Justin (Junseok) Ma, Ph.D.
Jang Young-Sil Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Korea
Advanced
Institute of
Science and
Technology
(KAIST)
Research Interests
- Liquid Crystals
- Optoelectronics
- Microwave & mmWave Devices
- Functional Materials
- Printing Technology
Education
- KAIST — Natural Sciences Research Institute — Postdoctoral Research Fellow Sep 2025 – Sep 2026 · Soft Material Assembly Group (SMA Group)
- University of Oxford — Recognised Student, Engineering Science (Keble College) Dec 2023 – Dec 2024 · Soft Matter Photonics Group(SMP Group) · My Profile
- POSTECH — Ph.D., Electrical Engineering Feb 2022 – Aug 2025 · Wave Arrays & Display Engineering Lab (WADE Group)
- POSTECH — M.S., Electrical Engineering Feb 2020 – Feb 2022 · Wave Arrays & Display Engineering Lab (WADE Group)
- POSTECH — B.S., Electrical Engineering Feb 2016 – Feb 2020
Professional Experience
-
KAIST — National R&D Projects (Researcher)
- 6G Core Technology Development Program (IITP, Korea): Fast-switching reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) liquid-crystal antennas for next-generation wireless systems.
- Lightweight LC-based mmWave Beamforming Antenna System (ADD, Agency for Defense Development): Multi-purpose, lightweight LC beamforming antenna system for next-generation military communications and radar, mountable on missiles and mobile weapon platforms. Dec 2021 – Nov 2026 · Total investment: KRW 6.718B
-
POSTECH — Project Lead, LC Printing for Smart Devices Feb 2025 – Present
- High-resolution, full-color smart windows for commercial display; banking structures for enhanced resolution and precise pattern formation.
- Extending printed LC to RF & optoelectronic devices for next-gen communication and optical systems.
- Developing an innovative fabrication method for liquid-crystal devices.
-
University of Oxford — Project Lead, DoD Printing for Smart Windows Dec 2023 – Dec 2024
- Electrochromic LC systems with simultaneously controllable color & transmittance using Drop-on-Demand (DoD) printing.
- Printed, LC-based antennas/phased-array concepts; integrated advanced materials (push-pull azo, blue-phase) for optical & RF performance.
-
Samsung Science & Technology Foundation — Researcher, CORE: Sub-THz 6G Sep 2021 – Sep 2024
- Characterization & fabrication of LCs for RIS optimized for D-band communication.
- LC-based tunable microwave/mmWave components for 6G networks.
-
POSTECH & JNC Corporation (Japan) — Researcher, LC-based RF Applications & Commercialization Sep 2020 – Aug 2024
- Developed & optimized LC composites for microwave/mmWave (5G & satellite comms).
- Commercialized new LC mixtures with JNC Corporation (Japan) — incl. ZOC-A019XX (loss tangent ≈ 0.006; tunability ≈ 0.33 @ 28 GHz). Corporate Disclosure
-
LG Display — Intern, Preliminary Research Team for OLED Jun 2018 – Aug 2018
- Researched advanced LCD/OLED technologies to support display innovation.
- Suggested process-efficiency strategies to improve manufacturing workflow.
Invited Talk
-
Chungnam National University (CNU) — Apr 22, 2026
"Liquid Crystal Engineering: From Molecular Alignment to Printed RF Devices"
- Host: Prof. Jun-Hee Na (Dept. of Electrical, Electronics and Communication Engineering Education)
- Venue: Global Talent Development Center (W-15), Room 602
- Scope: Functional LC mixtures, DoD printing, and microwave/mmWave applications.
Academic Service — Journal Reviewer
- Engineering Research Express (IOP) — 2023 – Current · Reviews: 2
- Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics (IOP) — 2025 – Current · Reviews: 1
- Liquid Crystals (Taylor & Francis) — 2025 – Current · Reviews: 2
- Light Science & Applications (Nature) — 2025 – Current · Reviews: 1
- Dyes and Pigments (Elsevier B.V.) — 2025 – Current · Reviews: 1
Scholarships, Honors & Awards
- Kim Beom-Man Best Ph.D. Dissertation Award (Departmental Top Award) — Department of Electrical Engineering, POSTECH 2026
- BK21 FOUR Outstanding Graduate Student Award (Overseas Research) — NRF & Ministry of Education (Korea) - Top 14 awardees nationwide 2025
- Jang Young-Sil Postdoctoral Fellowship — KAIST / NRF (National Research Foundation of Korea) 2026
- POSTECHIAN Fellowship, POSTECH 2024
- Excellence Awards (2nd Prize), EE Dept. Outstanding Performance Contest, POSTECH 2024
- Excellent Paper Challenge Prize, POSTECH Best Paper Competition 2024
- Samsung Electronics MX Division Sponsorship (Antenna Prior Research Organization) 2023
- Grand Prize, The 8th Electromagnetic Wave Measurement Thesis Contest (KIEES) 2023
- BK21 FOUR Outstanding Graduate Student International Funding (Oxford) 2023
- BK21 Interdisciplinary Research Group Support Funding 2023
- Kim Jong-Han Foundation Scholarship 2018 – 2019