I joined sPHENIX in the summer of 2020 when I was in University of Colorado, Boulder as a postdoc. I briefly worked on the jet reconstruction software, and then more actively worked on the sEPD performance evaluation, DAQ and trigger development. After moving to BNL as my second postdoc last summer, I started joining the TPC work.

Where were you born and what is your educational background before your current position?

I was born in South Korea and graduated from Korea University. During my PhD, I did analyses focusing on photons and jets for the CMS experiment. Afterward, I joined the Colorado Boulder group as a postdoc, where I transitioned to working with the ATLAS experiment. I have measured photon-tagged jet RAA and jet-hadron correlations in photon+jet events with ATLAS.

What is the title of your Ph.D. or tentative title? Awards or biggest talk highlight?

My thesis title was “Production of isolated photons in pp and PbPb collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 5.02 TeV with the CMS detector at the LHC”. As a BNL postdoc, I was awarded the “Goldhaber Distinguished Fellowship”. I had plenary talks at Quark Matter 2023 and Hard Probes 2023, both on the topic of 'Jet-induced medium response’.

How did you decide to go into heavy ion or spin research?

In high school, I was part of an astronomy club and was fascinated by stars and astrophysics. Later, during my undergraduate years, I had an internship with the heavy ion group, where I found that studying Quark Gluon Plasma is exploring the universe early a topic that had intrigued me for a long time.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I enjoy traveling and watching movies of various genres (except horror). Hiking and wine tasting are also among my favorite activities. Also, I consider myself a bit of a foodie, always on the lookout for great restaurants to try.

Fun fact?

I have been playing the violin since I was 10 years old and was part of an amateur orchestra at Korea University, where I performed for several years. After taking a long break, I recently got a violin here in the US and am eager to restart my musical journey :)