Jungsang Kim Receives South Korea’s Top Science and Technology Honor

Jungsang Kim, the Schiciano Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University, has received the Changjo Medal of the Order of Science and Technology Merit, the highest class of South Korea’s premier national honor for scientists and engineers.

Kim is one of two recipients selected this year for the award, which recognizes contributions to science and technology with national and global impact. The Changjo Medal, whose name translates to “creation,” is the top of five classes of the Order of Science and Technology Merit and is considered comparable to the National Medal of Science in the United States. Kim received the medal from Prime Minister Kim Min-Seok at the Science Day Event in Seoul on April 21.

The honor recognizes Kim for his contributions to securing core technologies for commercializing quantum computers by applying scalable approaches to trapped-ion systems controlled by light.

Kim joined Duke as an assistant professor in 2004 and has spent more than two decades advancing quantum information science. His research has helped establish trapped-ion quantum computing as one of the field’s most promising platforms, with breakthroughs in microfabricated ion traps, scalable systems, photonics integration and quantum networking technologies.

In 2015, Kim and his current fellow Duke faculty member Christopher Monroe co-founded IonQ, the first publicly traded, pure-play quantum computing company. Kim served as IonQ’s Chief Technology Officer until 2024, helping translate foundational research into one of the world’s leading quantum computing companies.

“Jungsang’s receipt of the Order of Science and Technology Merit is a distinction of the very highest order,” said Jerome Lynch, Vinik Dean of the Pratt School of Engineering. “His pioneering work to make trapped-ion quantum computing scalable and commercially viable has moved an entire field forward. IonQ stands as one of the most compelling examples of what it looks like when a Duke engineer takes a technological breakthrough into the world. We could not be prouder of Jungsang’s incredible impact as the driving force of a tectonic shift in computing, on a scale akin to the invention of the semiconductor transistor that launched the age of silicon computing.”

In addition to his research, Kim recently took on a broader academic role as Duke’s first chief science and technology strategist for the provost. In that position, he is helping shape large-scale initiatives that connect Duke’s strengths in science and engineering with industry, philanthropy and real-world societal needs.

“Jungsang is extraordinarily deserving of this recognition,” said Alec Gallimore, provost of Duke University. “His pioneering scholarship has helped define the future of quantum computing, and his leadership continues to expand Duke’s ambitions as a global leader in translating academic breakthroughs into societal impact.”

Kim is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Physical Society and Optica, and holds a PhD in physics from Stanford University and a BS in physics from Seoul National University.

“I am extremely honored to receive the Changjo Medal,” Kim said. “It is especially significant to be recognized by the country where I grew up and began my journey in science. This award reflects the efforts of many students, postdocs, collaborators and IonQ’s technical team over the years that I was fortunate to work with, and I am thankful for the mentoring I received throughout my career, and the opportunities I was provided, to push forward transformational technological advances.”