Dr. Ko Geum-jin (Graduate School of Flexible Pinted Electronics, supervising professor Kang Jae-wook) was selected for the 2022 Sejong Science Fellowship for Early-Career Researchers, supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea.

The Sejong Science Fellowship provides KRW 130 million per year in research funding for five years to postdoctoral researchers (including non‑tenure‑track faculty) who obtained their doctoral degree within the past seven years or are 39 years of age or younger.

Through her research project titled 'Development of Next-Generation Electroluminescent Fibers and Application Studies of Textile-Type Wearable Smart Electronic Fibers,' Dr. Ko will receive a total of KRW 601,430,000 in support over the next five years.

Wearable smart electronic fibers are device forms that can be worn on the body. Thanks to the one-dimensional structure of fibers, which differs from conventional two-dimensional planar devices, they can conform to a variety of human movements and offer excellent comfort and portability. In particular, electroluminescent fibers that emit light have attracted significant attention as a next-generation display technology because they can be applied to fashion, functional clothing, vehicle design, and other areas.

Dr. Ko stated, 'The core technology of this research topic is the development of electroluminescent fibers through the development of a large-area continuous fiber coating process technology,' adding, 'We expect that this research will contribute to the practical application of various wearable devices.'

Meanwhile, Dr. Ko received her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Flexible Pinted Electronics at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) in 2019. She is working as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Flexible Printed Electronics (supervising professor Kang Jae-wook) and as a BK early-career researcher in the Next-Generation Flexible Printed Electronics Research Team. She has served as the principal investigator for research projects on next-generation display development, including the National Research Foundation of Korea's Postdoctoral Researcher Domestic Training Program (2019) and the Creative Challenge Research Base Support Program (2020–2022).