The IBS Center for Climate Physics at the IBS was awarded from the Minister of Science and ICT for outstanding research performance and active promotion of research results.

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) held its first forum in 2020, when it gave awards to individuals with outstanding research performance and promotion outcomes from government R&D investments. The seven researchers awarded this year’s prizes were selected from those who published their research in 2019. In addition to the IBS, Seoul National University, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, and UNIST produced awardees of the prize.

Axel Timmermann, Director of the IBS Center for Climate Physics, revealed that climate change was the reason why humankind has to move from its birthplace, the Kalahari desert in Africa. In October 2019, Director Timmermann published the findings in Nature. The research result was distributed by press release that same month; this finding was featured on seven tv broadcasts, covered in 10 newspapers and magazines, and published in 131 online news reports.

▲ From the right, GOH Seo-gon (MSIT Director of R&D Policy Bureau), SHIM Shibo (IBS Head of Division of Policy and Planning), Prof. KIM Guntae (UNIST), Dr. KIM Yong-jin (Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials), Dr. MOON Hong-gyu (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute), Dr. YOU Bum Jae (Korea Institute of Science and Technology), Dr. JUNG Seunghwan (Biocon), and Jeong Byungseon (MSIT 1st Vice Minister).