Three Nobel Prize laureates have been elected as foreign members of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST) for 2026.
KAST announced on the morning of January 23 at its "First Regular Board Meeting of 2026" that it elected three Nobel laureates as foreign members for 2026: Susumu Kitagawa (Kyoto University) and Omar Yaghi (UC Berkeley), both 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winners, and Brian Kobilka (Stanford University), the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner.
National academies of science around the world elect internationally renowned researchers who have contributed to scientific and technological advancement as "foreign members," promoting domestic scientific development through international academic exchange and research collaboration. KAST similarly elects distinguished foreign scholars as foreign members, limited to within 20% of its regular membership quota (100 members).
Professor Kitagawa is a pioneer in porous coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), establishing an innovative foundation for gas storage and separation as well as energy and environmental applications, thereby expanding the horizons of modern materials science. Professor Yaghi is a chemist who has led research in MOFs and covalent organic frameworks (COFs), contributing to climate crisis response and eco-friendly energy technology development through water and carbon capture, energy storage, and atmospheric moisture harvesting technologies. Professor Kobilka is a researcher who elucidated the structure and operating principles of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), cell membrane proteins, ushering in the era of structure-based drug development.
KAST currently has 59 foreign members, including 33 Nobel Prize and Fields Medal laureates, who have contributed to talent development in Korea and the promotion of international academic exchange. Through this program, the academy plans to support academic exchange activities and network building for next-generation scientists while actively pursuing youth talent development programs and public lectures. Beginning with Professor Yaghi's visit to Korea this April, the academy is coordinating schedules for visits by newly elected foreign members, membership plaque presentations, and participation in KAST programs.