Kei Cho (Cho Gwang-uk), a world-renowned authority in nervous system disorders and brain science and a professor at King's College London (KCL), received the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) awarded by the U.K. government.
On the 9th (local time), Cho received the MBE in the United Kingdom from Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles III.
Cho is a scholar who has devoted more than 15 years in the United Kingdom to dementia and brain science research. He conducted research at the University of Bristol and King's College London, and is currently a professor in neuroscience at the King's College London School of Medicine and a principal investigator at the UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI). In particular, he has drawn attention for research that identifies the mechanism of weakening in the network ("synapse") between nerve cells observed in Alzheimer's disease patients.
In 2011, he became the first person of East Asian descent to receive the Wolfson Research Merit Award from the Royal Society, and in 2013 he helped co-found the Korea–U.K. Neuroscience Consortium, taking the lead in international research collaboration.
The Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) is an honor bestowed by the British monarch on individuals who have contributed to the development of the United Kingdom and the international community across fields such as science, education, culture and public service. It is separate from a knighthood but is widely recognized for its high international prestige.
Cho was included in the list of 1,157 MBE recipients that the U.K. government released in Dec. last year. The U.K. government cited "contributions to advancing cooperation between the United Kingdom and Korea in science and health" as the reason for the selection.
Indeed, Cho has consistently supported joint research and academic exchanges between researchers in both countries, working to expand the cooperation network. Last year, he hosted a Korea–U.K.–Japan bio forum, creating a venue for researchers and bio corporations from the three countries to share the latest technology trends and discuss avenues for collaboration.