Junsuk Rho

Junsuk Rho
노준석
Born1981 (age 44–45)
Education
Known forMetasurfaces, scalable manufacturing of metalenses
AwardsYoung Scientist Award (2019)
NAEK Young Engineer Award (2022)
Hong Jin-Ki Creator Award (2022)
Highly Cited Researcher (2023, 2024)
Fellow of SPIE (2026)
Scientific career
FieldsMechanical engineering, nanophotonics, metamaterials
WorkplacesPohang University of Science and Technology
Xiang Zhang
Websitephotonics.postech.ac.kr

Junsuk Rho (Korean: 노준석; Hanja: 魯埈錫; born 1981) is a South Korean mechanical engineer. He is a professor of mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and electrical engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), where he holds the Yeon-San and Mu-Eun-Jae endowed chair professorships.

His research concerns metamaterials and metasurfaces, and methods for mass-producing metalenses and their use in displays. In 2026, he published two papers as the corresponding author in the same April issue of Nature, one being about a roll-to-roll process for mass-producing metalenses and the other being about a display that uses metalenses to switch between 2D and 3D images; it was the first time a Korean researcher had published two different studies as corresponding author in a single issue.

Clarivate named Rho a Highly Cited Researcher in 2023 and 2024, and he became a Fellow of SPIE in 2026. From 29 June to 1 July that year, he was invited as the youngest of 25 leading metamaterials researchers to the Nobel Symposium held at Umeå University in Sweden, where he presented his research on the mass production of metamaterials.

Early life and education

Rho graduated from Myungduk Foreign Language High School in Seoul in 1999. He received a BS in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Seoul National University in 2007 and an MS in mechanical science and engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2008. He completed a PhD in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley in 2013 under Xiang Zhang, supported by a Samsung Lee Kun-hee Fellowship from 2008 to 2012.

During his doctoral studies Rho was first author of a 2010 study demonstrating a spherical hyperlens for two-dimensional sub-diffraction imaging at visible frequencies, and he contributed to work on three-dimensional indefinite optical cavities at the nanoscale and on the photonic spin Hall effect at metasurfaces.

Career

After a postdoctoral appointment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2013, Rho was an Argonne Scholar and Ugo Fano Fellow at Argonne National Laboratory from August 2013 to August 2014, where he worked as a principal investigator.

He joined POSTECH in August 2014 as an assistant professor in the departments of mechanical engineering and chemical engineering. He became an associate professor in 2018 and a full professor in 2022, and added an appointment in electrical engineering in 2024. He was appointed Mu-Eun-Jae Endowed Chair Professor in June 2019 and Yeon-San Endowed Chair Professor in December 2024.

Since July 2021 Rho has directed the POSCO-POSTECH-RIST Convergence Research Center for Flat Optics and Metaphotonics. He also directs two centers funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea: a Pioneer Research Center for Smart Optical Security (since 2022) and a Global Research Center for META-Bio-Imaging/Sensing (since 2024). From August 2022 to August 2023 he was a Fulbright Visiting Professor at Northwestern University.

In 2022 he became an associate member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea in its mechanical engineering division.

Rho was an associate editor and later managing editor of Nanophotonics from 2021 to 2026. He is an editor of Light: Science & Applications and Microsystems & Nanoengineering (since 2021), and an associate editor of npj Nanophotonics (since 2023) and Applied Physics Letters (since 2026).

Research

Rho's research concerns metamaterials and metasurfaces, arrays of structures smaller than the wavelength of light that are used to control its phase and polarization. His group develops flat optical components such as lenses, holograms, displays and sensors, together with nanoimprint lithography processes for manufacturing them at scale.

Scalable manufacturing of metalenses

In 2023 Rho's group reported a method for mass-producing visible-light metasurfaces by coating nanoimprinted polymer structures with a thin high-index film grown by atomic layer deposition. In 2025 the group reported roll-to-plate printed metalenses that focus red, green and blue light to the same point, and applied them to wide-field-of-view holographic near-eye displays. In 2026 he and groups led by Gyoujin Cho and Inki Kim at Sungkyunkwan University reported in Nature a roll-to-roll process that manufactures visible metalenses at 300 units per second.

Displays

In 2025 Rho and collaborators described a single-layer waveguide display that uses achromatic metagratings to produce full-colour images for augmented reality glasses. In 2026 his group and researchers at Samsung Electronics reported a display that switches between two- and three-dimensional modes using a metasurface lenticular lens.

Sensing and other applications

In 2024 Rho co-authored work that used metasurfaces designed with machine learning to project structured light across a 360-degree field for three-dimensional sensing. The same year his group reported a water-soluble metasurface label intended to reduce food packaging waste and counterfeiting, and a transparent glass coating that combines a triboelectric nanogenerator with a radiative cooler.

Collaborative work

Rho contributed to a 2018 Nature cover study with Ki Tae Nam and colleagues on the amino-acid- and peptide-directed synthesis of chiral plasmonic gold nanoparticles, and to a 2021 Nature study on three-dimensional nanoprinting with charged aerosol jets.

Recognition

According to his laboratory, Rho has authored or co-authored more than 350 journal papers. In June 2026 he was an invited speaker at a Nobel Symposium on metamaterials held at Umeå University in Sweden.

Selected honors

  • Fellow of SPIE (2026)
  • Scientist and Engineer of the Month Award, Ministry of Science and ICT (July 2024)
  • ACS Nano Lectureship (2024), the first Korean recipient
  • Highly Cited Researcher, Clarivate (2023, 2024)
  • Hong Jin-ki Creator Award, science and technology category (2022)
  • Young Engineer Award, National Academy of Engineering of Korea (2022)
  • Haerim Photonics Award, Optical Society of Korea (2021)
  • Young Scientist Award, engineering category (2019)
  • SPIE Rising Researcher Award (2017)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "7월 과학기술인상, 포항공대 노준석 교수 선정" [POSTECH professor Junsuk Rho selected for July Scientist and Engineer of the Month Award]. KDI Economic Information and Education Center (in Korean). Ministry of Science and ICT. 2024-07-03. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  2. 1 2 3 "회원정보: 노준석" [Member information: Junsuk Rho]. National Academy of Engineering of Korea (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Principal Investigator". Rho's Research Lab @ POSTECH. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  4. 1 2 Noh, Jin-seop (2026-10-19). "[2026 차세대 리더-의학·과학] 노준석 포항공대 기계공학과 교수" [[2026 Next-generation leaders: medicine and science] Junsuk Rho, professor of mechanical engineering at POSTECH]. Sisa Journal (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  5. ↑ "신문처럼 인쇄하는 렌즈 시대 개막... 국내 연구진, 메타렌즈 대량생산 기술 개발" [The era of lenses printed like newspapers begins: Korean researchers develop mass-production technology for metalenses] (Press release) (in Korean). Ministry of Science and ICT. 2026-04-16. Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  6. ↑ Park, Geon-hee (2026-04-23). ""한국서 드디어 노벨과학상?"…메타렌즈로 '입체 시대' 열었다" ["A Nobel science prize for Korea at last?" Metalenses open a three-dimensional era]. Unicorn Factory (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  7. 1 2 Yoon, Jae-hyun (2023-12-28). "POSTECH 노준석·김민규, 세계에서 가장 영향력 있는 연구자 선정" [POSTECH's Junsuk Rho and Min-gyu Kim named among the world's most influential researchers]. Electric Times (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  8. 1 2 "POSTECH 노준석 교수·김민규 박사, 지난해 이어 '세계에서 가장 영향력 있는 연구자' 나란히 선정" [POSTECH's Junsuk Rho and Min-gyu Kim again named among the world's most influential researchers] (in Korean). Pohang University of Science and Technology. 2024-11-25. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  9. 1 2 "SPIE announces 59 latest Fellows of the Society". optics.org. 2026-08-06. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  10. ↑ Lee, Tae-kyung (2026-07-14). "투명망토 꿈꾸던 공학도, 노벨상 본고장에 석학으로 초청받다" [An engineer who dreamed of an invisibility cloak is invited as a leading scholar to the home of the Nobel Prize]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-10-29.
  11. ↑ Rho, Junsuk; et al. (2010-12-21). "Spherical hyperlens for two-dimensional sub-diffractional imaging at visible frequencies". Nature Communications. 1. doi:10.1038/ncomms1148.
  12. ↑ Yang, Xiaodong; et al. (2012). "Experimental realization of three-dimensional indefinite cavities at the nanoscale with anomalous scaling laws". Nature Photonics. 6 (7): 450–454. doi:10.1038/nphoton.2012.124.
  13. ↑ Yin, Xiaobo; et al. (2013-03-22). "Photonic Spin Hall Effect at Metasurfaces". Science. 339 (6126): 1405–1407. doi:10.1126/science.1231758.
  14. 1 2 3 "Honors and Awards for Prof. Junsuk Rho". Rho's Research Lab @ POSTECH. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  15. ↑ "포스텍 노준석 교수, '나노포토닉스' 부편집장 선임" [POSTECH professor Junsuk Rho appointed associate editor of Nanophotonics]. Newsis (in Korean). 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  16. 1 2 "Rho's Research Lab @ POSTECH". Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  17. ↑ Kim, Joohoon; et al. (2023). "Scalable manufacturing of high-index atomic layer–polymer hybrid metasurfaces for metaphotonics in the visible". Nature Materials. 22 (4): 474–481. doi:10.1038/s41563-023-01485-5.
  18. ↑ Choi, Minseok; et al. (2025). "Roll-to-plate printable RGB achromatic metalens for wide-field-of-view holographic near-eye displays". Nature Materials. 24 (4): 535–543. doi:10.1038/s41563-025-02121-0.
  19. ↑ "SKKU Demonstrates Roll-to-roll manufacturing marks a major step toward commercialization of flat optics" (Press release). Sungkyunkwan University. 2026-04-16. Retrieved 2026-10-29 – via EurekAlert!.
  20. ↑ Hoang, Trung; et al. (2026). "300-unit-per-second roll-to-roll manufacturing of visible metalenses". Nature. 652 (8112): 1188–1194. doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10369-y.
  21. ↑ Moon, Seokil; et al. (2025). "Single-layer waveguide displays using achromatic metagratings for full-colour augmented reality". Nature Nanotechnology. 20 (6): 747–754. doi:10.1038/s41565-025-01887-3.
  22. ↑ Moon, Seokil; et al. (2026). "Switchable 2D–3D display through a metasurface lenticular lens". Nature. 652 (8112): 1181–1187. doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10318-9.
  23. ↑ Park, Hee-beom (2026-04-23). "POSTECH-삼성전자, 스마트폰 만으로 2D↔3D 전환 메타렌즈 공개" [POSTECH and Samsung Electronics unveil metalens that switches smartphones between 2D and 3D]. ZDNet Korea (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  24. ↑ Choi, Eunsue; et al. (2024). "360° structured light with learned metasurfaces". Nature Photonics. 18 (8): 848–855. doi:10.1038/s41566-024-01450-x.
  25. ↑ Kim, Joohoon; et al. (2024). "A water-soluble label for food products prevents packaging waste and counterfeiting". Nature Food. 5 (4): 293–300. doi:10.1038/s43016-024-00957-4.
  26. ↑ Lee, Geon; et al. (2024). "Integrated triboelectric nanogenerator and radiative cooler for all-weather transparent glass surfaces". Nature Communications. 15. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-50872-2.
  27. 1 2 Choi, Jun-ho (2022-06-29). "[제13회 홍진기 창조인상 수상자] 10억분의 1m 신세계 열었다..'투명망토' 원천기술 보유자" [[13th Hong Jin-ki Creative Award winners] Opening a new world at a billionth of a metre: holder of core 'invisibility cloak' technology]. JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  28. ↑ Lee, Hye-Eun; et al. (2018). "Amino-acid- and peptide-directed synthesis of chiral plasmonic gold nanoparticles". Nature. 556 (7701): 360–365. doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0034-1.
  29. ↑ Jung, Wooik; et al. (2021). "Three-dimensional nanoprinting via charged aerosol jets". Nature. 592 (7852): 54–59. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03353-1.
  30. ↑ "Top physicists gather for Nobel Symposium at Umeå University". Umeå University. 2026-06-29. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  31. ↑ Koo, Bon-hyeok (2026-08-14). "'메타물질' 연구 대가, 노준석 포스텍 교수…국제광공학회 석학회원 선정" [Metamaterials researcher Junsuk Rho of POSTECH named SPIE Fellow]. The Herald Business (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  32. ↑ "Junsuk Rho Named July's Scientist of the Month for Developing Mass Production Technology for Ultra-Thin Metalenses". Dong-A Science. 2024-07-03. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  33. ↑ "Professor Junsuk Rho Becomes First Korean to Receive Prestigious ACS Nano Lectureship Award". Dong-A Science. 2024-06-18. Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  34. ↑ "Announcing the 2024 ACS Nano Lectureship and ACS Nano Impact Laureates". ACS Nano. 18 (24): 15329–15331. 2024-06-18. doi:10.1021/acsnano.4c06869.
  35. ↑ Kim, Man-gi (2024-06-18). "POSTECH 노준석 교수, 한인 최초 '2024 ACS 나노 렉처십' 수상" [POSTECH professor Junsuk Rho becomes first Korean recipient of 2024 ACS Nano Lectureship]. The Financial News (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  36. ↑ Kang, Min-gu (2022-03-17). "'공학한림원 대상'에 현택환, '젊은공학인상'에 김익재·노준석" [Hyeon Taeghwan wins NAEK Award; Kim Ig-jae and Junsuk Rho win Young Engineer Award]. Edaily (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-10-28.
  37. ↑ "과기정통부, 2019년 우수과학자 17명 포상" [Ministry of Science and ICT honors 17 outstanding scientists for 2019]. Newsis (in Korean). 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2026-10-28.