“The Joy of Research Ultimately Opens the Way”

On the morning of October 1st, I met with Professor Kyungho Won from the Department of Embedded Systems Engineering at Incheon National University to hear about his research journey and vision for the future. Starting at GIST, then working at a French research institute, and now as a professor, he shared how his path as a researcher has unfolded. In this interview, he spoke deeply about what led him to pursue research, what he has studied so far, and how he envisions his future goals.

The Path of a Researcher, and Appointment as a Professor

Professor Won entered the integrated M.S.-Ph.D. program in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at GIST in 2016. Under the guidance of Professor Sung-Chan Jeon, he continued his work in the Bio-Computing Laboratory. After receiving his degree in the fall of 2022, he spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher at Inria, France’s national research institute, where he conducted various experiments and studies. In March 2025, he was appointed as a professor at Incheon National University, opening a new chapter in his research career.

Reflecting on his academic path, he explained:
“Neither I nor most of my peers set out dreaming of becoming professors. It was a path that naturally unfolded through research. Research begins with endless curiosity and a spirit of inquiry, but becoming a professor also means shouldering greater responsibility. You must train students, set the direction of your research, and guide others in their work. Compared to my postdoc years, the weight of responsibility now feels much heavier.”

From Ph.D. to Postdoc, and to Today’s Research

During his time at GIST, Professor Won focused on brain–computer interface (BCI) research. Among the two approaches—invasive (directly attaching electrodes to the brain after craniotomy) and non-invasive (measuring brainwaves via scalp electrodes)—he pursued the non-invasive path. His main focus was decoding human intentions from brainwaves, improving the performance of BCI systems, and reducing variability across users, thereby enhancing the accessibility and reliability of non-invasive BCIs.

His research in France expanded these studies further. In a virtual reality (VR) setting, he analyzed brain activity during various cognitive tasks. Since VR allows participants to interact through avatars and perceive the virtual environment as real depending on immersion levels, studying brainwaves in this context became particularly intriguing. Notably, he designed experiments on social interactions via avatars, exploring how avatar presence influenced participants’ neural connectivity during interactions. This work left a strong impression, as it showed how human-shaped avatars could affect brainwave connectivity in virtual environments.

Currently, Professor Won is conducting research in Physical AI and Human–Robot Interaction (HRI). His goal in Physical AI is not just creating efficient robots, but building systems that can monitor human brainwaves in real time and adapt the robot’s movements accordingly. By doing so, robots could improve both efficiency and safety when collaborating with humans in shared environments.

“In industrial settings, human–robot collaboration is already common, but balancing safety and productivity remains a challenge. For instance, robots should be able to automatically adjust their speed or adapt their movements to reduce human physical strain. Research like this will play an important role not only in factories but also in many other environments where humans and robots must work together.”

In the long run, he aims to refine non-invasive brainwave measurement techniques to achieve decoding performance comparable to invasive BCIs—without implanting chips. With the advancement of AI, he envisions more precise analysis of brain activity to enable the control of increasingly complex actions.

The Most Rewarding Moment

When asked about the most rewarding experience in his research journey, Professor Won highlighted the unique value of human experiments. Unlike computer simulations, experiments with real participants brought a distinct sense of accomplishment.

“Running a computer simulation gives you quick results, but conducting an experiment with people brings a deeper reward when hypotheses are tested and results are confirmed. What fascinates me most is the brain’s plasticity—its ability to change. I still vividly remember when a participant’s imagined hand-movement BCI performance improved drastically after receiving external stimuli. For example, someone who initially scored only 50% accuracy improved to 70–80% after tactile stimulation. That was a truly gratifying moment.”

Through such work, he gained deeper insight into how brainwaves can change and how they relate to behavior—an experience that also boosted his confidence as a researcher.

Advice for Young Researchers

Professor Won stressed the importance of persistence and hope for graduate students and aspiring researchers, especially given the uncertain climate of today’s research environment.

“Nowadays, the path of a researcher is filled with uncertainties and constant change. Yet the joy of research itself never changes. If you truly enjoy research and keep pursuing it, that joy will eventually open doors for you. Students at GIST already have strong competitiveness, so rather than worrying, I hope you hold onto hope and keep studying. Opportunities will certainly come.”

Conclusion

The story of Professor Kyungho Won illustrates that being a researcher is not merely a career choice but the outcome of continuous curiosity, exploration, and challenge. Building on the joy of research, he continues to pioneer at the frontier of AI and brainwave studies, seeking ways to contribute to both industry and human life. His journey represents not only technical achievement but also a larger vision of advancing humanity.