l 23 researchers in the basic science and 17 in the applied science selected following two months of evaluation
l POSCO Science Fellowship is to provide the grantees with up to 100 million KRW for two to three years
POSCO TJ Park Foundation (Chairman Sun-Uk Kim) announced 40 South Korean scientists selected as the 2021 POSCO Science Fellows.
POSCO Science Fellowship is one of the core programs of the POSCO TJ Park Foundation that aims to support young talents in basic and applied science areas in Korea so that they can become world-class scientists.
Celebrating its 12th year, POSCO Science Fellowship has widened its supporting areas since last year. In addition to the basic science (mathematics, physics, chemistry, and life science), supports have been expanded to the applied science (metal, new material, energy material), which is considered as the new growth engine for Korean industries. The program has been supporting and cultivating young talents in science and technology.
Among the grantees, each doctoral student will be provided with a total of 36 million KRW for three years, while each post-doc researcher will receive 70 million KRW totally for two years. Each young assistant professor, who has started independent research and experiment, will be offered 100 million KRW in total for two years.
▲ The judges of the POSCO Science Fellowship is evaluating a research project of an interviewee via video interview
The panel members who participated in the assessment process said, “Numerous outstanding young professors from universities across Korea submitted their applications this year. Due to the high research capabilities and levels of applicants, the evaluation itself is getting more and more difficult to make. Since this process was about selecting the best talents of Korea, it was truly fulfilling.”
The 2021 POSCO Science Fellowship received applications for a month, starting from June 1, which resulted in a fierce competition rate of over 8:1 with a total of 332 applicants: 103 doctoral students, 63 post-docs, and 166 young professors.
Grantees for the POSCO Science Fellowship were selected through multiple phases. First, 21 renowned professors of the seven science fields shortlisted 80 applicants based on their proposals and track records. Among them, 40 grantees were finally selected in combination with further assessment by foreign as well as domestic scientists and online interviews with 21 professors from the evaluation panel.
POSCO Science Fellowship, marking its 12th anniversary this year, has provided 21.2 billion KRW to a total of 347 Fellows so far.