NRF appoints Daegu Catholic University professor Jang Young-chae as head of medical sciences division

The National Research Foundation of Korea has appointed Jang Young-chae, a professor at Daegu Catholic University's College of Medicine, as head of the medical sciences division under its Basic Research Headquarters.

Jang earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Yeungnam University before receiving a doctorate in biotechnology from the University of Tokyo in 1995. He then completed postdoctoral research at the Biotechnology Research Institute of Japan's Agency of Industrial Science and Technology and at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Since 2004, he has served as a professor in the Department of Cell Biology at Daegu Catholic University's College of Medicine. He has also held roles including specialist committee member at the NRF's medical sciences division, board member of the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, concurrent researcher at the Rural Development Administration, and advisory committee member for the health and welfare subcommittee of North Gyeongsang Province.

In the two-year role, Jang will oversee government-commissioned support projects under the medical sciences division, covering evaluation and management, project planning, proposals for mid- to long-term development and policy formulation and advisory work, budget allocation planning, progress monitoring and performance promotion, research demand and technology forecasting and research trend analysis, and external cooperation.