Five Korean scientists have been selected as recipients of the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP), known as the 'Nobel Prize Fund,' for 2025.
According to the scientific community on the 1st, HFSP has selected ▲Yuri Hong, a Ph.D. from Pohang University of Science and Technology ▲Nuri Choi, a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska ▲Jihyun Choi, a principal researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) ▲Youngkyu Yoon, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) ▲Woojeong Shin, an assistant professor in the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at KAIST as research support recipients for the 2025 academic year.
HFSP is an international research funding program in the life sciences established in 1989, currently with 17 member countries worldwide, including Korea. To date, over 8,300 researchers from about 70 countries have received funding. Among them, 31 Nobel Prize winners have emerged, earning it the nickname 'Nobel Prize Fund.'
In this selection, Dr. Yuri Hong and Dr. Nuri Choi have been chosen for the Fellowships sector for postdoctoral researchers. This program provides researchers with approximately $200,000 (around 300 million won) in research funding for three years.
Dr. Yuri Hong has been selected for research on 'Exploring the intermediate and fine structural organization of the embryo of the beautiful little roundworm (C. elegans).' Having majored in environmental science and engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology, he is expected to continue his research at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany.
Dr. Nuri Choi has been selected for research on how plants perceive and respond to the world through various senses. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska and is set to conduct research at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.
Principal researcher Jihyun Choi from KIST has been selected in the Research Grants sector, which supports international joint research with funding up to $500,000 (around 730 million won) annually. He has been conducting research on social cooperation in animals with an international research team.
Jihyun Choi noted, "The topic of social cooperation is gaining greater attention as it correlates with various social phenomena, which may be a background for this selection," and added, "I hope that this opportunity leads to more talent becoming interested in research in the life sciences, especially in the context of the current decrease in the influx of talent into science and engineering fields."
Professors Youngkyu Yoon and Woojeong Shin have been selected for the Accelerator Grants sector. This sector supports international researchers who have previously received HFSP funding to add new researchers to their team.
Professor Youngkyu Yoon will participate in image processing research aimed at enhancing AI (artificial intelligence)-based bird brain imaging data analysis with research teams from the University of Texas in the U.S. and Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. Assistant Professor Woojeong Shin is set to collaborate with researchers from Imperial College London in the U.K., the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and Yale University in the U.S. on a study titled 'The impact of skin microbiome, immune system, and sensory neuron interactions on neurophysiology.'