KAIST professor becomes first Korean editor at 105-year-old chemistry journal

KAIST said Professor Han Soon-gyu of its Department of Chemistry has become the first Korean elected as an editor of Organic Syntheses, a 105-year-old journal in the field of organic chemistry.

Over the next five years, Han will be responsible for proposing, inviting and selecting research for publication in the journal. He will also personally reproduce and verify synthesis methods developed by other researchers in his own laboratory. His term can be extended up to three years.

Founded in 1921, Organic Syntheses differs from typical academic journals in that its checking editors repeat the organic synthesis experiments presented in submitted papers in their own laboratories. A paper is published only after its yield, selectivity and purification process are confirmed and its reproducibility proven. As a result, the synthesis methods included in the journal are regarded as highly reliable, standard experimental guidelines used by organic chemists around the world.

Serving as a checking editor requires more than reviewing papers — editors must personally carry out the described experiments and vouch for their reliability. The role demands a high level of academic judgment and experimental skill.

The journal currently has 14 editors in total, including its editor-in-chief and deputy editor-in-chief. Prominent chemists from Japan, China and Hong Kong have served on the board, including 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Ryoji Noyori. Han is the first Korean chemist ever elected to the position.

Han has built his research career around the chemical synthesis of complex natural products. After joining KAIST in 2014, he successfully synthesized a number of structurally complex alkaloid natural products derived from Securinega suffruticosa, a medicinal plant native to Korea.

More recently, he has expanded his research to include molecular photoswitches, which use light to control the structure and function of molecules. He has also pursued the development of anticancer drugs and treatments for degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, using derivatives of synthetic natural products.

Since June last year, Han has also served as deputy editor-in-chief of the international organic chemistry journal Organic Letters.

The selection reflects international recognition of Han's expertise and research capabilities in organic synthesis.

With Han's election, KAIST will also be able to host the Organic Syntheses Distinguished Lecture Series during his term as a checking editor. With support from the journal's foundation, the university plans to invite renowned organic chemists from around the world to KAIST, expanding opportunities for exchange with students and young researchers.

"Through diligent work as a checking editor, I hope to contribute to chemists around the world and help accumulate reliable chemical knowledge, thereby contributing to the advancement of chemistry for humanity," Han said.