UST graduates 131 science and technology researchers, many hired by government institutes

The University of Science and Technology (UST) held its fall 2026 degree ceremony on Thursday, conferring degrees on 131 graduates set to lead South Korea's science and technology sector.

Graduates from multiple schools — including those affiliated with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology and Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute — were hired as full-time staff at the government-funded research institutes where they trained. They will go on to lead long-term national research projects as next-generation early-career researchers.

The ceremony recognized award recipients including winners of the deputy prime minister and Minister of Science and ICT Award and the UST president's award, as well as a graduate who published a first-author paper in a top-tier journal with an impact factor of 81.2. In total, 131 degrees were conferred: 61 doctoral, 64 master's and 6 professional master's.

Half of the 61 doctoral graduates — 31, or 50.8 percent — published first-author papers in journals ranked in the top 10 percent of the Journal Citation Reports, demonstrating exceptional research output. On average, each doctoral graduate produced 1.98 first-author papers indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded, with a mean impact factor of 5.77 per paper and 0.95 patent registrations or applications.

The deputy prime minister and Minister of Science and ICT Award went to Joysi Sanmugea, an India-born doctoral graduate from the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences school. Joysi published a first-author paper in Particle and Fibre Toxicology — the leading journal in toxicology — establishing key benchmarks for assessing the toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics inhaled into the body. During her studies she produced six SCIE papers and secured one patent registration.

Jeon Ho-beom, a doctoral graduate from the ETRI school, received both the Minister of SMEs and Startups Award and the UST Alumni Association President's Award. Jeon developed an AI-based video surveillance system called PASS-CCTV capable of precisely tracking human movement and simultaneously detecting multiple hazards — including intrusion, abandonment and arson — even in adverse weather or at night, enabling early disaster prevention and response. He published a first-author paper in Expert Systems with Applications, a leading journal in operations research and management science, and completed two technology transfers, connecting public research from a national laboratory to industry.

Research on combating aging also drew recognition. Choi Pyeong-geun, a doctoral graduate from the Korea Food Research Institute school, received the National Research Council of Science and Technology chairperson's award for identifying that geniposide — a compound found in gardenia fruit — alleviates muscle atrophy caused by age-related deterioration, opening new possibilities for treating sarcopenia. He published a first-author paper in Phytomedicine, the leading journal in integrative and complementary medicine.

The UST president's award went to Lee Jin-il, a doctoral graduate from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology school, and Kim Yu-jin, a master's graduate from the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology school. Lee implemented a new method that reduces computational errors in quantum computers using a single photon, successfully calculating the energy states of molecules with precision. He published a first-author paper in Optica — ranked in the top 5.6 percent of JCR in optics — along with six other SCIE papers. Kim mapped the ecological interactions among 11 major plankton species responsible for red tides, laying the groundwork for red tide prediction research, and published a first-author paper in Harmful Algae, an international journal in marine and freshwater biology, along with 12 SCIE papers in total.

Im Ji-un, a doctoral graduate from the Institute for Basic Science school, received the Founding Research Institutions Council chairperson's award. Im identified that the ankyrin-2 (Ank2) protein in astrocytes — non-neuronal cells in the brain — is a key factor in maintaining long-term memory, publishing a first-author paper in Nature Communications.

UST President Kang Dae-im urged graduates to go beyond producing good research confined to the laboratory. "I hope you will conduct research that enters people's lives, is put to use in the real world and adds new value," Kang said. "Wherever you are, be the master of that place — embody the spirit of 'sucho jakju' and become proud UST alumni who open a better future for South Korea and for humanity."