WSEPCM-2026

Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku is a Principal Research Scientist at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), where he led the Carbon Composite Materials Research Center for six years. He received his Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Plastics Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA, in 2005, and subsequently joined the University of Massachusetts Amherst as a post-doctoral research associate. In 2009, he moved to KIST as a Senior Research Scientist. His research focuses on high-performance carbon nanotube(CNT) fibers and composite materials for structural and energy-related applications. He has authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications and holds an h-index of 43. He currently serves on the editorial board of Composites Part B (Elsevier) and holds leadership roles as Vice President of both the Korean Society of Composite Materials (KSCM) and the Polymer Society of Korea (KPS). His recent work—featured in Science Advances, Carbon, and Composites Part B—highlights breakthroughs in CNT-based multifunctional fibers. He also actively collaborates with industry to develop scalable carbonization technologies for next-generation carbon fiber composites.