In this Viewpoint, five professors at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) discuss how this university, with world-class faculty, state-of-the-art research infrastructure and strong partnerships with global industry leaders, drives innovation across the entire semiconductor ecosystem — shaping the future of semiconductors in South Korea and beyond.
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Acknowledgements
The authors express sincere gratitude to J.-H. Kim for his support in recommending the authors.
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Kyung Min Kim is an associate professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, with a joint appointment in the School of EE. He leads the Future Semiconductor Technology Laboratory, where his research focuses on developing next-generation materials, processes and device solutions for advanced semiconductor technologies.
Young-Gyu Yoon is an associate professor of the School of EE and he holds a joint appointment in the Department of Semiconductor System Engineering. He is the leader of the KAIST Neuro-Instrumentation and Computational Analysis laboratory, an interdisciplinary research group focused on advancing neurotechnology, optical imaging and computing.
Shinhyun Choi is a KAIST endowed chair professor, an associate professor in the School of EE and the Department of Semiconductor System Engineering and the vice head of the KAIST GSST. His research focuses on developing emerging memory/computing devices to address real-world problems.
Sung-Yool Choi is a professor in the School of EE and currently serves as dean of KAIST GSST. He previously held leadership roles as vice dean of the College of Engineering (2019–2021) and vice president of KAIST (2021–2024). He is recognized as a leading expert in 2D material-based electronic devices.
Seunghyup Yoo is a KAIST endowed chair professor, a head of School of EE and the director for KAIST Samsung Display Research Center. He served as KAIST’s vice president of student affairs from 2019 to 2021. His research interests include organic electronics and photonics for display/lighting, energy, wearable health care and flexible electronics.
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Terman Report: http://large.stanford.edu/history/kaist/docs/terman/
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Kim, K.M., Yoon, YG., Choi, S. et al. Semiconductor-related research and education at KAIST. Nat Rev Electr Eng 2, 592–597 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44287-025-00204-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44287-025-00204-3
