▲ (From left) Professor Jun Hong Noh from the School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering and Professor Choon Ki Ahn from the School of Electrical Engineering

Five faculty members from Korea University, including Professors Jun Hong Noh from the School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering and Choon Ki Ahn from the School of Electrical Engineering,were named in the 2023 list of the world's most influential researchers (HCR, Highly Cited Researchers) announced by Clarivate Analytics, the company formerly known as Thomson Reuters' Intellectual Property and Science division. The College of Engineering (Dean: Haigun Lee) celebrated this achievement, marking consecutive successes following recognition in previous years.

Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) are those whose papers are among the top 1% most cited in their respective fields, based on data from Clarivate's 'Web of Science.' Clarivate identifies these researchers annually, highlighting those with the highest citation counts for the year. Researchers listed in the HCR, now in its 10th year, have been consistently recognized by peers worldwide over the past 13 years based on the number of citations of their papers, representing approximately 0.1% of all researchers globally.

According to Clarivate, this year, a total of 6,849 researchers from 67 countries and regions were selected as global HCRs. Among the five Korea University faculty members chosen, Professor Jun Hong Noh was selected for the Cross-field category for the sixth consecutive year, while Professor Choon Ki Ahn was selected in the Engineering category for the fifth consecutive year, a remarkable achievement.

Professor Jun Hong Noh from the School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering has been researching next-generation solar cells related to renewable energy. His major research area, halide perovskite solar cell technology, focuses on developing next-generation solar cells that enable energy conversion to renewable electricity without carbon emissions. Professor Noh has been recognized as an expert in the field of next-generation solar cell research, receiving the Young Scientist Award (Presidential Award) from the Korean Academy of Science and Technology in 2019. He has significantly contributed to developing high-efficiency and fundamental technologies for perovskite solar cells, filing over 70 domestic and international patents and publishing more than 120 SCI papers with a total of over 36,000 citations. Professor Noh was selected as a next-generation member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology in 2023 and as the head of the Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Solar Cell Energy Innovation Research Center, supported by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning under the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy in 2022, focusing on cultivating world-class master's and doctoral talent in next-generation solar cells.

Professor Choon Ki Ahn from the School of Electrical Engineering has made pioneering contributions to intelligent control research, publishing over 300 significant papers in leading international journals (primarily IEEE Transactions) over the past five years, establishing key breakthroughs in various engineering challenges. Professor Ahn was ranked first in the Electrical Engineering category in the JoongAng Ilbo University's Young Faculty Research Quality Assessment and received the Young Scientist Award (Presidential Award) for his contributions to multidimensional intelligent control. He has served as a key editor for several world-renowned journals, including IEEE TNNLS, IEEE TFS, IEEE TSMCS, IEEE TASE, IEEE TITS, and IEEE TCASI, showcasing outstanding international recognition. In 2022, he was appointed the first Asian Editor-in-Chief of IEEE TNNLS, the world's top journal in neural networks and artificial intelligence, and in 2023, he became the first Korean Editor-in-Chief of IEEE SYSJ, a world-leading journal in systems engineering, gaining significant international attention. Professor Ahn is recognized worldwide for his unique research achievements in intelligent control, being regarded as a leading researcher in this field.

Korea University has continuously strived to create a healthy research ecosystem where creativity and innovation can thrive on a stable research environment through various research support programs, such as the Seoktap Research Award, Seoktap Technology Award, Inseong Star Research Award, and Inseong Star Research Fund. The selection of HCRs once again proves its status as a distinguished research-oriented university. /College of Engineering Newspaper