Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
한국과학기술원

South Korea

KAIST has connotations of academic excellence, innovation and entrepreneurship, but also the launch of large-scale projects. The university often ranks highly among other universities of a similar age.

KAIST was established in February 1971 as Korea Advanced Institute of Science, with a loan given by United States Agency for International Development. The university aimed not only to educate young researchers in science and engineering, but also to provide a solid basis for the development of future higher education institutions in Korea.

Its structure was created by an international team, which included the American electrical engineer and vice-president of Stanford University Frederick Emmons Terman. Unlike other public institutions in South Korea, KAIST has freedom to decide upon its entry requirements and course structure, which gives the university a special status.

Today, KAIST has a rich academic portfolio in disciplines such as physics, mathematics, engineering, humanities and social sciences, business and management. The courses are delivered by 5 colleges and 6 schools, with over 33 divisions. KAIST's unique institutes include the National NanoFab Center, which conducts research into nano-devices and their potential applications.

KAIST consists of 2 major campuses situated in Daejeon and South Korea's capital Seoul. They offer over 25 dormitories, 4 libraries and a medical centre. To ensure students are actively engaged in the campus cultural events, the university organises traditional opera and jazz recitals.

1 December 2018 - 30 November 2019

Region: Global
Subject/journal group: All

The table to the right includes counts of all research outputs for Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) published between 1 December 2018 - 30 November 2019 which are tracked by the Nature Index.

Hover over the donut graph to view the FC output for each subject. Below, the same research outputs are grouped by subject. Click on the subject to drill-down into a list of articles organized by journal, and then by title.

Note: Articles may be assigned to more than one subject area.

Count	Share
335	145.86

Outputs by subject (Share)

Subject	Count	Share
Chemistry	143	64.15
Physical Sciences	201	88.86
Life Sciences	56	20.41
Earth & Environmental Sciences	4	1.86

Highlight of the month

Map charts spatial contacts in DNA

A large-scale study of spatial contacts within the genomes of 27 human cell types and tissues has revealed the target genes of some 70,000 putative regulatory elements and more than 27,000 DNA variants linked to physiological traits and disease.

This ‘interactome’ map, generated by a team co-led by KAIST scientists, offers a window into the three-dimensional genomic architecture that shapes gene regulation throughout the human body — information that could lead to a better understanding of disease and provide leads for new treatment strategies.

Using a technique called capture Hi-C, the team detected regions of DNA that physically interact with gene-activating ‘promoter’ domains across a wide range of human cells and tissues. By first looking at well-annotated promoters, the researchers could infer the targets of other similar elements, allowing them to create a compendium of DNA interactions for future studies of regulatory pathways that go awry in various disease settings.

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