CHA Meeyoung, Chief Investigator (CI) of the Data Science Group at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and professor at KAIST has been appointed as the first Korean director at the Max Planck Institute (MPI), a globally renowned basic science research institution in Germany. Cha, with her expertise in leading the Data Science Group, focused on computational and mathematical sciences at IBS. She will assume the role of Scientific Director at the MPI for Security and Privacy in the Bonn region starting in June, leading the "Data Science for Humanity" research group. She is currently preparing for the formal establishment of the research group.

Max Planck operates 85 affiliated research institutes across Germany and internationally, encompassing various fields of basic science. CHA's appointment marks the first instance of a Korean national to lead one of these institutes. Among around 300 directors, the only other ethnic Korean is the former Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) professor Sarah M. KANG, who was appointed as the director of the MPI for Meteorology in August of last year.

Cha is recognized as an expert in the field of data science with over 20,000 citations according to Google Scholar. She graduated from KAIST and earned her master's and doctoral degrees from the same institution. After completing her doctorate, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute in Saarbrücken, Germany. She has been a professor at KAIST since 2010. In 2019, she was selected as a CI to lead to IBS Data Science Group, where she gained international recognition by publishing numerous outstanding papers in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

IBS follows an annual selection process appointing CIs, with stringent qualification requirement equivalent to that of research directors. CIs are selected among junior researchers with significant growth potential. They lead independent research groups at the IBS, and their positions are categorized as junior research director-level positions.

Established in 2019, the IBS Data Science Group focuses on researching methodologies for computing and analyzing large-scale data. The group has produced remarkable research outcomes, including the use of AI to detect fake news and hate speech, providing insightful analyses of societal phenomena closely related to our lives.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the group initiated the "Facts Ahead of Rumors" campaign, disseminating fact-check results on misinformation related to infectious diseases to 151 countries. More recently, they analyzed satellite images using AI to create economic maps for underdeveloped countries, including North Korea, and released them for free. In the recent 5th-year evaluation, the group received praise for creatively applying AI technology to basic science and developing core technologies that enhance the social value of data science research.

IBS Director NOH Do Young stated, "IBS supports young researchers through its CI program, and we are delighted that a researcher discovered through this system has been invited as the director of the Max Planck Institute." He expects this event to significantly contribute to international research exchanges between Korea and Germany.

KAIST President LEE Kwanghyung congratulated Cha, stating, "Professor Cha's achievements, supported by KAIST, will serve as an excellent role model for internationalization," and assured continued collaboration and support for Cha to work with KAIST students and colleagues.

Cha Meeyoung expressed her gratitude, saying, "In addition to the experience gained as a professor at KAIST, the continued creative research at IBS has led to good research results." She pledged to carry a great sense of responsibility forward and to do her best for societal contributions through data science.

IBS Public Relations Team
William I. Suh

▲ IBS President NOH Do Young (right), CI CHA Meeyoung (left)

▲ Max Planck Institute headquarters, located in Munich, Germany

▲ Photo taken in 2023 September at the MPI headquarters in Munich, Germany. President Patrick CRAMER of the Max Planck Society offers a Director position to CHA Meeyoung.