The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) launched a new Pioneer Research Center (PRC) in the earth science field - The Pioneer Research Center for Climate and Earth Science' - at its headquarters. The new PRC was established alongside its first research group, the 'Planetary Atmospheres Group'. Dr. LEE Yeon-Ju (age 39), a researcher from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), was appointed as the CI (Chief Investigator) of this new Group. The new PRC will begin its research on Wednesday, June 1st. As a result, IBS is now operating 35 research centers and two research centers in mathematics, physics, chemistry, life science, earth science, and interdisciplinary fields.

The new CI Lee conducted her doctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany and received a doctorate in natural sciences from the TU Braunschweig, Germany. After that, she continued research activities at world-renowned research institutes such as the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). Since 2019, she has worked as a researcher at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and TU Berlin.

In 2019, CI Lee's research on the relationship between UV reflectivity and the east-west wind speed of Venus' atmosphere¹⁾ was selected as an excellent research achievement by the American Astronomy Association (AAS). In 2020, her research on the analysis of the extraterrestrial planet's atmosphere through observation of Venus²⁾ was selected as the Top 50 Papers in Physics by Nature Communications. As such, CI Lee has been recognized for her outstanding research achievements in the field of planetary science.

In addition, CI Lee participated in many prestigious planetary exploration projects, such as the European Space Agency's (ESA) EnVision project, and the BepiColombo project which was jointly led by European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Research and Development Agency (JAXA).

The Planetary Atmospheres Group led by CI Director Lee is expected to contribute to improving the understanding of the planetary atmosphere by tracking the long-term variability of Venus, changes in the planet's atmosphere over time, and the mechanisms that lead to atmospheric changes.

Expressing the willingness to lead the new group, CI Lee said, “We will conduct new research that aims to systematically track change in the planetary atmosphere over time,” adding, “through the launching of the Planetary Atmosphere Group, we hope to lay the foundation for planetary science research in South Korea.”

Every year, IBS selects promising young researchers as CIs through a selective process similar to that of the Research Center Directors. The CI heads an independent research group within the IBS's Pioneer Research Center (PRC). The PRC is a type of research group located at the IBS headquarters, which consists of up to 5 research groups each with its own CI. Each group is supported with research funds of 1 to 1.5 billion KRW per year.

IBS currently operates three PRCs - Pioneer Research Center for Mathematical and Computational Sciences and Pioneer Research Center for Biomolecular and Cellular Structure³⁾, in addition to the latest Pioneer Research Center for Climate and Earth Science. There are currently six research groups within these three PRCs, including the new group led by CI Lee. By increasing investment in young researchers, IBS is one step closer to its goal of fostering the next generation of research leaders.

President NOH Do-Young said, “With the establishment of the Pioneer Research Center for Climate and Earth Science and the launch of the Planetary Atmospheres Group, IBS is expected to lead the domestic research in planetary atmosphere and eventually produce world-class research outcomes.”

1) Long-term variations of Venus’ 365-nm albedo observed by Venus Express, Akatsuki, MESSENGER, and Hubble Space Telescope (Astronomical Journal, 2019)