People

Current:

Assistant Professor of Brain Sciences, DGIST, Korea (2024.12 - )

Associate of Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), Harvard University, USA (2024.12 - )  

Previous:

Post-Doctoral Fellow in Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB), Harvard University, USA (2020-2024) with Prof. Adam E. Cohen  

Research Associate in Neurobiology (National Service), Research Institute of Basic Sciences, Seoul National University, Korea (2017-2020) with Prof. Bong-Kiun Kaang

Exchange Ph.D. Student and Post-Doctoral Fellow in Physiology, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, University of Toronto, Canada (2016-2017) with Prof. Graham L. Collingridge

Ph.D. in Physiology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience (PPN), University of Bristol, UK (2017) with Prof. Graham L. Collingridge and Dr. Zuner A. Bortolotto

Awards:

JNS Travel Award, Japan Neuroscience Society, Japan (2025)

AKN Outstanding Research Award, Association of Korean Neuroscientists, Chicago, USA (2024)

HBI Postdoc Pioneers Award ($50,000), Harvard Brain Science Initiative, Cambridge, USA (2024)   

NEBS Scientific Excellence Award, New England Bioscience Society, Boston, USA (2024) 

SLB Travel Award, Sculpted Light in the Brain, Boston, USA (2022)

Commendation for an Excellent Ph.D. Thesis, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK (2017)  

The Best Poster Presentation Award, 26th Neuropharmacology Conference, San Diego, USA (2016) 

Outstanding Teaching Assistance Award, Seoul National University, Korea (2012)

Biography:

I have a broad background in neuroscience, with expertise in synaptic plasticity, dendritic biophysics, and memory engrams. I have technical expertise in protein engineering, electrophysiology, voltage imaging, and data analysis for both electrical and optical signals. My predoctoral study was focused on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, in collaboration with pioneers in the field, Dr. Graham Collingridge and Dr. Timothy Bliss. I studied temporally and mechanistically distinct forms of long-term potentiation (LTP), a synaptic model of learning and memory. While at University of Bristol, I collaborated with Dr. David Jane and Dr. David Lodge, experts in glutamate receptors and pharmacological tool development. I was involved in the discovery of new drugs specific to subtypes of glutamate receptors (e.g., UBP145, a GluN2D-specific antagonist), examining their potency, specificity, and effects on synaptic transmission and plasticity in brain slices. 

After completing my Ph.D., I briefly joined a newly established laboratory in Toronto by Dr. Collingridge, where I contributed to setting up new electrophysiology systems and helped Ph.D. students to learn synaptic plasticity techniques. During this time, I engaged in collaborations and discussions with experts in memory and synapse biology, including Drs. Paul Frankland, Zhengping Jia, and Sheena Josselyn at University of Toronto.

Subsequently, I returned to South Korea to fulfill my military obligation, staying there for three years. While doing basic military training, I worked as a research fellow with Dr. Bong-Kiun Kaang, a leading expert in learning and memory at Seoul National University. I studied the mechanisms and regulation of synaptic engrams, believed to be the physical substrate of memory traces. While in Seoul, I collaborated on several other projects involving biochemical and electrophysiological profiling of animal disease models such as autism, Alzheimer’s disease, and neuropathic pain. Through these projects, I developed technical expertise in mouse brain surgery, animal behavior (e.g., contextual fear conditioning), engram cell labeling, and genetic manipulation.  

Upon completing my military duty, I sought to expand my knowledge of optical instruments under the guidance of Dr. Adam Cohen, a pioneer in voltage imaging. As a postdoc at Harvard University, I studied dendritic biophysics and plasticity through the development of molecular and optical tools for in vivo all-optical electrophysiology. My work benefited from discussions and collaborations with experts in dendritic biophysics, such as Drs. Bernardo Sabatini at Harvard Medical School, Matthew Larkum at Humboldt University, and Nelson Spruston at Janelia Research Campus, HHMI. During this period, I acquired advanced biochemical and optical techniques, including protein engineering, microscope construction, instrument control, and image analysis. 

Throughout my research career, I have been captivated by how memory is encoded and retrieved in the brain, how these processes are altered in disease, and how brain cells can communicate with machines. With my extensive background and strong motivation, I am now establishing my own lab at DGIST to explore these questions.