Professor Heui Jae Pahk of SNU Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Receives a Higher Doctorate Degree in Engineering at the University of Manchester


▲ Professor Heui Jae Pahk of SNU Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

 
SNU College of Engineering (Dean Kookheon Char) announced on 29^th that Professor Heui Jae Pahk of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering had received his Higher Doctorate degree in Engineering, the highest degree on engineering, from the University of Manchester.
 
Although the Higher Doctorate in Engineering is not well known in Korea, prestigious schools like the Oxford University have had this engineering degree for a long time. In order to receive the degree, one has to devote to his or her field to accomplish substantial academic, industrial, or societal achievements for more than 20 years after receiving a PhD in engineering.
 
The university conducts a preliminary examination of the candidates. Those who pass the preliminary screening are then evaluated on the submitted dissertation, personal achievements, contributions, and other documents.
This stage is performed by a jury committee composed of global experts. Only the candidates recognized by the committee can finally receive their higher doctorate degree.
 
Professor Pahk is a rare case in Korea to have received the higher doctorate in engineering. Highlighting some events Pahk’s career, he earned his PhD in engineering in 1990 at the University of Manchester as an international student studying abroad on government scholarship. Since 1993, Pahk served as a professor of SNU College of Engineering during which he published over 200 research papers, earned 150 patents, completed 110 industry-university research tasks, and raised around 100 masters and doctors.
 
Pahk and his graduate students are acknowledged for getting SNU Precision, SNU’s first startup launched at its labs, listed on KOSDAQ. His career is also marked with countless awards including the 2^nd Class (Silver Tower) of the Order of Industrial Service Merit, the 70 Million Export Tower, the Jang Young-shil Award, the Prime Minister’s Award from the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, the Prime Minister’s Award from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the NAEK (National Academy of Engineering of Korea) Young Engineers Award, and the Award of Excellence for Development from SNU College of Engineering to simply list a few.
 
Professor Pahk also made active donations to the society. This includes a personal donation of around 8 Billion Korean Won to SNU as scholarship and research fund and other scholarship funds to Hanyang University and Korea University. Pahk is currently serving or has previously served as the member of the NAEK, the head of the Office of Strategic R&D Planning of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, the board president of Korea Youth Foundation, the president of Korean Association for Industrial Technology Security (KAITS), the non-executive independent director of POSCO, etc.
 
Professor Park stated, “I am glad to receive the higher doctorate in engineering as it is an acknowledgment by the international society and a prestigious university of all the academic and industrial contributions I have made so far. It is an honor that empowers me to further conduct in-depth researches and raise young scholars in my field.”
 
(Title of Professor Heui Jae Park’s Higher Doctorate Degree Dissertation: “A Contribution to Computer Aided Engineering Metrology, Precision Optical Inspection, and Machine System Design”)