 2026 UST Global Mentoring Conference through Aug. 28 to strengthen students' global research capabilities and professional networks.

The opening session on July 6 will feature lectures on global career development by Moon — a graduate of the UST-Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) School — and Hong Ki-min, a professor at Columbia College in the United States. The two will share the core values and practical tips aspiring researchers need to make their mark on the world stage.

The UST Global Mentoring Conference is a signature UST education program that channels the global research partnerships built over many years by 30 UST schools — including those affiliated with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and ETRI — into the development of future science and technology talent. Top-tier researchers in each field are invited to serve as both lecturers and student mentors.

This year's conference draws 75 experts from national research laboratories, global universities and leading advanced-industry companies across 17 countries. The mentor lineup includes researchers and faculty from world-class institutions such as Argonne National Laboratory in the United States and the Max Planck Institute in Germany, top universities including UC Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania, and industry leaders such as Meta AI, Samsung Electronics, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Applied Materials.

Participating students will follow the latest overseas research trends and learn global career development strategies through webinars. After attending lectures, they can apply directly for one-on-one mentoring sessions with speakers; once matched, they will receive online guidance from their mentor on topics of their choice, including academics, research and career planning.

"We hope this will be an opportunity for students to broaden their research horizons through direct interaction with mentors and to build the networks they need to step onto the global stage," UST President Kang Dae-im said.