• Hello, Mr. Ko Youngmin! Could you start by introducing yourself? 

Hello. I am Ko Youngmin, and I began my studies in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in 2013. I completed my Ph.D. in the integrated master's and doctoral program in 2023. During my studies, I primarily focused on autonomous driving technology, robotics, artificial intelligence, and computer vision. After obtaining my degree, I looked for a career path that would allow me to leverage and further develop my research experience. As a result, I am grateful to have been appointed to the Department of Robotics and Smart Systems Engineering at Kyungpook National University as of September 1st. Currently, I am busy preparing business proposals and my first classes while collaborating with senior professors.

• What sparked your interest in autonomous driving and robotics?

When I entered GIST, I had the desire to study up to the doctoral level. Initially, as a freshman, I was interested in physics and considered joining the Department of Physics and Photon Science. However, after taking classes related to computer science and programming, I realized that I was more suited to the field of computer science and changed my career path. While studying computer science, I developed an interest in artificial intelligence research, and as I approached graduation, I had the opportunity to join Professor Junmo Koo's "Machine Learning Vision Lab" as an intern. At the time, I didn’t fully understand the theoretical aspects, but by observing and learning from the research results of senior students, my interest grew further. The appeal of computer vision research lies in the immediate visual results, and seeing the potential applications of this field in various areas made me want to explore it in-depth, leading me to apply for the integrated master’s and doctoral program.

• After earning your Ph.D., you had various paths to choose from. What inspired you to become a professor?

After earning my Ph.D., I had job offers from both companies and research institutes, providing me with multiple options. Companies offered the advantages of being located in Seoul and Pangyo, along with higher salaries. Government-funded research institutes, on the other hand, offered better work-life balance and more research funding compared to schools.

Despite these opportunities, I chose to become a professor for two main reasons. First, the "freedom" it offers. In companies, you have to do the work assigned to you, and even in research institutes, it’s challenging to freely research your desired fields due to the project-driven nature of the work. Second, the aspect of "education." During my student days, I served as a teaching assistant, and through preparing for classes and teaching students, I realized that teaching suited my aptitude. These two factors led me to choose the profession of a professor.

• When did you feel the most fulfilled in your research?

The most fulfilling moment during my degree was when I wrote my first paper. Initially, I aimed to present my first paper at the international conference "IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium (IV)." However, being new to paper writing, I struggled with time management and barely met the deadline. Due to the time constraints, my experiments were incomplete, and I couldn’t thoroughly review the paper. As a result, it was not accepted by the conference.

Afterward, I took the time to thoroughly review the paper, adding new ideas and experiments to enhance its completeness, and this time, I submitted it to an SCI-level journal instead of a conference. Through this process, I experienced my first paper review and revision, and in the end, the paper was accepted. The experience of having my first paper accepted and learning from the process of revisions and reviews made it the most fulfilling moment in my research journey.

• How did you handle stress during your research?

People often get stressed when they have too much work or when things don’t go well. I used to work late into the night when tasks piled up to meet deadlines. However, with more experience, I realized that "work" is something given by people, and it’s people who handle the work, so it’s important to manage schedules flexibly. Now, if I anticipate a heavy workload, I communicate early to adjust the schedule. In short, I try to avoid stressful situations rather than dealing with stress afterward.

When things don’t go well, I take breaks instead of clinging to the problem. If time passes without progress, it only leads to more stress and reduces efficiency. So, I try to maintain a relaxed mindset. I might switch to other tasks or hang out with friends to chat. Surprisingly, talking with others often brings new insights and inspiration, which can help solve the problem I was stuck on.

• What subjects will you be teaching at Kyungpook National University?

This fall semester, I will be teaching "Practical Robot Operating Systems" and "Mobility Intelligence." In the "Practical Robot Operating Systems" course, students will learn how to use "ROS (Robot Operating System)." Just as the Windows operating system manages various software, ROS is a tool that manages the software necessary for robots. The course will cover how to use ROS, connect software in a simulated environment, and operate it.

The "Mobility Intelligence" course will cover the intelligence needed for mobile robots. For a robot to be autonomous, it needs to recognize its surroundings, determine the optimal route based on a map, and ensure that its hardware can follow that route correctly. The course will cover representative algorithms for these technologies, with practical exercises, and culminate in students building a small robot in a simulation environment.

• How do you feel about the upcoming semester and teaching your classes?

I’m mostly nervous. Since I don’t have much teaching experience, I wonder if I can successfully deliver lectures to many students and whether I can do it well. Additionally, the courses I’m teaching this semester are practice-oriented, so I have to conduct 4-hour sessions back-to-back, which is a bit daunting. However, I believe I can do well since I successfully completed my teaching assistant duties as a student.

• What kind of research lab would you like to create?

I would like to create a research lab where students can study and conduct research at a comfortable pace. When students first join the lab, they need to build a foundation of knowledge, which can take at least 1-2 years. Writing a paper based on that foundation also takes time. Since it takes a lot of time to conduct a single research project and write a paper, I want my students to research at a relaxed pace. Rather than producing many small papers, I’d prefer them to focus on writing one significant and well-done paper.

• What areas would you like to explore further in your research?

Currently, various robots are being commercialized one by one, as seen in GIST's delivery robot project. However, I believe that the most valuable applications for robots are in environments where it’s difficult or dangerous for humans to work, such as accident sites or military situations.

However, deep learning-based AI requires vast amounts of training data, and these situations are so specialized that there is often insufficient data for training. To solve this problem, I aim to use simulation tools to train AI across various scenarios. Using these methods, I hope to expand my research beyond just the robotics field to other areas such as gaming.

• Any final thoughts you’d like to share?

Recently, there has been a high demand for talent in electrical, electronic, and computer engineering fields. Many positions are opening up in research institutes, universities, and companies. It’s a field that is currently receiving a lot of attention, so career paths are becoming more diverse. I believe that whether you graduate with a bachelor’s, master’s, or Ph.D., you can find opportunities anywhere. When making career decisions, while it’s natural to compare options, I hope you won’t spend too much time on comparisons. No matter where you go, you’ll be able to make a good living, so choose a path that suits your personality and interests. If you do that, you’ll be able to achieve great success wherever you are.