Yoon Yeo-heung, an alumnus (class of ’94) of the College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and a professor at North Carolina A&T State University (NC A&T), has been awarded the United States' most prestigious Oliver Max Gardner Award. He is the first Korean‑heritage professor at a U.S. university to receive the award.

The award, named after Oliver Max Gardner, a former governor of North Carolina, has been presented since 1949. Each year, 16 universities in North Carolina nominate their most outstanding professor in research and related achievements, and the award is given to a single recipient. It is the oldest and most prestigious award available to professors at North Carolina universities. At NC A&T, Professor Yoon is the second recipient in the university's history.

Yoon entered Jeonbuk National University (JBNU)'s Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1994 and completed a master’s program at the university’s graduate school. He then worked at Wonkwang University College of Medicine before earning his Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati, where he also served as a postdoctoral researcher and research professor. Since 2010, he has been on the faculty of NC A&T State University in the College of Engineering as a professor in the Chemical, Biological, and Bio Engineering Department. As the first faculty member appointed to the Bio Engineering Program, he drafted the undergraduate and graduate curricula for the program and contributed to its accreditation.

Professor Yoon is currently conducting a mini‑brain research project using stem cells with funding amounting to 3 billion from the U.S. NIH, NSF, and DoD. He has delivered a TED Talk and keynote speeches and has published his research in various journals.

In particular, he served as a Thrust Leader on the National Science Foundation’s largest funded project, the Engineering Research Center for Revolutionizing Biodegradable Metallic Implants (ERC‑RMB), where he researched biodegradable stents and orthopedic medical devices. Recently, he made significant contributions to the construction of a new College of Engineering building at NC A&T and to establishing advanced bioequipment valued at 4 billion.

While at the University of Cincinnati, he also played a major role in creating the world’s longest carbon nanotube array.

Professor Yoon stated, "The receipt of this award was not achieved by my efforts alone but was made possible by the support of NC A&T colleagues and my laboratory students. I hope many students from my alma mater, JBNU, will pursue research in the field of bioengineering with dreams and hope and achieve excellent results. I will do my best to be of help to younger colleagues."

President Kim Dong‑won said, "We sincerely congratulate Professor Yoon Yeo‑heung, an alumnus of our university. To become a research‑focused university that produces many world‑class researchers like Professor Yoon, the university will not spare support for undergraduate education and research assistance at the institutional level."