Professor Jae-Hyuk Cho (Department of Software Engineering; field of artificial intelligence) was named among the 'World's Top 2% Researchers' in 2026, following his inclusion in 2025, according to an academic impact analysis by a research team at Stanford University and Elsevier.

According to the annual impact (Single Year) data from the researcher information platform TOPSCINET, Professor Cho's overall ranking excluding self-citations rose by 108,373 places, from 329,810 in 2025 to 221,437 in 2026. His ranking in the subfield of Networking and Communications also improved from 4,236 to 2,735, demonstrating an increased scholarly impact of his recent research outcomes.

The 2026 edition of the annual impact assessment covers citation performance for papers published in 2025. Based on the Scopus database, it calculates a composite impact metric (c-score) that reflects citation counts, h-index, co-authorship and author roles, and selects researchers according to criteria such as the top 2% within 174 subfields.

Professor Cho has conducted AI convergence research aimed at solving real‑world problems, including development of infectious disease response systems, predictive modeling, and big‑data AI models for analyzing environmental hazardous factors. He is especially focused on Agentic AI, which pursues autonomous goal setting and execution, and on Neural‑Symbolic AI, which seeks to explain the mechanisms of phenomena. 

Building on this research expertise, he has carried out major national R&D projects commissioned by government ministries such as the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministry of Science and ICT. He has also shared his research findings and approaches to AI application through external presentations and lectures.

In February this year, he presented 'Potential Applications of AI in Infectious Disease Response' at a research seminar hosted by the National Medical Center. In May, he presented at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency–led '2026 Basic Training for Quarantine Officers and Infectious Disease Managers'; in June, at the Daejeon Infectious Disease Management Support Group's '4th Public‑Private‑Academic Infectious Disease Experts Symposium'; and in September, he gave presentations and lectures at the National Medical Center's '2026 Basic Training for Quarantine Officers and Infectious Disease Managers — 2nd Cohort (Stage 2).'

He is also expanding his lectures to local communities and industry. On October 2, at the '12th Jeonbuk Innovation City Revitalization Grand Forum,' he presented on 'The Physical AI Era: Positioning Jeonbuk Innovation City as a Future Industrial Hub,' and on October 22 he is scheduled to give a public lecture in Gunsan titled 'An Age Where Not Using AI Is a Disadvantage: What Will Change and How?'

In the medical and public health sector, he is scheduled to lecture on October 29 at Hanyang University Hospital's 'Data Review Committee and Medical Information Research Center Joint Symposium,' and on October 30 he will speak at the Korean Society of Environmental Toxicology's Fall Conference on 'The Flow of the AI Paradigm: Analysis, Application, and Harness Engineering.' He will then lecture on November 9 at an Incheon Metropolitan City workshop for infectious disease sentinel surveillance institutions on 'Infectious Disease Surveillance and Epidemic Forecasting in the AI Era,' and on November 26 at the Korean Association for Healthcare‑Associated Infection Control's 40th Training Course on 'Infectious Disease Prediction Using AI.'

Professor Cho said, 'This is an opportunity to reflect on the significance of the AI convergence research I have pursued to solve real‑world problems. Going forward, I will deepen research on Agentic AI and Neural‑Symbolic AI to develop trustworthy and deployable technologies.' He added, 'Through industry–university–research collaboration, I will work to ensure that research outcomes contribute to innovation capacity at the global, national and regional levels, and I will also focus on cultivating AI convergence talent and sharing research experiences.'