POSTECH News

Prof. Byeang Hyean Kim at Dept. of Chemistry earned Fellow Membership at KAST

2010-12-09 1,323

Prof. Byeang Hyean Kim has been selected as a fellow member by the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), which is a prominent academic association in Korea.

Prof. Kim joined POSTECH in 1988 and has shown research accomplishments including a total synthesis of Nonactin, new synthetic methods of macrocyclic compounds, and development of Chiral capsules based on calixanen and novel dipeptide isosteres.  In addition, Prof. Kim developed the world’s first quencher-free molecular beacons (QF-MBs) applied to DNA sensors and designed an effective DNA sensor system that can control a fluorescence signal without the quencher. This accomplishment has attracted much attention since it was first reported in the Journal of American Chemical Society. With its high potential for  commercialization, it has led to patent applications both in Korea and in the United States.

KAST is one of the most authoritative academic associations in science and technology. To become a fellow member of the academy, a candidate must receive a recommendation by a current fellow member and  go through a strict qualification process including committee voting. As of 2010, 470 scholars are fellow members.