Dr. Nam Hyun‑taek of Jeonbuk National University (JBNU)'s 4th Phase BK21 Project Division for Special Purposes: Future Automotive ELITE Talent Development Project (Director: Professor Seung‑Ro Lee) will be appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Marine Systems Engineering at Korea Maritime and Ocean University, effective September 1, 2026.

Dr. Nam graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at JBNU in February 2019. He continued in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the graduate school, majoring in thermal‑fluid engineering, and received his Ph.D. in Engineering in February 2025 (Advisor: Professor Seung‑Ro Lee). At JBNU's degree‑conferring ceremony, he was selected as the representative among 180 doctoral degree recipients and received the President's Award (Outstanding Research Award) in recognition of his excellent research achievements. In 2025, at the Spring Conference of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers' Energy and Power Engineering Division, he was awarded the Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award for the originality and academic contribution of his dissertation.

After earning his doctorate, he served as a postdoctoral researcher in JBNU's 4th Phase BK21 Project Division for Special Purposes: Future Automotive ELITE Talent Development Project, conducting research on eco‑friendly thermal energy systems and next‑generation thermal management technologies. He was selected as the Principal Investigator for a postdoctoral domestic training program funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea, totaling KRW 180 million, and has conducted research on thermal management for AI data centers and two‑phase immersion cooling technology, thereby contributing to strengthening the project's research competitiveness.

This appointment to the faculty of the Department of Marine Systems Engineering at Korea Maritime and Ocean University is viewed as recognition of Dr. Nam's outstanding research achievements, capabilities, and expertise in future energy and thermal management.

Dr. Nam stated, "Building on the research experience I gained at JBNU and the research capabilities developed through the BK21 project and the postdoctoral domestic training program, I will carry out research at Korea Maritime and Ocean University that leads next‑generation thermal management technologies for eco‑friendly ship energy systems and the marine industry." He added, "I will provide students with education that covers both fundamental theory and practical skills, and I will do my best to contribute to the development of the university and the local community through industry–university collaboration and international joint research."

Dr. Nam's appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Marine Systems Engineering at Korea Maritime and Ocean University exemplifies the outcomes of the BK21 Project Division for Special Purposes: Future Automotive ELITE Talent Development Project's efforts to cultivate outstanding researchers, and it is expected to have a positive impact on the project's future research competitiveness and educational achievements.