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2026 KAIST Commencement: Shining Their Own Light on Their Respective Stages KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced that it held its 2026 Commencement Ceremony at 2 p.m. on February 20th at the Sports Complex on its Main Campus in Daejeon. At this year’s ceremony, a total of 3,334 graduates received degrees, including 817 doctoral, 1,792 master’s, and 725 bachelor’s degrees. Since its founding in 1971, KAIST has now produced a total of 84,490 highly qualified science and technology professionals, including 18,130 Ph.D. recipients, 43,358 master’s graduates, and 23,002 bachelor’s graduates. KAIST selected three representative graduates who embody the university’s vision of talent. They are Seunghyun Ryu (Department of Bio and Brain Engineering), the doctoral representative known as the “pianist neuroscientist” for his interdisciplinary research bridging brain science and piano performance; Jeanne Choi (School of Computing), the master’s representative who has pursued warm and inclusive technologies for socially vulnerable groups under the themes of accessibility and inclusion; and Mert Yakup Baykan (Department of Aerospace Engineering), the bachelor’s representative from Cyprus holding Turkish nationality, who became the first international recipient of the KAIST Presidential Scholarship. Seunghyun Ryu, selected as both the doctoral representative and one of the notable graduates, spent 14 years at KAIST completing his undergraduate through doctoral studies while balancing research and music. He organized and managed performances through the campus piano club “PIAST,” expanding artistic activities within the campus community. His research explored the inverse relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, revealing how disease-related proteins and anticancer drugs act in neurons and offering new perspectives on inter-disease connections. Jeanne Choi, the master’s representative and another notable graduate, presented research at AAATE 2023 in Paris, analyzing the experiences of visually impaired users engaging with the metaverse and artificial intelligence. Accompanying a visually impaired professor during the conference, Choi gained firsthand insight into mobility and safety challenges, which further expanded the scope of her research. Choi has since continued field-based research, including serving as a teaching assistant at AI and coding camps for visually impaired youth, and plans to pursue a doctoral degree while continuing research for socially vulnerable communities. Bachelor’s representative Mert Yakup Baykan actively participated in research during his undergraduate studies, publishing four SCI-indexed papers and delivering five conference presentations. He was also selected as a visiting student researcher at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, gaining international collaborative research experience. As the first international KAIST Presidential Scholar, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. at Stanford University and grow into a leading researcher in space propulsion and combustion. Awards for outstanding graduates were also presented. Seohyeon Kang (B.S., Brain and Cognitive Sciences) received the Minister of Science and ICT Award (Deputy Prime Minister’s Award). The Chairman of the Board Award was presented to Thai international student Punn Lertjaturaphat (B.S., Industrial Design). The President’s Award went to Kyeongmin Yeo (B.S., School of Computing), while the Alumni Association President’s Award and the KAIST Development Foundation Chairman’s Award were presented to Wonwoo Yoo (B.S., Aerospace Engineering) and Sungbeen Park (B.S., Nuclear and Quantum Engineering), respectively. Hyuk-chae Koo, 1st Vice Minister of Science and ICT, presented the awards on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT. Seohyeon Kang developed a technology to measure key proteins related to Parkinson’s disease without surgery or tissue damage, opening new possibilities in brain disease research, and was recognized as a model graduate who combined academic excellence with community service. Punn Lertjaturaphat gained recognition at prestigious international conferences such as ACM CHI and co-founded a startup addressing rural elderly care issues, demonstrating creativity in solving social problems through technology and design. Kyeongmin Yeo published six research papers at leading AI conferences including NeurIPS, ICLR, and CVPR, proposing new theoretical approaches to image generation and demonstrating outstanding academic achievement as a young researcher. Wonwoo Yoo led the overseas volunteer corps and served as student representative, combining leadership with academic excellence, including winning a grand prize in a rocket launch competition. Sungbeen Park proposed a next-generation beta battery concept, linking it to patents and entrepreneurship, while contributing to public communication and outreach in nuclear technology as student council president and university ambassador. Commencement addresses were delivered by Dongjae Kang (B.S., Industrial and Systems Engineering) and Gul Osman (Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering), an international student from Türkiye. Kang reflected on how he learned science not merely as an avenue for problem-solving but as a process for exploring the deeper meaning behind phenomena, pledging to remain attentive to unseen challenges faced by others. Osman shared his journey of nurturing his passion for science while working in a factory under difficult economic circumstances, emphasizing that opportunities open to those who persist without giving up. He began his academic journey in Korea through the Korean Government Scholarship Program. This year, KAIST also spotlighted three notable graduates who forged their own paths encompassing research, the arts, and social value: Seunghyun Ryu, Jeanne Choi, and Daehui Kim (B.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering). Kim led campus environmental organizations and community-based environmental campaigns, earning an Environmental Contribution Award. He plans to pursue a master’s degree focusing on carbon dioxide geological storage research. He also performs as the vocalist of the KAIST metal band “INFINITE,” continuing to balance music and research. During the ceremony, an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration was conferred upon uey-Yu Wang, Executive Management Committee Member of Formosa Group and Chairman of Formosa Biomedical Technology Corporation. President Kwang Hyung Lee encouraged the graduates, saying, “Cherish your dreams, seize opportunities, do not fear failure, and continue to challenge yourselves. I hope you will shine in your own way on your own stage and contribute to society as proud members of the KAIST community.”
2026.02.21 View 4726