Three SNU Electrical and Computer Engineering Professors Named IEEE Fellows
Taewhan Kim, Hyungbo Shim, and Jerald Yoo Recognized as IEEE Fellows, the Highest Honor of the World’s Largest Professional Society in Electrical and Electronic Engineering


▲ (From left) Prof. Taewhan Kim, Prof. Hyungbo Shim, and Prof. Jerald Yoo of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University (in alphabetical order)

Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that Prof. Taewhan Kim, Prof. Hyungbo Shim, and Prof. Jerald Yoo of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (in alphabetical order) have been selected as IEEE Fellows for 2026 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest professional organization in the fields of electrical and electronic engineering.

With the addition of these three newly elevated Fellows, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at SNU now holds the largest number of IEEE Fellows among university departments in Korea, including both current and former faculty members. Considering that it is extremely rare—both nationally and internationally—for three professors from a single department at one university to be elevated to IEEE Fellow status in the same year, this recognition is widely regarded as a remarkable achievement. It not only demonstrates that the department’s research capabilities are at the highest global level, but also affirms that the SNU College of Engineering stands shoulder to shoulder with the world’s leading research universities.

Headquartered in New York, USA, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is the world’s largest academic and professional organization in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics, computer engineering, and communications. It has more than 400,000 members across over 160 countries and plays a leading role in advancing international standards and academic development in these fields.

The IEEE Fellow grade represents the highest level of membership within IEEE and is conferred only upon individuals who have achieved extraordinary accomplishments and technical excellence through a rigorous evaluation process. Candidates must be nominated by existing IEEE Fellows and subsequently pass a strict review by the IEEE Fellow Committee. Selection is limited to the top 0.1 percent of IEEE members worldwide, and elevation to IEEE Fellow signifies that the recipient has attained the status of a globally recognized leader and authority in their field.

Prof. Taewhan Kim was elevated to IEEE Fellow in recognition of his contributions to dynamic voltage scaling theory and standard-cell generation automation. He established a computational theory that enables real-time determination of minimum power consumption through dynamic voltage adjustment in response to changing performance requirements during semiconductor chip operation. His work also provided a theoretical foundation for the development of power management algorithms, which are essential for low-power semiconductor chips.

Prof. Kim earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Department of Computational Statistics at Seoul National University and received his PhD in Computer Science from Illinois State University in the United States. After working as a researcher at semiconductor companies in Silicon Valley, he returned to Korea and served as a professor in the Department of Computer Science at KAIST. He has been a faculty member of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at SNU since 2004, specializing in electronic design automation (EDA) within the field of semiconductor design.

Reflecting on the honor, Prof. Kim said, “It was not easy to anticipate the long-term impact of the research I was conducting at the time. I am pleased that work driven by curiosity and passion more than 20 years ago has laid a foundation for future generations of researchers and has contributed to semiconductor chip design in industry.”

Prof. Hyungbo Shim was selected as an IEEE Fellow for his establishment of control theory for multi-agent systems and disturbance observers. His research has focused on control methods for multi-agent systems, in which multiple robots cooperate organically, as well as on disturbance observer technologies that accurately estimate and compensate for uncertain external disturbances. These technologies are essential for ensuring system stability in applications such as group dance performances by humanoid robots and drone light shows.

Prof. Shim earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Seoul National University. Following his doctoral studies, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and later served as a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Hanyang University. He has been a faculty member of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at SNU since 2003.

Prof. Shim commented, “The field of control theory sometimes attracts great attention and at other times receives less interest, but it is a foundational discipline of engineering and will never disappear. It was not easy to remain committed during periods when the field was less popular, and I am grateful that this recognition feels like a reward for those years of perseverance. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my students who shared that journey with me.”

Prof. Jerald Yoo was elevated to IEEE Fellow for his contributions to semiconductor circuit design for biomedical and body-area network applications. He is a leading authority in developing ultra-miniaturized circuits for wearable and implantable healthcare devices, as well as body-area network technologies that enable communication and power delivery within the human body. His research has made significant contributions to advancing the performance of next-generation wearable and digital healthcare devices.

Prof. Yoo earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the Department of Electrical Engineering at KAIST. He later served as a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) before joining the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at SNU in 2024. Given that the average age at which IEEE members are elevated to Fellow is typically in the mid-50s, Prof. Yoo’s selection at his mid-40s is considered exceptional and is widely regarded as evidence of his outstanding and distinctive research achievements.

Prof. Yoo stated, “I feel a deep sense of responsibility in receiving such an honor at a relatively early stage compared to my senior colleagues. I will continue striving to develop innovative semiconductor circuits that enhance human health and quality of life, without ever becoming complacent, in the rapidly evolving fields of semiconductors and healthcare.”


[Contact Information]
Jangyoon Bae, Office of Public Affairs, Seoul National University College of Engineering / +82-2-880-9147 / jybae311@snu.ac.kr