Prof. Youn Byungdong from the Department of Mechanical Engineering has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 Editor of Distinction Awards presented by Springer Nature, a leading global academic publisher.

The Editor of Distinction Awards is an annual program by Springer Nature that honors editors of its journals. The award recognizes editors who contribute to the growth of the research community and the establishment of a high-quality academic ecosystem that benefits both authors and readers.

Since 2017, Prof. Youn has served as a Senior Review Editor for Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization (SMO), a prestigious international journal in the field of optimal design. He received the "Author Service Award" in recognition of his outstanding editorial activities and dedicated service to the research community.

Prof. Youn has played a pivotal role in bridging authors, readers, and the broader research community in the field of optimal design. In particular, he has been committed to maintaining rigorous review standards, supporting authors, and providing academic guidance for the journal. His contributions have been widely acknowledged as a major factor in this international recognition.

“As an editor, I have strived to ensure that researchers' valuable work is fairly evaluated and that intellectual exchange flourishes among scholars,” said Prof. Youn. “It is deeply rewarding to have these efforts recognized, and I will continue to contribute to the ongoing growth of the academic community, especially in the field of optimal design.”

Prof. Youn earned his Ph.D. from The University of Iowa in 2001. He has since conducted extensive research in industrial AI, reliability-based analysis and design, and meta-structure analysis and design. From 2022 to 2024, he was named one of the world’s top 2% scientists by Stanford University and Elsevier, solidifying his international academic reputation.

As the founder and CEO of OnePredict Inc., Prof. Youn has also held positions as a faculty member at the University of Maryland, College Park, and served as the former president of the Korean PHM Society. He has acted as a technical advisor to major Korean corporations such as Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, LG Electronics, LG Energy Solution, and SEMES. Currently, he serves as a Fellow of the PHM Society, a member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea (NAEK), Chair of the Reliability Advisory Committee at Hyundai Motor Company, and Principal Investigator of the PHM Collaborative Research Lab.

Prof. Youn has received numerous honors, including the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award (2021), the Grand Prize from the Korean Society for Reliability (2021), the Meritorious Achievement Award from the Korean PHM Society (2021), the Minister of SMEs and Startups Award (2021), the Prime Minister's Commendation (2019), the Sinyang Academic Award from Seoul National University (2017), and the NRC Young Faculty Development Award (2009). He has won 18 awards at global data challenge competitions. Over the past 25 years, he has published approximately 210 journal papers, presented more than 500 conference papers, and registered over 80 domestic and international patents.

To date, Prof. Youn has supervised 37 doctoral students, 36 master’s students, and 10 postdoctoral researchers. Among them, 16 have gone on to become faculty members at institutions including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Rutgers University, the University of Maryland (College Park), and the University of Connecticut.

▲ Prof. Youn Byungdong of Seoul National University received the 'Author Service Award' as part of the 'Editor of Distinction Awards 2025' presented by Springer Nature