No. There is no age limit, but directors need to be able to actively commit to long-term IBS research.

IBS directors at HQ Centers will be employed as senior-level researchers whose retirement age is 65 and can be extended after evaluations. However, if directors are temporarily posted to IBS before switching their affiliations to IBS, they comply with the policies of their current affiliations.

You can submit your application at any time to register in the IBS Directorial Candidate Pool.

No. Applicants will be eliminated from the candidate pool if their research plans are deemed unsuitable for IBS research. Those candidates will be personally notified with an explanation.

No. The Selection and Evaluation Committee (SEC) will select candidates for an in-depth evaluation from the candidate pool. Only the selected candidates will undergo the selection and evaluation process.

The candidates will remain in the pool for two years. Candidates can update their application (such as new research achievements) at any time during the two years. If candidates have not been selected for an in-depth evaluation after two years, but still want to remain in the pool, they should reapply.

The most important criteria are candidate's scientific excellence and the feasibility of their candidate's research plans.

No. In principle, when applying for director positions at HQ Centers, candidates will be hired on the condition that IBS should be their only affiliation. Nonetheless, if candidates can obtain approval from the heads of their current affiliations for taking a leave of absence, being temporarily posted to IBS or maintaining a dual employment at their current affiliations and IBS, they may be able to apply for the director positions while retaining their employment status with the current affiliations. However, this transition period must not exceed two years after their appointment dates as IBS directors.

Professors, researchers or anyone with pending employment contracts from S&T specialized universities (KAIST, DGIST, UNIST, POSTECH, and GIST) and government-funded research institutions in the Daedeok Innopolis region (KAIST Alliance Campus) can apply to campus Centers. However, director positions in specialized research areas for campus Centers (see 2. Selection of IBS Directors in Designated Research Areas) are open to all researchers. In this case, the applicants must acquire approval from the heads of their respective host institutions where their Centers will be based before the final decision for the directorship is made.

Professors or researchers from any universities or government-funded research institutes can apply for these positions, except professors from S&T specialized universities and researchers from government-funded research institutions in the Daedeok Innopolis region.