Ki-Hwan Ko and Seong-Il Yoon from UCLA joined the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology through a recruitment event in LA.

Ki-Hwan Ko and Seong-Il Yoon from UCLA joined the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology through a recruitment event in LA.

“A good option for a fellowship that connects basics and industry… You need to think about a long-term career.”

(Los Angeles = Yonhap News) Reporter Cho Seung-han = "When I was looking for a job in the United States, I looked into it myself, but there were not many opportunities to naturally approach it. In fact, many people here do not know about government-funded research institutes (funded research institutes) and do not know much about what they do."

Ko Ki-hwan, a senior researcher at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, who met at a joint recruitment briefing session for government-funded research institutes held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles (LA) on the 12th (local time), emphasized that continuous promotion and networking are necessary to recruit overseas talent for government-funded research institutes.

◇ Recruitment information session turns into actual employment… “Attractiveness of a program that connects basics and industry”

While working as a postdoctoral researcher in the secondary battery field at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), he became interested in research institutes after participating in a talent recruitment event held by the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology in LA in 2024, and joined the Research Institute of Chemical Technology early the following year.

He explained, “At the time, I heard that the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology was coming to a recruitment briefing, so I participated. After meeting and talking with members of the Secondary Battery Research Center, I became very interested,” adding, “It later led to actual application.”

Senior researcher Seongil Yoon, who received his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and joined the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology last year, also said that he did not have many opportunities to work with research institutes.

He said, “Korean companies often send messages asking to meet, but the research institutes don’t seem to be active in hiring,” and “I don’t think researchers in the U.S. have many opportunities to meet the research institutes.”

Nevertheless, they explained that the research institute was an attractive career choice in that it could connect basic research with industrial sites.

Senior Researcher Ko said, "If a researcher has the option of an industry-academia-research institute when considering a career, he or she can conduct full-cycle research in a government-funded research institute. Although the secondary battery industry is very well established, there are some areas where it is not well connected to basic technology, so I decided that it would be good if my research could contribute to the industry."

Senior Researcher Yoon said, “A government-funded research institute located between universities and industries has the advantage of being able to continue scale-up while conducting basic research in the field of plant scale-up.”

The ability to contribute to the country, job stability, and research autonomy were also cited as advantages of funded research institutes.

Senior Researcher Ko said, “It has great merit because I prefer group research rather than individual research, and the fact that it is a stable workplace and the ability to utilize discretionary work is also a strength.”

Senior Researcher Yoon said, “It’s good to be in the U.S., but I thought it was also meaningful to contribute to the field I’m good at at the national level.”

◇ The reality of “administrative and equipment purchase burden”… To juniors, “Look at the forest rather than what’s in front of you.”

However, they pointed out that compared to the United States, actual government-funded research sites require complex procedures such as administrative work and equipment purchase, which are a burden on research.

Senior researcher Ko said, "There was more administrative work than expected, and there were many processes that felt irrational. It took a year to purchase equipment, and expensive equipment had to go through the equipment review committee, so it was sometimes difficult to focus on research."

The two urged junior researchers in the United States to consider not only immediate research results but also their long-term careers as researchers.

Senior Researcher Yoon said, “You need to look at the research you want to do and draw a big picture,” and “Set your career path in a way that builds the outlines of your career, and from there, a fellowship can be an option.”

Senior Researcher Go said, “There are many cases where talented people are immersed in their own research more than you think,” and added, “When thinking about a career, rather than just looking at research every day, I think it would be good to look at the forest and see what path they will take.”