image: This is Chulhong Kim, Associate Professor of Creative IT Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). view more
Credit: Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
Chulhong Kim, Associate Professor of Creative IT Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), has been selected to receive the 2017 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) Academic Early Career Achievement Award for his contributions to 'multi-scale photoacoustic imaging from super-resolution atomic force photoactivated microscopy for research to systems for clinical applications.' This highly prestigious award is given annually to an individual "for significant contributions to the field of biomedical engineering as evidenced by innovative research design, product development, patents, and/or publications made by an individual who is within 10 years of completing their highest degree at the time of the nomination."
The distinguished award by the world's largest international society of biomedical engineers has never before been awarded to researchers affiliated with a Korean university. The only previous recipient of Korean ethnicity was Yongmin Kim, also a Professor and Past President at POSTECH, while he was a faculty member at the University of Washington, Seattle in 1988.
Chulhong Kim's research has made remarkable contributions to the development of novel biomedical imaging techniques including photoacoustic tomography, ultrasound-modulated optical tomography, fluorescence imaging, and ultrasound imaging. Particularly, his lab at POSTECH developed world-first photoacoustic gastro-intestinal tract imaging using organic agents, photoacoustic cystography, clinical photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging scanner (clinically translated with Alpinion Medical), fast optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy based on a 2-axis water-proof MEMS scanner (licensed to MGB; spin-off company, PAMsTECH), virtual intraoperative photoacoustic surgical microscopy, raster scanning based photoacoustic whole body imaging of small animals, combined photoacoustic and optical coherence tomography using a single pulsed broadband laser source, etc.
Before joining POSTECH, Kim received his Ph.D and postdoctoral training at Washington University in St. Louis, and was an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University at Buffalo of the State University of New York. He has published 95 peer-reviewed articles in journals including Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Materials, Chemical Reviews, Light Science & Applications, Nano Letters, ACSNano, Radiology, Scientific Reports, etc. His Google Scholar h-index and citations have reached 37 and over 5,500, respectively. His group's works have been selected for the 2016 and 2017 Seno Medical Best Paper Award Finalists in Photons Plus Ultrasound Conference (the largest conference in the field), Photonics West, SPIE. He has currently served as an Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports and Photoacoustics Journal, and a Guest Editor of Journal of Biomedical Optics and IEEE Pulse Magazine. He has served as an Organizing Committee for the conference on "Photons plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing" and "High-Speed Biomedical Imaging and Spectroscopy: Toward Big Data Instrumentation and Management" held annually under auspices of SPIE (Photonics West) and as a Theme Co-Chair for the 39th Annual International Conference of the IEEE-EMBS.
The IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society is the world's largest international society of biomedical engineers. The Society benefits both humanity and its members by advancing medicine and biology through the application of engineering sciences and technology, promoting the profession of biomedical engineering, fostering professional development and recognizing excellence, presenting conferences that bring together scientists, engineers and physicians from multiple disciplines to disseminate knowledge and solve complex problems, establishing technical standards, and providing global leadership for the profession.
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