서강대학교 전자공학과

Prof. Kang Suk-ju of Dept. of Electronics Engineering

Wins Merck Young Scientist Award

 - Developing technology for creating images based on deep learning in a virtual reality wearable display -

- Numerous outstanding research achievements in display systems and artificial intelligence -

Professor Kang Suk-ju of the Department of Electronics Engineering was selected for the “Merck Young Scientist Award” at the International Meeting on Information Display (IMID) 2022, held at BEXCO in Busan from August 23 (Tue.) to 26 (Fri.).

The Merck Award is an award for technical papers, given out by IMID and organized by the Korean Information Display Society (KIDS). It was established in 2004, for the 100th anniversary of Merck’s liquid crystal research, to honor outstanding scientific achievements in display technology. Since 2006, the award has been extended to the Merck Young Scientist Award.

Professor Kang Suk-ju, who was selected as this year’s winner, is an expert in image and video signal processing in displays and artificial intelligence. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering from Sogang University, received a doctor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Pohang University of Science and Technology, and became a professor in the Department of Electronics Engineering at Sogang in 2015 after working at LG Display. With a wide range of experience in the field, Professor Kang has been innovating the areas of display enhancement, restoration systems, next-generation display systems, artificial intelligence lightweight technologies, and real-time processing hardware implementation.

One of Professor Kang’s major achievements in the next-generation display system is the “development of technology for creating images based on deep learning in a virtual reality wearable display.” The virtual reality wearable display system requires high-resolution images but has limited bandwidth and high energy consumption. Its image quality also presents problems with distortion of the lens and low resolution. To solve this problem, Professor Kang proposed a lightweight, integrated deep learning system based on a new algorithm, along with a hardware structure that considers cognitive image quality. Additionally, he has worked with a display company to develop the world’s first commercially available system related to the relevant source technology.

For more than a decade, Professor Kang has demonstrated distinguished research capabilities and results related to display systems and artificial intelligence. Having been internationally recognized, he has published 73 papers in SCI-rated international journals, including the best journals in the field, applied for 42 patents, and received more than 1,700 citations. He has also attended various conferences, including IMID, and presented the results of this study at several guest lectures. In particular, he is working with multiple industries to improve display performance and increase system efficiency with new artificial intelligence technologies. Recently, he is leading the Innovative Graduate Program for Future Brain-Inspired Intelligence System Semiconductors as part of the BK21 FOUR Project to develop new technologies through convergence with intelligent semiconductor technology.

▲ Prof. Kang Suk-ju of the Dept. of Electronics Engineering (middle)

▲ Prof. Kang Suk-ju selected for the Merck Young Scientist Award

▲ Photo from the Merck Young Scientist Award