About Us
Korea Australia Researcher Network(KARN) Advisory Committee
Chairman of the KARN Advisory Committee
Professor, Chair and Program Director, APRU Sustainable Waste Management Program, Korea University
Professor Yong Sik Ok currently serves as President of both the International ESG Association (IESGA) and the International Society of Trace Element Biogeochemistry (ISTEB). In 2025, Prof. Ok was ranked first globally in Environmental Sciences by ScholarGPS and first in Asia in the same field by Research.com. His Google Scholar profile reflects a substantial research impact, with an h-index of 179, more than 20,000 annual citations, over 120,700 total citations, and 114 highly cited papers. He is currently Korea’s most cited scientist across multiple disciplines. Prof. Ok leads a global research network and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of CleanMat (Wiley). His research aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ESG principles, with a particular focus on climate-positive technologies such as biochar. In addition to his academic research, he teaches MBA and EMBA courses on business and the environment at Korea University Business School and has shared his insights through invited lectures at leading institutions, including Samsung Electronics, the POSCO Forum, and Shinhan Bank.
Members of the KARN Advisory Committee
Associate Professor, College of Business, Hongik University
As an Associate Professor at Hongik University’s College of Business, Dr Hong has actively engaged in international academic research, particularly in financial economics, risk management, and innovation-driven economic development. Dr Hong’s extensive background in both academia and industry, including experience as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and a research fellow at Korea Capital Market Institute, has provided him with a unique perspective on bridging academic research with policy and industry applications.
Director, Department of Regulatory Policy
Korea Institute of Public Administration(KIPA)
In 2011 Dr Hong was awarded the Australian Government’ prestigious Kapyung Commemorative Postgraduate Scholarship for his PhD research at the Australian National University (2012-2016). After obtaining PhD in Political Science at RegNet, ANU, one of the most prominent regulation and governance research groups in the world, Dr Hong served as a Political Researcher at the Korean Embassy in Canberra from November 2016 to January 2018 to further deepen his understanding of the ROK-Australia relations. Now, Dr Hong works as a Director of Regulatory Policy at the Korea Institute of Public Administration (KIPA), a public think-tank under the Office of the Prime Minister, Republic of Korea. As the head of the nation’s biggest regulatory research group, he leads pioneering research projects on regulatory reforms, provides top-tier consultancy for government ministries and international organisations, and delivers impactful executive lectures to domestic and international stakeholders. Part of his work is critically engaged in the development of responsive regulation, one of the most significant contributions ANU’s RegNet has made to regulatory scholarship.
Assistant Professor in the Division of Future Convergence
Director, Future Strategy & Institutional Research, Division of Future Convergence (Data Science Major)
Dongduk Women’s University
Dr Kim is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Future Convergence at Dongduk Women’s University, specializing in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Computer Science. with a Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Yonsei University. His research focuses on machine learning, computer vision, and AI-driven applications. Prior to academia, he worked as an AI researcher and developer at SK Telecom, contributing to cutting-edge AI and computer vision projects, leading AI competitions, and developing innovative solutions in smart surveillance, behaviour recognition, and visual computing. Dr Kim has published extensively in top-tier journals and conferences, holds multiple patents, and has received numerous awards, including best paper and outstanding teaching awards.
Project Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting, South Korea
Mr Lee brings extensive experience in research, policy development, and leadership roles that align closely with KARN's objectives. His expertise spans the fields of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), sustainability, biodiversity, and sustainable supply chains. As a professional consultant of PwC Consulting and Ph.D. candidate in Korea University specializing in these areas, he has successfully led initiatives that bridge academic research with practical applications, fostering collaboration across diverse sectors. Mr Lee has actively participated in international forums and collaborative projects with global stakeholders. These experiences have provided him with an understanding of global research ecosystems and the cultural sensitivities required to drive impactful partnerships.
Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Yonsei University
Dr. Sunghoe Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Yonsei University, having joined in March 2025. Previously, she served as an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Educational Policy in Korea National University of Education (2024-2025), and as a senior research fellow at the Korea Educational Development Institute (2013-2024). She received her PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge, England in 2012. She completed her MA in Educational Studies at the University of Warwick, England. Her primary research interests are sociology of education, lifelong education, educational policy, family education, death education, and inter-disciplinary methodological approaches informed by Critical Realism.
Associate Professor & Director of Advanced Const Management Research Group
Department of Civil Systems Engineering, Ajou University
Dr Sungkon(SK) Moon has been an Associate Professor at Ajou University in Suwon, Republic of Korea, since 2022. Prior to joining Ajou, he served as a Senior Lecturer/Lecturer at Aston University in Birmingham, UK (2021-2022), and at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia (2015-2021). His research focuses on construction engineering and project management, with particular expertise in innovative construction technologies, supply chain management, and construction artificial intelligence (AI). Dr Moon earned his PhD from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, and completed both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Engineering at Hanyang University, Seoul. His research achievements have been recently recognised with the Chancellor’s Award for Research Impact from Ajou University (2023, 2024, 2025) and the Excellent Paper Award at the International Conference on Civil Engineering and Project Management (ICCEPM 2024). He was also the recipient of consecutive Australia-Korea Foundation (AKF) Grants from 2014 to 2021 as Principal Investigator, and awarded an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) for his PhD studies (2010–2014).
Lecturer in Children’s Literature Education Department, Gongju National University of Education Graduate School
Dr Park was a lecturer at the School of English, Hanyang University, Seoul, from March 2023 to August 2023 and the School of English, University of Ulsan, from September 1997 to December 2016. She obtained her PhD in Children’s literature from the English Department of Macquarie University in 2018. She completed her M.A. in Applied Linguistics (TESOL): Graduated from University of Sydney, Australia, 1996. Dr Park has also received 2018 AKF (Australia – Korea Foundation) Grant for Building up cross - cultural understanding through children’s literature between Australia and Korea in 2018 and 2019. Dr Park is very keen to build up seamless cultural, social exchange programs to attain mutual understanding through children’s literature research collaboration.
Professor, School of Energy Engineering, Kyungpook National University
Dr Park holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from POSTECH and completed postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology. Currently, as a Professor at Kyungpook National University, Prof Park focuses on sustainable technology development. He has published over 200 SCI-indexed papers with 17,600+ citations (h-index: 68) and has been recognized in the Stanford’s List of the world’s top 2% scientists for the past eight years. Prof Park has also received multiple prestigious awards, including the Knowledge Creativity Award (2012) and the Park Su-Moon Award (2018).
Professor, Multiscale Hybrid Manufacturing Lab.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
Dr Park has been continuously conducting research on innovative manufacturing processes and composite materials. In particular, Dr Park has achieved numerous research outcomes related to the digital twin technology for novel manufacturing processes and advanced composite materials. He has also been actively engaged in international collaborative research and academic exchanges with leading institutions in North America, such as Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Calgary. As a result, Dr Park has extensive experience in international collaboration and joint research.
Dean Global, Korea, Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor Global, Curtin University
Deputy Head of School, School of Media Creative Arts and Social Inquiry
Director, Korea Research & Engagement Centre
Associate Professor of Korean Society and Culture
Vice President, Korean Studies Association of Australasia
Dr Elfving-Hwang is an Associate Professor of Korean Society and Culture at Curtin University and possesses significant strategic leadership experience both in managing and developing academic programs, learned associations, industry engagement and academic service roles. Her research outputs include internationally high-impact publications in the field of cultural sociology and Korean Studies, and the substantial interest in her research is evidenced by frequent media engagements in major global news outlets, service to the academic community in the form of peer reviewing and organising conferences, and significant success in winning competitive research funding.
Professor, School of Culture, History and Language(CHL), CAP, ANU
Prof Roald Herber Maliangkay specializes in the study of Korea’s cultural history. As a long-time member of the international Korean Studies community and the Korean Studies Association of Australia (of which he served as President from 2020 to 2024), he has a strong belief in the value of collaboration and is passionate about setting and maintaining high standards in both research and teaching. Major issues that he is concerned about as an educator include the dwindling interest in the study of Korean history and in learning foreign languages in general. Before commencing at ANU, he worked at SOAS (London), Leiden, and the University of Amsterdam.
Senior Project Officer, Hydrogen Strategy
International & Investor Engagement
NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
Mr O’Connor’s unique experience in low-emissions policy and connecting cross-sectoral expertise will allow him to add value to the KARN Committee. As a Senior Project Officer in NSW’s Hydrogen Strategy team, he leads international engagement, policy implementation, and industry cooperation to drive decarbonisation. With experience across government and industry in Australia and Korea, Mr O’Connor has successfully delivered hydrogen and CCUS initiatives, facilitated new collaborations, and contributed to strategic research. He will leverage his strong networks in both countries to foster impactful partnerships.