Professor Sung-Gi Baik was honored for his contributions to POSTECH and awarded the title of Emeritus Professor during his retirement ceremony at POSCO International Center on August 22.

Baik was appointed a professor when POSTECH was founded in 1986. Baik has consecutively filled various posts (Department Head of Materials Science and Engineering, Dean of the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs, Dean of the Office of Planning, Director of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Chairman of the University of Senate, and Vice President) at POSTECH for 27 years and was POSTECH’s fifth President from 2007 to 2011. 

In addition to his many years of service to POSTECH, Baik has made a very generous contribution of 100 million KRW ($98,000 USD) to a scholarship fund in his name that will foster global leaders in the field of Materials Science & Engineering.

Baik, a ceramic materials scientist and expert in ferroelectric thin film material development whose research has been widely published in over 150 international journals, was a longtime member of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at POSTECH since 1986.

He was a member of the Office of Strategy R&D Planning at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Atomic Energy Committee at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. He served as President of the Korean Ceramic Society and Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council on Education, Science & Technology and the World Premier Materials Development Planning Committee at the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. Since 2014, he has served as Chairman of the University Structural Reform Supervision Committee.

Baik received his bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Seoul National University and his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science from Cornell University where he received the McMullen Fellowship.