Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on the 3rd that Professor Yoo Ji-hwan from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has been appointed as a Commissioner to the Administrative Committee (AdCom) representing the Asia region in the Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a global organization. IEEE is the largest organization in the fields of electrical engineering, computer science, robotics, and communications.
Professor Yoo has been appointed as a member representing Asia and will serve for three years starting this January. This appointment is considered a significant achievement, particularly because it has brought the representation of Asia, which has been monopolized by Japan and China, to South Korea.
The IEEE RAS Administrative Committee is a core organization that drives policy decisions and strategic direction in the field of robotics and automation. Each year, only six new members are elected globally, with a total of 18 Commissioners.
Additionally, Professor Yoo has been selected as a Fellow of the IEEE and will serve as the Editor-in-Chief of the Transactions on Haptics starting this January. The title of IEEE Fellow is an honorary status awarded to a select few researchers among IEEE members whose research contributions are exceptional, representing the top 0.1% of members worldwide.
Professor Yoo Ji-hwan is a leading scholar in the fields of haptics and remote control, contributing to the area through numerous international journal papers and patents while addressing stability and time delay issues. Since 2018, he has served as General Chair of the AsiaHaptics conference and Editor-in-Chief of the World Haptics Conference.
Professor Yoo said, "Through this selection, I will globally represent the interests of the South Korean and Asian robotics societies, promote the status of South Korea's robotics and automation technology internationally, and contribute to academic exchanges and technological advancements." He expressed, "It is a great honor to be selected as an IEEE Fellow, and I will continue to contribute to the development of robotics and automation in South Korea and around the world through academic research and technological innovation."
Professor Yoo Ji-hwan obtained his master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering from KAIST and has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington and the German Aerospace Center. He has been a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at KAIST since 2019 and is currently also serving as the head professor of the KAIST interdisciplinary robotics program.