Dr. Chul-jin Choi has been appointed as the 7th president of the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT. President Choi began his official duties on Monday, April 22nd, with an inauguration ceremony held at the auditorium in the main building of KIMS.

Dr. Choi, born in 1961, graduated from Masan High School in 1979. He earned a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Seoul National University in 1984, followed by an M.S. in Materials Engineering from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 1986, and a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering in 1997. He joined KIMS in 1986 and held several key positions, including head of the Nano Powder Materials Group, head of the Nano Functional Powder Research Group, and head of the Powder/Ceramic Research Division. Throughout his career, he has been recognized with prestigious awards such as the Chairman's Award of the Korea Research Council for Industrial Science & Technology in 2010, the Minister’s Award of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning in 2014, and the Prime Minister's Commendation in 2016.

In his inauguration speech, President Choi emphasized his goal of ensuring that all citizens recognize and empathize with the importance of materials. To achieve this goal, he highlighted the importance of KIMS functioning as a Materials Open Platform (MOP), serving as a domestic hub institution for materials research and development. His plan includes: Making our best efforts to establish a second campus and create a foundation for extreme materials. Taking a leading role as a platform for materials-related research institutes and actively participating in national materials policy. Adding flexibility to the internal organizational system. Promising to innovate the evaluation system and establish an open research environment.

President Choi emphasized the critical need to develop source technologies for advanced materials to address the challenges brought by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and to localize materials, preparing for potential weaponization by major powers. Furthermore, he underscored that achieving a genuine ‘Materials Superpower Korea’ goes beyond merely advancing the materials industry; it necessitates the active involvement of all citizens, who must recognize the significance of materials in their daily lives. President Choi called for collective effort and determination to realize this objective.

President Choi’s term of office spans from April 22, 2024, to April 21, 2027, totaling three years.