Kim Jin-soo, a scholar in the field of gene editing, will take up a professorship at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) after serving as the Director General of the Institute for Basic Science.
According to Professor Kim and KAIST on the 18th, Professor Kim will assume the position of full professor at KAIST's College of Life Science and Technology starting in March.
Professor Kim is a world-renowned expert in gene editing. He is the founder and former CEO of ToolGen, the first company to commercialize gene editing technology in the world, and has also served as a professor at his alma mater, Seoul National University, and as the Director General of the Institute for Basic Science.
Gene editing is a technology that cuts specific genes from DNA. This technology can be used to edit plant genes to create drought-resistant crops and to develop treatments for incurable diseases.
Professor Kim also faced legal issues related to patent rights and research ethics. He was indicted in 2020 on suspicions of filing a patent for the gene editing technology developed with government research funds under ToolGen, the company he founded. He was acquitted in the first trial, but some allegations were upheld in the second trial and Supreme Court, and he received a suspended sentence. Afterward, Professor Kim stepped down as the Director General of the Institute for Basic Science and left academia in South Korea to serve as a professor at the National University of Singapore.
As the suspended sentence period ended at the end of last year, Professor Kim returned to academia in South Korea. He noted, "For 27 years, I have alternated between industry and academia, balancing business, research, and education," and said, "I am starting a new journey in academia again." Professor Kim plans to conduct research utilizing his expertise in gene editing, such as improving the photosynthesis efficiency of plants to respond to the climate crisis.