Prof. Youngjoo Kwon | Design of Experiments (DOE) | Research Excellence Award

Dr. Youngjoo Kwon is a highly accomplished professor in the College of Pharmacy and Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Ewha Womans University, where she has held influential leadership roles including Director of the Ewha Drug Development Research Core Center, Chair of the Graduate School, and Director of a major convergence education program. After completing her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Houston and postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine, she established a research laboratory that integrates advanced analytical instrumentation such as HPLC, GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, and NMR with computational modeling and diverse biochemical, molecular, and cellular biology platforms. Her interdisciplinary research spans metabolite profiling of endogenous and xenobiotic compounds, development of isozyme-selective enzyme inhibitors, and elucidation of the non-canonical cytosolic functions of the transcription factor ELF3/ESX, particularly its interaction with MED23 in driving metastasis and drug resistance in various cancers. Additionally, her laboratory develops and evaluates small-molecule modulators against challenging disease targets related to cancer, fibrosis, and neurodegeneration. Over her prolific scientific career, Dr. Kwon has published more than 175 peer-reviewed documents, accumulated over 5,053 citations, and achieved an h-index of 35, underscoring both the breadth and lasting impact of her contributions to pharmaceutical sciences and biomedical research. Her work has appeared in leading journals and has resulted in patents and successful licensing initiatives, demonstrating strong translational value. Dr. Kwon’s achievements have earned her numerous honors from major scientific societies, including awards from the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology, the Pharmaceutical Society of Korea, and a ministerial award from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. She is also deeply engaged in national regulatory and scientific policy activities, serving on advisory committees for the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Korea Drug Development Fund, and several national research and technology evaluation boards. In addition, she contributes to the global scientific community through editorial roles in multiple international journals. Her research philosophy-rooted in mechanistic understanding, analytical innovation, and therapeutic development-continues to drive advancements in areas such as KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer, hepatic fibrosis, and metastatic progression, solidifying her standing as a leading scientist shaping next-generation drug discovery and disease-targeted interventions.

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