RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY

At the core of my research and teaching philosophy lies the principle of craftsmanship—a commitment to treating engineering outcomes and processes as if crafting masterpieces. This mindset drives me to exceed expectations, prioritize quality, and approach each project with precision and care.

Throughout my career, I have designed and implemented numerous tangible platforms to support cross-cutting research. These platforms make emerging problem domains observable and actionable, enhance the efficiency of research direction, and provide a clear bridge between existing solutions and novel contributions. Such demonstrable systems not only help stakeholders better understand the research value, but also attract greater support and interdisciplinary collaboration, acting as visible catalysts for accelerating progress.

While the foundation of engineering lies in theory and mathematics, their effectiveness depends significantly on how well they are translated into real systems. Hands-on experience—what I describe as engineering craftsmanship—serves as a powerful complement to theory, enabling deeper learning and greater impact across academic research, education, and commercial product development.

This philosophy also guides my approach to teaching. One of my primary goals is to prevent early discouragement in students—particularly those who lack prior hands-on experience. When I took over a project-based course at Seoul National University (SNU), the student success rate was only 40%. Upon close analysis, I found that most failures were not due to poor design, but minor implementation errors. I subsequently redesigned the entire lab curriculum, creating a more supportive and structured environment. As a result, the project success rate increased to 90%.

Over the course of 17 years at SNU and 7 years at KAIST, I consistently incorporated extensive hands-on, system-level learning experiences into my teaching. I have engaged students across a diverse spectrum—male and female, domestic and international—through carefully designed practical courses that reflect the real-world integration of computing, communication, storage, power, sensing, actuation, and physical systems.

In support of this teaching philosophy:

• Developed 4190.309 (Computer Systems Design) at SNU (later renamed 4190.309A – Hardware Systems Design), introducing junior computer science students to digital hardware design and systems implementation
  
  

• Launched and taught EE305 (Electronics Design Lab) at KAIST, including the creation of the CAD4X YouTube channel to teach foundational skills such as soldering
  
  

• Created EE591 (Introduction to Electric Vehicles), a unique graduate course covering both the mechanical and electrical/electronic architecture of EVs
  
  

• Recognized with the Best Lecturer Award from the SNU College of Engineering in 2000 and 2007

In all my efforts, I treat diversity as a strength and strive to make learning inclusive, engaging, and empowering. I conduct all instruction in English to ensure accessibility for international students and foster a global learning environment.