Department News
Prof. Kim, Do-Nyun Recognized in the ‘2024 Top 100 National R&D Excellence Achievements’ by the Ministry of Science and ICT
Author
김민아
Date
2025-02-19
Views
901
Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that research achievements by Professor Do-Nyun Kim of the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT’s ‘2024 Top 100 National R&D Excellence Achievements.’ For 19 consecutive years, the Ministry of Science and ICT has highlighted the nation’s top R&D achievements to raise public awareness of science and technology and inspire pride among researchers.
On November 17 2024, the Ministry unveiled the 2024 list of Top 100 R&D Achievements. A total of 869 candidate achievements were selected and recommended by ministries, departments, and agencies, and a selection evaluation committee composed of 100 experts from industry, academia, and research evaluated the effectiveness of R&D and its economic and social impact. The final 100 outstanding achievements were then announced after public verification.
MSIT selected outstanding R&D achievements that will contribute to the future of Korea in each of the six technology categories. The six technology categories are: ▲Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, 16 ▲Life and Marine Science, 23 ▲Energy and Environment Science, 22 ▲Information and Electronic Engineering, 23 ▲Convergence Technology, 10 ▲Pure and Fundamental Science, 6. Among these, the ministry designated 12 projects—two from each field—as the top achievements in their respective categories.
Professor Do-Nyun Kim’s project, titled 'Development of DNA nanotechnology that can fold and unfold a single structure into various shapes like origami' was selected as the best achievement in the field of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. Professor Kim's team is the first in the world to develop ultra-precise nanotechnology that implements the origami mechanism at the billionths of a meter level.
The technology enables the nanostructures to be made responsive to various stimuli, including DNA, RNA, light, and pH, and to be controlled. This achievement is considered to have secured the core technology for the development of transformative nanostructures, in which a single structure can be transformed into various shapes depending on the type of external stimulus.
The DNA nanotechnology developed in this research, which was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT's National Science Challenge Initiatives Program, will be utilized in the future to develop molecular-level machines and robots with advanced functions. It is also expected to suggest new directions for advanced nanobiotechnology such as molecular diagnosis, drug delivery, gene therapy, and new drug development, and contribute to securing global competitiveness.
Professor Kim expressed his gratitude:
“I am deeply honored that our efforts and achievements have been recognized through this selection. I will strive to expand the application of origami-based mechanical engineering to the molecular level, and to use it in various fields such as nanorobots and advanced biotechnology through interdisciplinary research and technological innovation.”
Prof. Kim earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SNU’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After a postdoctoral fellowship at MIT's Department of Biological Engineering, he has been a professor at SNU's Department of Mechanical Engineering since 2013. Since 2020, he has led the Center for Artificial Morphogenesis under the National Scientific Challenge Initiatives Program.
