Hyung Suk Kim, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Semiconductor Engineering,
Gachon University
MAXAM Labo.
유기전자·포토닉스 연구실
Research Areas:
Organic Electronics, Organic Optoelectronics,
Quantum Chemistry, Photophysics,
and Computational Materials Science
Education:
Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, KAIST
Experience:
OPERA, Kyushu University
Mobile Display Materials Development Team, Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
Contact:
hyungsuk (at) gachon.ac.kr
Tel/Fax. +82-31-750-5799
About MAXAM
MAXAM explores the molecular origins of light in organic semiconductors.
Led by Hyung Suk Kim, Ph.D., our laboratory integrates molecular design, photophysics, OLED device physics, computational chemistry, and machine-learning-assisted materials discovery to establish predictive design principles for next-generation organic light-emitting materials and optoelectronic devices.
At MAXAM, we do not simply pursue brighter OLEDs. We seek to understand how light emerges from molecules, how excitons evolve and decay, how spin states interconvert, and how these microscopic processes ultimately govern the efficiency, stability, and performance of real devices.
Philosophy
At MAXAM, we do not see light emission merely as a performance metric. We see it as a molecular signature — a visible consequence of hidden molecular motion, excited-state evolution, spin conversion, exciton dynamics, and device-level energy flow.
Our philosophy is to look beneath the numbers. Efficiency, roll-off, stability, and optical performance are not isolated device parameters; they are macroscopic expressions of microscopic events occurring within molecules, thin solid films, and device architectures.
By decoding these events through molecular photophysics, OLED device physics, quantum chemistry, and computational materials discovery, we aim to build a mechanistic and predictive foundation for rational organic materials design.
MAXAM pursues organic light-emitting materials research not as a race to follow trends, but as a discipline of understanding, quantification, and creative design — where the origin of light is traced from molecules to materials and ultimately to real devices.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Hyung Suk Kim earned his Ph.D. from KAIST in 2022 under the supervision of
Prof. Seunghyup Yoo, where he built a rigorous foundation in OLED device physics by investigating the origins of efficiency roll-off in operating devices and exploring strategies for its suppression.
His doctoral work bridged exciton dynamics, optical and electrical processes, and device-level performance, with particular emphasis on wave-optical modeling and coding-based numerical and analytical approaches to connect molecular excited-state behavior with macroscopic OLED characteristics.
He then joined the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA) at Kyushu University, directed by Prof. Chihaya Adachi, where he advanced his research on charge-transfer-type organic emitters, particularly thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials, by integrating quantum chemistry, photophysics, molecular dynamics, wave/ray optics, and device physics.
Prior to joining Gachon University, Dr. Kim served as a Staff Engineer II at Samsung Display, contributing to industrial R&D on deep-blue OLED emitters and advanced OLED device architectures. Working alongside senior technical leaders, including Dr. Soo-Byung Ko and Dr. Changwoong Chu, he gained a rare perspective at the intersection of molecular photophysics, computational modeling, device engineering, and the practical requirements of next-generation display technologies.
Research Trajectory & Contributions
Dr. Kim’s research trajectory reflects a distinctive continuum across molecular photophysics, OLED device physics, computational modeling, and industrial display technology. Rather than treating these fields as separate domains, his work has consistently connected them through one central question: how molecular excited-state processes govern the ultimate performance limits of organic semiconductors.
His contributions, appearing in Nature Communications, Science Advances, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, and Advanced Materials, include uncovering the principles of complex spin interconversion in charge-transfer organic molecules, realizing ultra-high-efficiency deep-blue OLEDs, and advancing machine-learning-guided molecular design of multi-resonance TADF emitters.
Beyond his publication record, Dr. Kim actively contributes to the scientific community through peer-review service for journals across applied physics, physical chemistry, photophysics, materials science, and organic electronics, including Applied Physics Letters, Dyes and Pigments, Advanced Optical Materials, ACS Applied Electronic Materials, ACS Omega, The Journal of Chemical Physics, and Organic Electronics.
This service reflects the interdisciplinary breadth of his expertise at the interface of materials science, spectroscopy, optics, device physics, and computational chemistry.
Vision: We design light from its molecular origin
MAXAM aims to translate the physics of excited states into actionable design principles for next-generation OLEDs and organic optoelectronic technologies. We investigate how light emerges from molecules, how excitons migrate and transform, how spin and radiative pathways can be controlled, and how these microscopic processes can be engineered to realize more efficient, stable, and functionally advanced optoelectronic devices.
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