Jung Hak-geun pledges shift away from follow-the-leader research toward technology-driven R&D

Jung Hak-geun delivers his inaugural address as the new president of the Korea Institute of Energy Research. [Korea Institute of Energy Research]
Jung Hak-geun delivers his inaugural address as the new president of the Korea Institute of Energy Research. [Korea Institute of Energy Research]

"We will put an end to the wasteful practice of chasing others' research and competing over small-scale projects, and achieve a vertical leap toward carbon neutrality."

Jung Hak-geun, the 20th president of the Korea Institute of Energy Research, has laid out a vision to lead global energy technology competition through a fundamental overhaul of the institute's research and development culture and organizational structure.

The Korea Institute of Energy Research held an inauguration ceremony for Jung at its headquarters in Daejeon on Tuesday, attended by former directors and staff.

In his inaugural address, Jung said the institute must overcome "the enormous challenges of intensifying global competition for energy dominance and meeting national greenhouse gas reduction targets." He added that "a vertical leap — Net Zero to Great One — is needed to break free from the wasteful, every-man-for-himself practices of the past and achieve carbon neutrality."

He outlined four core strategies to that end: establishing a collaboration-centered organizational culture, building a dynamic organizational framework, developing a technology-driven R&D process with support for creative and challenging research, and accelerating technology demonstration and market entry by leveraging the institute's campus.

Jung said he plans to strengthen technology demonstration so that research results move beyond the laboratory and into the market, while creating an environment where researchers can focus on ambitious work.

"I will work to break down barriers between job categories and generations, so that junior researchers feel a surge of excitement and the pure joy of research every time they open the door to their lab," Jung said.

Meanwhile, Jung graduated from Chonnam National University with a degree in electrical engineering, earned a master's degree in mechatronics engineering from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, and received a doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Seoul National University. He joined the Korea Institute of Energy Research in 1998 and has served as head of the Energy Efficiency Research Division and director of the Energy ICT and ESS Research Laboratory. He has also served on the New Technology Certification review committee and as a planning committee member of the Ministry of Science and ICT's Frontier Challenge R&D Committee.


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