- Professor Baek Min-kyung of Seoul National University, a leader in life sciences for her research on the protein analysis program 'RoseTTAFold'

- Professor Yoon Hyo-sang of KAIST, a specialist in satellite attitude control contributing to the Korean aerospace industry

- Award ceremony scheduled for September 20 at Pony Hall, Samsung-dong I-Park Tower

 

Pony Chung Foundation (Chairman Chung Mong-gyu) has selected Professor Baek Min-kyung from the Department of Life Sciences at Seoul National University and Professor Yoon Hyo-sang from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST as the recipients of the 4th Pony Outstanding Leaders Award, presented to young innovators in our society.

 

Chung Mong-gyu, Chairman of the Pony Chung Foundation, stated, "The Pony Chung Foundation awards the Pony Outstanding Leaders Award to individuals under the age of 40 who contribute to positive changes and growth in our society." He continued, "Following last year's 3rd annual award to startup 'N.Thing' CEO Kim Hye-yeon and pianist Son Yeol-eum, this year we have selected Professor Baek Min-kyung of Seoul National University and Professor Yoon Hyo-sang of KAIST's Department of Aerospace Engineering as the recipients of the 4th annual award."

 

The background for selecting the award recipients lies in the fact that both Professor Baek Min-kyung and Professor Yoon Hyo-sang are leading innovative foundational research in their respective fields, which are considered key future industries: life sciences and aerospace.

The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on September 20 at Pony Hall, I-Park Tower, Seoul.

 

Professor Baek Min-kyung, an accomplished scientist, specialized in computational chemistry during her bachelor's and doctoral studies in the Chemistry Department at Seoul National University. She is a computational biologist who designs life phenomena at the molecular and cellular levels through computer calculations. After obtaining her Ph.D. from the University of Washington in the United States in 2019, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher. In 2021, she led the research as the core developer of the 'RoseTTAFold' artificial intelligence (AI) program for predicting protein structures, which was unveiled that year. Her research has led her to be the first Korean researcher to be selected for the "2021 Best Research Achievement" by the international journal 'Science.' The 'RoseTTAFold' program is expected to significantly expedite drug development by achieving an accuracy of over 90% in protein structure analysis.

 

Professor Yoon Hyo-sang, after completing his master's degree in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST in 2010, earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2017. He then worked as a satellite attitude control engineer at domestic aerospace specialist company Satrec Initiative and as a guidance and navigation control engineer at the leading U.S. small satellite company 'Planet Labs.' He has grown to become an expert in satellite attitude control technology. After gaining rich engineering experience, Professor Yoon was appointed as an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST in 2019. He wrote the satellite attitude control code for Nuriho in just six months, contributing to the success of the second launch of Nuriho in 2022. He is recognized as an expert in the field of space laser communication, leading the future advancement of the aerospace industry.

 

The Pony Outstanding Leaders Award was established in 2020 to support young innovators and continues the spirit of innovation and challenge of Hyundai Group (formerly Hyundai Development Company) Honorary Chairman 'PONY' Chung Se-yung, the founder of Hyundai Motor Company. The award aims to recognize individuals under the age of 40 who bring about positive changes in society through their progressive spirit. Each recipient will receive a cash prize of 50 million won and a trophy.

 

 

※ Professor Baek Min-kyung's profile

 

Statement: Baek Min-kyung (1990)

 

Current position: Assistant Professor of Life Sciences at Seoul National University

Academic background: 2013 Bachelor of Science at Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences

2018 Doctor of Chemistry at Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences

 

Achievements:

- First author of the research on the 'RoseTTAFold' program announced in 2021.

- The first Korean researcher selected for inclusion in the "Best Innovation Research Achievement" by the international journal 'Science' in 2021.

※ RoseTTAFold: An artificial intelligence (AI) program that deciphers the 3D structure of proteins from amino acid sequences within minutes to hours.

- Shortens the protein structure analysis process to minutes to hours and demonstrates an accuracy of over 90% when compared to known protein structures and RoseTTAFold decoding/testing results.

- Expected to contribute to identifying the causes of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, which result from protein abnormalities, and to developing treatment methods.

 

 

※Professor Yoon Hyo-sang's profile

Name: Yoon Hyo-sang (1985)

Current position: assistant professor of aerospace at KAIST

Adjunct Research Institute of Defense Science (PM)

 

Academic background:

2008 Bachelor of Science in Aerospace at KAIST

2010 Master of Aeronautics and Space Administration at KAIST

2017 PhD in Aerospace Engineering, MIT, USA

 

Career:

- 2008-2014 Posture Control Researcher of 'Satrec Initiative', a domestic aerospace company

- Leading U.S. micro-satellite company 'Planet Labs' guided navigation control engineer from 2017 to 2019

- 2019-Current Professor of Aerospace Engineering at KAIST Technical University

- 2022~Current PM of Defense Advanced Science and Technology Research Institute of Defense Science and Technology

 

Achievements: 

- In 2022, wrote the position control code for the performance verification satellite Nuriho.

- Chosen in 2023 as one of the '6 Smart Leaders in Science and Technology' by the Presidential Office.

※ Satellite Position Control:

- The technology that controls the direction in which a satellite is oriented by manipulating sensors and actuators after launch.

- A crucial technology for Earth observation, imaging, space laser communication, antenna pointing, and other satellite functions.

- In the case of space laser communication, a "Space Internet" project with thousands of satellites connected via inter-satellite links can be expanded.