Building a Research Platform That Bridges Generations Through Resource Sharing

Director KIM Yousoo of the Center for Quantum Conversion Research is a world-renowned researcher in the field of surface and interface chemistry. He was the chief scientist at RIKEN in Japan and a professor at Tokyo University. We met with him at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in September, where he was busy organizing and structuring his newly established IBS research center.

“I study molecules. I look at how energy flows, changes, and disappears in a molecule. By directly observing that process in real space, I have built ways to quantitatively predict the energy flow. That's how I've been studying the essence of molecules.”

Center for Quantum Conversion Research, Studying the Energy Conversion in Quantum State

All materials are composed of atoms or molecules. In many cases, the bulk of the material and the surface (or the interface with another material) have completely different characteristics. Because of this, Wolfgang Pauli (1900-1958), who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1945 for discovering the Pauli Exclusion Principle (two or more electrons that have the same quantum state cannot exist within an atom) said about the surface:

“God made the bulk; surfaces were invented by the devil.”¹⁾”

Molecules change their attributes depending on the surrounding molecules and environment. To understand the characteristics of molecules, one must first study the independent traits of the single molecule, and how this trait changes in different settings. Such observation is impossible in nature but possible in a lab setting that allows for controlling the molecules and environment.

“In our research, we use surfaces as an environment for studying molecules. The surface is the most direct aspect of a material, which can be seen and touched; at the same time, it is the most unpredictable and difficult to deal with. Unlike bulk materials, where atoms and molecules are tightly connected, surfaces lack such connections, leading to unique reactions and functionalities that exist only at the surface. This causes a unique reaction or functionalities that can only be seen on the surface. This makes it very interesting.”

Explaining the characteristics of the surface, Director Kim referred to the carbon monoxide molecule. Carbon monoxide has a simple molecular structure, with one carbon atom bonding to one oxygen atom. When observed in a gas state, the molecules exhibit simple vibrational motion as the bond length between the carbon and oxygen atoms alternately expands and contracts. However, when CO molecules interact with a surface, their vibrational modes change—what was once a single vibration mode expands into four distinct modes. Director Kim explained that this symptom is a result of the changes in the quantum state of the molecule based on the environment. Director Kim’s Center for Quantum Conversion Research studies the energy changes happening on the surfaces of materials, and how such changes affect the properties of the material.

“At first, I considered naming the center after 'energy conversion.' However, that seemed too generic. Everything that we know, see, and use can be converted into energy. The ‘quantum state’ defines how this energy flows and expires, and where this energy is. So I decided to choose ‘quantum conversion’ as the center's name. Finding out why this different quantum state is formed on the surface, and how it changes quantitatively, has been my research - and it is now my Center’s research.”

Chief Scientist of RIKEN Returns to Korea

Established in 1917, RIKEN is a world-renowned research institute that has produced three Nobel Prize winners in science. Director Kim was appointed as Chief Scientist in 2015, an honor given only to 40 or so scientists in RIKEN. RIKEN Chief Scientist is a lifelong position, the highest among all researchers. Since 2022, he has held a concurrent position as a professor at Tokyo University. Why did he choose IBS, when he was respected as a top scientist in Japan?

“A lot has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of 2019. Before that, I had been on many business trips, meeting many people, and was immersed in research. I never had a strong sense of crisis; I simply believed that as long as I kept moving forward, my research would flourish. Then COVID-19 happened, and for the first time in my life, all my activities stopped due to external circumstances beyond my control.”

Immediately after the COVID-19 breakout, RIKEN closed the research centers from April to June 2020 to prevent infection. Only the minimum number of staff required to maintain equipment was allowed access; most researchers had to pause their projects. The same happened to the Chief Scientist.

“Until then, I thought that my work had great value. But in a situation where humanity itself seemed at risk of extinction (I’m exaggerating), I began to question just how meaningful my work really was. If I, as an established scientist, felt this way, imagine how much more hopeless and discouraged young researchers—graduate students and those just starting their academic careers—must have felt. I wanted to tell them that simply wanting to do research was a good thing and that their early experiences in research were invaluable. Just around that time, in 2021, the University of Tokyo reached out and asked me to teach students.”

With a brief pause, Director Kim was once again ready to push forward. He had already secured two major research grants, ensuring funding for the next decade. The lab was expanding, and his collaborations with colleagues had become increasingly stable. Despite the difficult circumstances, he and his team had worked well together and enjoyed their research—leading to a paper published in Nature in 2022. Director Kim said that the results came out 10 years earlier than he anticipated.

“Since IBS was first established, I have received multiple direct and indirect offers to become a director. I stayed at RIKEN because I wanted to wrap up my research without changing the environment. After finishing the 2022 article, I felt it was the right moment to make a new choice.”

Thus Director Kim decided to come to IBS. Did he have any pressure to start anew in Korea?

“I don't dwell too much on my decisions. I just decide based on how I feel at the moment. But I do work hard to make sure that my decision becomes a good one. No one knows if the road not taken is a better road. I just forget about that road quickly.”

Director KIM Yousoo (far left, blue jacket) enjoying his time with students at Tokyo University

Building a New Research Platform that Shares Common Areas

Director Kim spent 28 years in Japan. He experienced firsthand how science evolves in Japan for almost 30 years, from a doctoral student to the Chief Scientist at RIKEN.

“No matter how bad the economy was, Japan consistently increased research funds for basic science. The only time that the funds were cut down was during the Tohoku earthquake in 2011. Of course, the government can reduce funds when a devastating disaster hits the nation. But something similar happened all over the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. In times of crisis, basic science inevitably falls in priority when allocating resources—because survival comes first. Survival is foremost. Such disasters will become more frequent with climate change. What will happen to basic science? My generation managed somehow. How about the younger scientists? Will they still believe in advancing the field further?”

Director Kim stressed the need for a structured system that allows researchers to share existing resources more effectively. He does not mean a short-term collaboration such as joint research or coauthoring an article. He envisions a collective trust-based framework where researchers can openly contribute and access each other’s resources.

He thought on this issue was shaped after reading a feature report on ‘resource sharing’ in Japan's Nikkei Newspaper in 2022.

“Even countries like Japan, in which lifelong employment is a virtue, reduced the number of permanent workers and made layoffs more flexible. To maintain income, people now take on two or three jobs. The article suggested a radical idea—creating a talent-sharing system where, for example, someone could work at Honda for three days a week and at Toyota for another three days. I thought it would be good to apply this to the research system.”

Director Kim’s ideas led to the business agreement (MOU) between RIKEN and IBS.

“I suggested a ‘field MOU’ that is a bit different from others. This is not a MOU between two organizations; it’s within the research field. It is about the quantum technology and precision measurement that I’ve been specializing at RIKEN.”

For this, the majority of research resources Director Kim established at RIKEN were transferred to Korea. He was able to bring not only research equipment but also key research members who developed the equipment together. Many Japanese colleagues who worked hand in hand for a long time moved to IBS with Director Kim.

“I have been making a similar research platform since 1999. Bringing together researchers with different backgrounds, sharing their experiences, and integrating young researchers into the system. For now, the core resources and personnel come from IBS, RIKEN, and Tokyo University, but I want to open this research resource to anyone who works in this field, regardless of their affiliation. By sharing talents and experiences and connecting generations, we are forming new methodologies that did not exist before.”

Director Kim stressed the importance of a system that allows researchers to share resources more effectively.

1) Pauli is said to have made this comment, but it is not clear when and where he made this remark.