He has performed editor roles for the journals Nanotechnology, ACS Nano, and Solid State Electronics[1] and was the fourth president of Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST).

[2] Returning to Korea in 1991, he became a professor of physics and astronomy at Seoul National University (SNU) for the next 27 years.

In April 2018, he became a distinguished professor at Ewha Womans University,[6][7][8] during which time he was a team leader in the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Center for Quantum Nanoscience.

[9][10] His team at Ewha studied quantum materials, specifically two-dimensional superconductors in nanometer scale.

[11] He left all positions and responsibilities in March 2019 in order to head the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology in April 2019.