- Raju Kucherlapati, distinguished professor at Harvard Medical School, and Palani Palaniaappan, founder and CEO of Aridica

Palani Palaniaappan (from left), CEO of Aridica, UST President Kang Dae-im and Raju Kucherlapati, distinguished professor at Harvard Medical School, pose after being appointed as special faculty members at UST. [UST]
Palani Palaniaappan (from left), CEO of Aridica, UST President Kang Dae-im and Raju Kucherlapati, distinguished professor at Harvard Medical School, pose after being appointed as special faculty members at UST. [UST]

The University of Science and Technology (UST) has appointed Raju Kucherlapati, a distinguished professor at Harvard Medical School, and Palani Palaniaappan, founder and CEO of advanced biotech startup Aridica, as special faculty members. The institution will deliver world-class education through its UST Global Alpha Class program.

Kucherlapati is a globally recognized scholar who helped lay the foundations of modern genetics and precision oncology, having served as lead coordinator for data production and analysis on the landmark Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. He also founded multiple global biotech companies — later acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical and Amgen, among others — bridging fundamental genetics research with drug development and commercialization.

Palaniaappan led the development of DNA polymerase technology, a critical analytical tool that proved essential to the success of the Human Genome Project, during his tenure at GE Healthcare. He has held senior technology executive roles at global pharmaceutical and biotech firms including GE Healthcare and Takeda Pharmaceutical, and is regarded as a leading industry authority in advanced biopharmaceutical commercialization and chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) process innovation.

The two special faculty members will serve three-year terms and participate directly in the advanced biotech education component of the UST Global Alpha Class, a program UST is actively developing to cultivate globally competitive, value-creating talent.

Their key responsibilities include teaching in the UST Global Alpha Class; connecting students with global research networks and providing career guidance — covering overseas internships, postdoctoral placement, career development advising and support for faculty international research collaboration; introducing advanced curricula and upgrading the overall course structure; and supporting the expansion of UST's global network and international cooperation activities.

UST President Kang Dae-im said the appointments are part of the UST Global Alpha Class initiative, designed to give students direct access to the research experience and insights of the world's foremost scholars so they can lead national research and development at a higher level and with a broader perspective. "We will continue to advance high-end education so that world-class research outcomes born from national research institutes can translate into global industrial innovation," Kang said.


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com