POSTECH Professor Honored with the Red Stripes Order of Service Merit

Professor Hyung Joon Cha of POSTECH’s Department of Chemical Engineering and School of Convergence Science and Technology (SCST) was awarded the Red Stripes Order of Service Merit at the 28th Ocean Day ceremony held on May 31.

Professor Cha was honored with the medal for developing a medical bioadhesive material derived from mussels that has excellent adhesion properties while being harmless to the human body. He has also helped make advancements in the marine biology industry through his research on practical applications in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.

Professor Cha received his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees in chemical engineering from Seoul National University, and worked at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) and the University of Maryland before joining the POSTECH faculty in 1999. Since 2010, he has been conducting leading research to secure new marine-derived materials as the head of the Marine BioMaterials Research Center (MBMRC) for 10 years, and has been leading advancements in the academic community as the 9th president of the Korean Society for Marine Biotechnology since 2022.

May 31 is Ocean Day, a nationally designated day to promote the importance of ocean and marine life. Each year, the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries recoganizes researchers and industry leaders who have greatly contributed to the advancement of oceanography and fisheries.