Professor Junsuk Rho of the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Electrical Engineering at POSTECH has been awarded Scientist of the Month for July by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF).

Professor Rho is recognized for his groundbreaking work in the development of miniaturized optical devices. His contributions include the successful mass production of ultra-thin metallic lenses using hybrid high refractive index materials and nanofabrication technology.

Commenting on the achievement, Professor Rho stated, “Metalens were selected as one of the world’s top 10 technologies at the Davos Forum in 2019 for their innovation. However, they are expensive and require advancements in manufacturing. marks the first successful mass production of metalens in the visible light region, a crucial area for future optical technologies.” He added, “We aim to lead in the development of next-generation optical devices, such as ultra-compact augmented reality glasses and hyper-realistic holography, which have so far only been depicted in science fiction.”

Professor Rho holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and Nanotechnology from UC Berkeley. He has been teaching at POSTECH since 2014. Recently, he became the first Korean to receive the 2024 ACS Nano Lectureship from the American Chemical Society (ACS).

The Scientist of the Month award, given by the Ministry of Science and ICT and NRF, recognizes one researcher each month for significant contributions to the advancement of science and technology. The award includes a prize of 10 million won (approximately USD 7,200).