KAIST formally launched the Graduate School of Semiconductor Technology in its inauguration ceremony on August 30. In anticipation of the ever-increasing importance of the semiconductor industry, the Graduate School of Semiconductor Technology was established to train global talent capable of becoming innovators and difference-makers in the field.

During the inauguration ceremony, KAIST President Kwang Hyung Lee said that the Graduate School of Semiconductor Technology will be a bridgehead for innovative semiconductor research through interdisciplinary convergence and industry-academic consortium. Moreover, the school also aims to push the boundaries of education in the field with a more creative and challenging talent — training curriculum based on industrial demand due to the convergence and increasing complexity of semiconductor technology.

Professor Sung-Yool Choi, formerly from the School of Electrical Engineering, will spearhead the Graduate School of Semiconductor Technology as its dean. In line with the vision of becoming a hub for interdisciplinary convergence, 32 faculty members from five departments (School of Electrical Engineering, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the Department of Physics) will make up the inaugural faculty. In addition, 10 semiconductor companies, including Samsung and SK Hynix, have pledged to form a consortium to further advance the field of semiconductor technology.

KAIST is aiming to recruit at least 45 MS and PhD students annually for the first five years in order to foster sustainable growth and success for the graduate program. While the selection of incoming master’s and doctorate students this fall semester has been completed, KAIST did not miss the chance to further strengthen its foundations in the field. The inauguration of the Semiconductor Innovation Research Institute was intentionally scheduled to be on the same day as that of the Graduate School of Semiconductor Technology to amass a gathering of respected individuals in the semiconductor industry.

Several important figures who attended the ceremony include Daejeon’s Deputy Mayor of Economy and Science Seok Bong Lee; Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy’s Senior Industrial Policy Officer Yong-pil Lee; and Nano Technology Institute President Heung-soo Park.