The Institute for Basic Science has inaugurated two new Chief Investigators (CI) and research groups. Professor WOO Jae Sung from Korea University has been appointed CI of the BioMolecular Sociology Group, commencing his research on December 31. Dr. YOON Sung Woo, a research fellow at the IBS Center for Axion and Precision Physics Research, was named CI for the Dark Matter Axion Group, beginning his research on January 1.

Professor Woo Jae Sung is a rising star in the field of structural biology, a discipline dedicated to understanding the structures of proteins, RNA, and DNA at the molecular level and elucidating the precise functions of proteins. The field has drawn immense academic interest, evidenced by its contributions to five Nobel Prizes.

Dr. Woo has spent the past two decades excelling in structural and functional protein analysis, including a stint as a research fellow at IBS’s RNA Research Center in 2013. During his tenure, he led an independent research group and collaborated with Director KIM V. Narry, publishing groundbreaking studies in Cell in 2015 and 2016.

Since joining Korea University as a professor in 2017, Dr. Woo has focused on membrane protein research. In 2020, he achieved a major milestone by unveiling the structure of gap junction membrane proteins, which mediate intercellular material transfer, using cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM). This study was published in Science Advances. He later became the first to elucidate the structures and gating mechanisms of various gap junction proteins.

Now, as CI of the BioMolecular Sociology Group within the Center for Biomolecular and Cellular Structure at IBS, Dr. Woo aims to decipher the structures and gating mechanisms of gap junction proteins at the molecular level, thereby identifying the root causes of diseases and contributing to the development of novel drugs. Leveraging IBS’s Cryo-EM facilities, he is expected to make significant strides in protein analysis research.

There are 21 types of gap junction proteins in the human body, but only 30% of their structures and mechanisms are known,” Dr. Woo explained. “By uncovering the principles of direct intercellular communication and material transfer, we aim to answer critical biological questions.”

Dr. YOON Sung Woo, leading the newly established Dark Matter Axion Group, is on a quest to explore axions, one of the candidates for dark matter. Axions are considered a key to solving the mysteries of dark matter while also addressing the imbalance between matter and antimatter in the universe.

Dr. Yoon began his association with IBS in 2015 when he was selected for the Young Scientist Fellowship (YSF) program. Since then, he has served as a research fellow at the Center for Axion and Precision Physics Research.

Notable achievements include the development of innovative resonators, such as a pizza-shaped resonator (Physical Review Letters, 2018) and an origami-inspired resonator (Physical Review Letters, 2024). These advancements expanded the scope of axion detection into previously inaccessible regions. His work culminated in world-leading sensitivity experiments for axion detection (Physical Review X, 2024).

Unlike traditional CI research groups, which are integrated into Pioneer Research Centers (PRCs), the Dark Matter Axion Group operates as an independent entity within the Particle and Nuclear Physics Institute. It is expected to create synergies with the Institute’s three research centers: the Center for Underground Physics, the Center for Theoretical Physics of Complex Systems, and the Center for Exotic Nuclear Studies. This collaboration aims to reshape the history of particle physics.

“Axion research is a challenging field that holds the key to unlocking the secrets of dark matter,” Dr. Yoon remarked. “It’s deeply rewarding to push boundaries through innovative ideas and technologies. I see axion exploration as more than a quest for discovery—it’s a journey to broaden the horizons of modern physics.”

IBS President NOH Do Young commented, “IBS rigorously selects promising young researchers as CIs through procedures as stringent as those for appointing research center Directors. We anticipate that CI WOO Jae Sung and CI YOON Sung Woo will conduct groundbreaking basic research at the forefront of expanding human knowledge in biology and cosmology.”

IBS Public Relations Team
William I. Suh