Jang Seung-ki, director of the Korea Pasteur Institute, has been selected as the second chairperson of the Virus Research Cooperation Council.
The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) announced on the 24th that it held the third general meeting of the Virus Research Cooperation Council on the 17th and elected Director Jang as the next chair.
The Virus Research Cooperation Council is an organization launched in 2021 to serve as a hub for national infectious disease research collaboration. Universities and research institutions studying viral infectious diseases participate, centered around the Korea Virus Research Institute.
Chairperson Jang earned his undergraduate and master's degrees in zoology from Seoul National University and received his doctoral degree in molecular genetics and microbiology from the State University of New York. He subsequently served as a postdoctoral researcher at the State University of New York and worked at the drug development corporation Aptamer Sciences before being appointed as a professor at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in 2014. From 2014 to 2019, he served as a scientific advisory committee member at the Korea Pasteur Institute and took office as director this year, leading the institute.
Chairperson Jang noted, "The council is an important platform for conducting joint research encompassing both basic and applied sciences," adding, "I will activate the expert committees within the council to achieve tangible collaborative results."
During this general meeting, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was also signed with the newly participating institutions, the Atomic Energy Hospital and the Korea Biotech Research Association. The two institutions will provide research resources for virus research and infectious disease response and will engage in policy planning and support.