Research Fellow Emeritus SHIN Hee-Sup (Former Director of the Center for Cognition and Sociality) of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS, President NOH Do Young) became a Fellow of the 'International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS) Academy of Physiology'.

IUPS¹⁾is a prominent academic organization founded in Basel, Switzerland in 1889. It is the only organization in the world that covers all areas of physiology, including brain science, molecular biology, and immunology. In particular, the IUPS Academy of Physiology was established this year to commemorate the contributions of physiologists towards physiological sciences and human health.

IUPS first selected 33 Fellows after a rigorous screening process, which was based on the criteria of 'outstanding and continuous contributions to physiology'. Honorary Fellows included three Nobel Laureates, including Erwin Neher (1991 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine), while Fellows included 30 renowned scholars including SHIN Hee-Sup (IBS Research Fellow Emeritus), Barbara Cannon (former President of the Royal Academy of Sweden and Chairman of the Nobel Foundation), and Frances Ashcroft (member of the Royal Society of England). IUPS Chairman Julie Chan said, “I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Shin for his hard work and dedication for the advancement of physiology. We particularly had high opinions of his academic excellence and originality.”

Honorary Research Fellow Shin is a world-renowned neuroscientist with several titles of ‘Korea’s first’. As 'NRF No. 1 National Scientist' and 'IBS No. 1 Research Director', his work in brain research spans over 30 years, which involves integrated studies of cognitive functions such as memory, emotion, empathy, and sociality. In July 2012, he assumed the position of Director of IBS Cognitive and Sociality Research, leading the Social Brain Sciences group. After retiring in December 2020, he has been leading his follow-up research and fostering future students.

Some of his key research achievements include doubling of learning memory by controlling brain waves during sleep (Neuron, 2017) and demonstrating the inner-workings of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by identifying brain circuits that suppress fear-related memories (Nature, 2019). He also elucidated the mechanisms regulating empathy at the genetic level (Neuron, 2018) and observed social behavior in mice which established a model of resource allocation through competitive and cooperative behaviors (Nature Communications, 2017).

Even before his selection as an IUPS Fellow, his academic reputation was recognized at home and abroad through a number of awards and fellowships. He was appointed as a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2009, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2018, while his domestic awards include the Ho-Am Prize (2004), Order of Civil Merit (2004), and Korea's Best Scientist and Engineer Award (2005), etc.

Research Fellow Emeritus Shin said, “I am very happy to have been selected as a Fellow of the IUPS Physiology Academy. I will continue to foster the growth of basic science in our country by supporting a new generation of young scientists.”

1) IUPS:An academic organization created by physiologists to exchange ideas between different disciplines. In 1889, the first IUPS Congress was held in Basel, Switzerland, and in 1953, it was established as an official federation in Montreal, Canada. In July 2021, the IUPS Physiology Academy was established to promote physiology.