Finding new materials has traditionally relied on years of experimental trials and errors. At Technische Universität Dresden (TU Dresden), Dr. Joohan Nam aims to accelerate that process by combining artificial intelligence (AI) with experimental chemistry. 

Awarded the prestigious Humboldt Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Dr. Nam will join the research group of Professor Stefan Kaskel at TU Dresden in September 2026. There, he will integrate AI into every stage of porous materials discovery—from molecular design and synthesis to experimental validation—creating a more efficient and systematic approach to identifying promising new materials.

The Humboldt Research Fellowship is one of Germany's leading international programs for outstanding early-career researchers. It supports independent research at leading German institutions and recognizes academic excellence, originality, and the potential to establish an independent research career.

Dr. Nam earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at UNIST under the supervision of Professor Wonyoung Choe and is currently a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Choe's group. His doctoral research focused on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)—porous crystalline materials whose structures can be precisely engineered to control how they adsorb and separate molecules. His work established new design principles for controlling the dynamic behavior of MOFs, contributing to advances in hydrogen isotope separation. He has published 12 SCI(E)-indexed papers, including three first-author papers in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. His research has also been recognized with the 2025 S-Oil Outstanding Dissertation Award (2025), the 2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Korean Chemical Society, and the 2025 Young Investigator Award from the Korean Synchrotron Users Association.

His collaboration with Professor Kaskel began in 2025 through UNIST's Global Postdoctoral Short-Term Research Program, during which he conducted collaborative research at TU Dresden on MOF design, synthesis, and adsorption-property evaluation. Building on that collaboration, Dr. Nam will further integrate AI with experimental chemistry, enabling computational predictions to be rapidly tested and refined through laboratory experiments. 

With Dr. Nam's selection, Professor Wonyoung Choe's group has now seen two researchers receive  Humboldt Research Fellowships this year, following Dr. Jiyeon Kim's selection earlier this year.

"Dr. Nam has built a strong foundation in understanding the structural dynamics of MOFs and translating those insights into functional materials," said Professor Choe. "This fellowship recognizes both his research achievements and his vision of expanding materials discovery through AI. We look forward to seeing him develop new methodologies that bridge chemistry experimental and digital technologies in porous materials research."

“This fellowship is especially meaningful because it recognizes the research direction I developed at UNIST,” said Dr. Nam. "By integrating AI-driven predictions with experimental validation, I hope to make the discovery of new materials faster, more systematic, and more precise." He also thanked Professor Choe and Professor Kaskel for their mentorship and support, adding that he hopes to strengthen international collaboration and establish an independent research program through his work in Germany.