Professor Jaehwan Nam of the Department of Medical and Biological Sciences was awarded a commendation from the Ministry of Science and ICT at the 2021 Awards Ceremony for the Persons of Distinguished Service to the Development of Biological Science. He was recognized for his contribution to the development of biological science with his excellent research, such as the development of the domestic mRNA vaccine.

In particular, he was highly recognized for playing a leading role in the development of domestic vaccines. He consulted with various countries on mRNA vaccines as part of the Korea National Institute of Health, constructed the national vaccine development road map as a member of the global vaccine hub committee, and contributed to the development of COVID-19 vaccines by verifying the efficacies of vaccines produced by domestic companies.

Professor Nam was the first in the country to research the mRNA vaccine and developed a MERS coronavirus vaccine in 2020. With his background, he is serving as a member of the Global Vaccine Hub Preparatory Committee, the director of the Vaccine Global Industrialization Planning Team, and a member of the Infectious Disease Committee of the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. He is also a member of the Vaccine Advisory Group.

Professor Nam said, “All of these achievements would have been impossible without the lab students and fellow professors at the Laboratory of Viral Immunology in the Department of Medical and Biological Sciences. I will do my best to contribute to the development of the domestic vaccine industry along with my excellent colleagues.”