Professor Yeon Sik Jung received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) of KAIST, and PhD in MIT. He is currently an Assistant Professor in MSE, and the co-founder and CTO of Pico Foundry Inc.

Could you briefly introduce yourself and your work?

I would like to explain myself this way: I am a person who earned [the] most important things from KAIST. I learned, met my wife, and earned a job from KAIST. I received my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of KAIST. After earning my Ph.D. degree from MIT, I was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the same department, which was the year 2010. I named my research lab as FUN-NANO group, which is an abbreviation of Functional Nanotechnology group and I wanted to emphasize the importance of feeling “fun” during our research activities. In my group, students and postdocs are working on fine-tuning ultrasmall nanostructures for a variety of applications including semiconductor chips, sensors, catalysts, displays, and so on. My group has a unique technology that can assemble and print tiny materials [to improve] the performances of such devices.

When did you first think of starting a business, and why?

After getting my master’s degree in 2001, I started my research career at Samsung Corning, which was a joint venture between Samsung and Corning. While working there for two and half years, I witnessed how research and development can bring social impact. Also, I was shocked by the fact that the knowledge I learned as a student was far behind the state-of-the-art trend. But, conversely, I also realized research in industries is relying [too much] on accumulated experiences and academic principles are often neglected, and I thought this might be the key weakness of R&D in Korea at that time. So, I decided to become a researcher who is [simultaneously] standing on strong fundamental principles and targeting social impact. This experience also facilitates the launching of a start-up with my students.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of industry vs academia, in your opinion?

I believe such advantages and disadvantages do not exist. Simply speaking, their directions and purposes are different. Industries are supported by markets, while most academia are relying on the government. Any activities that can weaken the competency in the market can threaten the life of an industry. In their world, customers in the market are the god, who can decide whether [to] kill or save a company. So, any research that can lead to commercial success is more important in industries. On the contrary, research in academia usually has two purposes. One is to make unknown points clearer. Sometimes academic discovery can lead to a big commercial success, but this possibility is relatively rare. Novelty and innovation are the most important values in academic research. Short-term failures in academic research are often tolerated because it is hard to decide whether it is a real failure or not in a short period of time scale. The other one is to educate and train students. Well-trained students will eventually lead industries and academia. I hope students can weigh these differences when they decide [on] their career paths.

What are your main responsibilities as a professor in the DMSE, and as a co-founder/CTO of Pico Foundry Inc.?

Previously, I worked at the academic committee for a long time and served as the chair of the graduate committee until last year, and I believe that I contributed to the renovation of academic systems in the DMSE by helping former department chairs. Currently, I am working as the director of the K-Materials BK-FOUR initiative, which supports the research and international collaborations of graduate students and postdocs. As a co-founder of Pico Foundry Inc., I try to provide technical advice for the company. 

How do you balance your roles and responsibilities as a professor and as a co-founder/CTO of a startup?

I spend most of my time [working] as a professor. My first priority is to show the uniqueness and effectiveness of my research and to help the career development of my students in my group and the DMSE. The start-up is led by the CEO of the company. The company launched products with the best performance in the global market. And, I am expected to deliver my advice for R&D of the company to expand its technical leadership. The company started from the technology developed in my lab, so I have responsibility to help their success.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of my job is to work with people with excellence and creativity. I often become amazed by KAIST professors and students. In particular, I am very pleased to see my students explain new ideas and results that I have never thought of. I indeed believe KAIST is a great place for innovation.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

Sometimes students want “magic-like” solutions, and this is an example of a challenging moment because I am not a magician — I do not want to disappoint my dear students. But, in my experience, KAIST students soon realize that they should find their own answers. This is the fate as well as the role of researchers.

What was the most difficult challenge you faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?

In my 20s, I felt that my future [was] obscure. I wanted to be a good researcher, but I did not know how to get there. Different people gave me different solutions, which was confusing to me. I started my PhD course at the age of 28, which was very late compared to my friends. But, my experiences in industry and a national lab prior to my PhD course worked as a very useful foundation later on. Other than that, I was very lucky that I did not experience a big challenge in my career. It was because many people helped me a lot.

Which skills do you think are important for students to develop to help them achieve career success in Materials Science and Engineering?

There will be no golden rules [to become a] successful materials researcher, but if there is a general rule of thumb, understanding fundamentals is always important. In particular, thermodynamics and kinetics will be a useful toolbox for coming up with key solutions. In addition, Materials Science and Engineering deals with a variety of different applications including information, bio, energy and  environment, and other technologies. So, we need to be keen on the change of technological paradigms and what they expect from material scientists. 

What advice would you give to students who also want to found a startup?

We need to become a top expert in the field before starting a start-up. I believe getting sufficient experiences before founding a startup would bring better opportunities. I recommend students to work at a well-established company before launching a start-up, which will help them design an even better company.

What general advice would you give for people who don’t know what career to go into?

We should understand why they do not know what to do after graduating from school. For some people, there could be too many things that they want to try. Other people may not have specific targets. In any case, my advice is to imagine themselves after 20 years. In my early 20s, KAIST professors looked very cool to me. I thought doing excellent research with students throughout my life would be a wonderful thing. And, these impressions acted as the driving force for my efforts to become a good researcher.