Gachon University professor wins 34th Ottogi Ham Tae-ho Academic Award

The Ottogi Ham Tae-ho Foundation co-hosted the 34th Ottogi Ham Tae-ho Academic Award ceremony with the Korean Nutrition Society on Friday at Seoul Dragon City.

Gachon University professor Lee Hae-jung received the award at the ceremony. A full member of the National Academy of Science and Technology of Korea, Lee has authored 185 SCI(E)-indexed papers, holds 16 domestic and international patents, and has completed six technology transfers. Foundation Chairman Ham Young-joo presented her with a trophy and a cash prize of 30 million won ($22,600).

Lee led efforts to establish the framework for the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and to advance the nutrition database of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, building the country's national nutrition research infrastructure. She has also clarified the mechanisms and human application of traditional foods and functional materials, raising their academic and industrial potential. She has also contributed to leading a Korean precision nutrition research project based on AI and gut microbiome analysis.

The Ottogi Ham Tae-ho Foundation, established in 1996, has maintained an active research grant program alongside its annual award ceremony. The program began in 2013 with grants totaling 225 million won distributed to three researchers, and has since supported 92 researchers with a cumulative 14.1 billion won in funding through this year. Starting this year, the foundation added the Korean Nutrition Society to expand the award to three major associations in the food and nutrition field. Including this year's recipient, a total of 34 researchers have received the Ottogi Ham Tae-ho Academic Award.