KIM Yousoo, Director of the IBS Center for Quantum Conversion Research (and Professor of Chemistry at GIST), has been selected as a recipient of the 21st Kyungam Prize.

Launched in 2005, the Kyungam Prize honors scholars in the humanities and social sciences, natural sciences, life sciences, and engineering who have made outstanding achievements and contributed to the advancement of academia and the arts.

Director Kim, this year’s awardee in the Natural Sciences category, is recognized as a world-leading scholar who has pioneered the field of precisely measuring and controlling quantum states at the single-molecule level. By integrating scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) with advanced optical techniques, he established a spectroscopic research platform capable of identifying the electronic and vibrational states of individual molecules. His work has expanded fundamental understanding of key phenomena in basic science, such as quantum energy conversion and interfacial chemistry. In addition, he has demonstrated the potential of future convergent technologies, including high-efficiency optoelectronic devices, single-molecule quantum information processing units, and nanoscale photocatalysts.

▲ Award recipients pose for a commemorative photo at the 21st Kyungam Prize Ceremony held on November 7 at Kyungam Hall in Seomyeon, Busan. From left: Professor KIM Sangbae (MIT, Special Prize), Professor KIM Ho-Young (Seoul National University, Engineering), Director KIM Yousoo (IBS, Natural Sciences), and Professor HEO Jun-Ryeol (Harvard Medical School, Life Sciences). (Photo provided by GIST)

Meanwhile, this year’s Kyungam Prize in Life Sciences went to Professor HEO Jun-Ryeol of Harvard Medical School; the Engineering category to Professor KIM Ho-Young of Seoul National University; and the Special Prize to Professor KIM Sangbae of MIT. No recipient was selected for the Humanities and Social Sciences category. The awards ceremony was held on November 7 at Kyungam Hall in Seomyeon, Busan, with this year’s laureates, past awardees, and prominent figures from academia and the arts in attendance.