E-mail: sungyonkim@snu.ac.kr
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@neuralcircuitry

CV Download (updated October 2026)

Google Scholar
Web of Science ResearcherID (AAO-8405-2020)
ORCID ID (0000-0003-0791-7308)
Scopus Author ID (37101934000)
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EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2013 – 2015
Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Chung Laboratory

Stanford University | 2009 – 2013
Ph.D. in Neurosciences, Deisseroth Laboratory

Seoul National University | 2003 – 2009
B.S. in Chemistry and Biological Sciences (double major), summa cum laude
(2004 – 2005) Military service in South Korea

FACULTY APPOINTMENTS
The Rockefeller University | 2026-2027
Visiting Associate Professor

Seoul National University | 2023 – 2026
Program Director, Program in Molecular Biology and Genetics

University of California, San Diego | 2022 – 2023
Visiting Scholar, Division of Biological Sciences

Seoul National University | 2021 – present
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics

Korea Brain Research Institute | 2020 – present
Invited Investigator

Seoul National University | 2017 – 2021
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics

Seoul National University | 2015 – 2017
Assistant Professor, Department of Biophysics and Chemical Biology
Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics

Other affiliations at Seoul National University:
Program in Neuroscience | 2015 – present
Program in Molecular Biology and Genetics | 2015 – present
Brain-Mind-Behavior Program | 2017- present
Program in Biophysics and Chemical Biology | 2017 – 2023
Department of Biological Sciences | 2020 – present

HONORS & AWARDS (selected)
2022  Hanseong Science Award in Life Sciences, Hanseong Foundation
2022  Asan Award in Medicine, Asan Foundation
2020  Commendation for the Promotion of Healthcare Technology, Ministry of Health and Welfare
2020  Member of Y-KAST (Young Korean Academy of Science and Technology)
2020 Scitech Korea Young Neuroscientist Award, Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences
2019  Young Scientist, World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of New Champions
2018  Young Researcher Award, National Research Foundation of Korea
2015 – 2017  Chung-am Science Fellowship (for Junior Faculty), POSCO TJ Park Foundation
2014 – 2015  Life Sciences Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
2014  Donald B. Lindsley Prize in Behavioral Neuroscience, Society for Neuroscience
2013 – 2014  Simons Postdoctoral Fellowship

PUBLICATIONS (selected)
1. Kim M, Koo DJ, Han G, Cho H, Lee JI, Woo CW, Kim SY. A pharynx-to-forebrain circuit transforms swallowing into rapid thirst satiation. Neuron. Accepted.
2. Kim SR, Kim J, Kim SY. (2026). A neural circuit for social novelty preference integrates sensory and memory signals. Nature. Accepted.
3. Lee M, Jung S, Kwon JJ, Kondaurova A, Nam M, Kim D, Hyun JH, Kim SY. (2026). Distinct lateral hypothalamic GABAergic ensembles encode motivational salience and value-scaled consumption. Cell Reports. 45(10):118049. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2026.118049.
4. Jung S, Kondaurova A, Lee M, Kwon JJ, Shin H, Kim SY. (2026). Parabrachial neurons orchestrate cold-induced homeostatic responses. Nature Metabolism. 8(8):1679-1693. doi:10.1038/s42255-026-01565-1.
5. Pac J, Koo DJ, Cho H, Jung D, Choi MH, Choi Y, Kim B, Park JU*, Kim SY*, Lee Y*. (2022). Three-dimensional imaging and analysis of pathological tissue samples with de novo generation of citrate-based fluorophores. Science Advances. 8(46):eadd9419. *Co-correspondence
6. Kim M, Heo G, Kim SY. (2022). Neural signalling of gut mechanosensation in ingestive and digestive processes. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 23(3):135-156.
7. Jung S, Lee M, Kim DY, Son C, Ahn BH, Heo G, Park J, Kim M, Park HE, Koo DJ, Park JH, Lee JW, Choe HK, Kim SY. (2022). A forebrain neural substrate for behavioral thermoregulation. Neuron. 110(2):266-279.e9.
8. Lee S, Kim S, Koo DJ, Yu J, Cho H, Lee H, Song JM, Kim SY*, Min DH*, Jeon NL*. (2021). 3D microfluidic platform and tumor vascular mapping for evaluating anti-angiogenic RNAi-based nanomedicine. ACS Nano. 15(1):338-350. *Co-correspondence
9. Kim DY, Heo G, Kim M, Kim H, Jin JA, Kim HK, Jung S, An M, Ahn BH, Park JH, Park HE, Lee M, Lee JW, Schwartz GJ, Kim SY. (2020). A neural circuit mechanism for mechanosensory feedback control of ingestion. Nature. 580(7803):376–380.
10. Park HE, Choi D, Park JS, Sim C, Park S, Kang S, Yim H, Lee M, Kim J, Pac J, Rhee K, Lee J, Lee Y, Lee Y, Kim SY. (2019). Scalable and isotropic expansion of tissues with simply tunable expansion ratio. Advanced Science. 6(22):1901673. *Featured as the front cover
11. Kim SY, Cho JH, Murray E, Bakh N, Choi H, Ohn K, Ruelas L, Hubbert A, McCue M, Vassallo SL, Keller PJ, Chung K. (2015). Stochastic electrotransport selectively enhances the transport of highly electromobile molecules. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 112(46):E6274-E6283.
12. Kim SY, Adhikari A, Lee SY, Marshel JH, Kim CK, Mallory CS, Lo M, Pak S, Mattis J, Lim BK, Malenka RC, Warden MR, Neve R, Tye KM, Deisseroth K. (2013). Diverging neural pathways assemble a behavioural state from separable features in anxiety. Nature. 496(7444):219-223.
13. Tye KM*, Prakash R*, Kim SY*, Fenno LE, Grosenick L, Zarabi H, Thompson KR, Gradinaru V, Ramakrishnan C, Deisseroth K. (2011). Amygdala circuitry mediating reversible and bidirectional control of anxiety. Nature. 471(7338):358-362. *Equal contribution

PATENTS (selected)
1. Ahn HJ, Kim SY. (KR granted 2023; US granted 2024). Automated apparatus for stereotactic surgical device. KR102525496B1, US12011321B2.
2. Chung K, Kim SY, Ohn K, Murray E, Cho JH. (filed 2015; first US grant 2019). Active transport of charged molecules into, within, and/or from charged matrices. US10416116B2, US12066400B2, EP3126037B1, CN106211762B.
3. Kim SY, Deisseroth K, Adhikari A. (filed 2014; EP granted 2019; US granted 2021). Optogenetic control of behavioral state. US10974064B2, EP2968997B1, CN105246550A, AU2014227600B2, ES2742492T3.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY
2027 Co-organizer, Keystone Symposia “Neurobiology of Appetite Control,” Keystone, CO, U.S.
2026 Founding Member, Brain-Body Interaction Society (BBIS)
2025 – 2026 Academic Committee, Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KOSSO)
2025 Co-organizer, Samsung Global Research Symposium on the Science and Engineering of Brain-Body Interactions, Stockholm, Sweden
2025 Organizer, SNU Neuro-Chemical-Metabolism Symposium, Seoul
2025 Organizer, The 2nd Annual Meeting of the Global Basic Research Laboratory on Neural Circuits for Thermoregulation, Seoul
2024 Organizer, The 1st Annual Meeting of the Global Basic Research Laboratory on Neural Circuits for Thermoregulation, Seoul
2022 – 2025 Trainee Professional Development Awards Selection Committee, Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
2022 – 2024 Diversity Committee, Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB)
2022 – 2023 Research Committee, Korean Diabetes Association
2022 Nanosymposium Chair, Neuroscience 2022, Society for Neuroscience (SfN)
2021 – 2024 Program Committee, Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB)
2021 – 2023 Program Committee, China-Japan-Korea Neuroscience Meeting
2021 – 2023 Program Manager (Neurobiology RB), National Research Foundation of Korea
2021 – 2023 Academic Committee, Korean Endocrine Society
2021 – 2022 Academic Committee, Korean Society for Brain and Neural Science (KSBNS)
2021 – Editorial Board, Molecules and Cells
2021 – Member, Young Korean Academy of Science and Technology (Y-KAST)
2021 Founding Member, Homeostasis Section in KSBNS
2019 – Member, Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB)
2018 Education Committee, Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology (KSMCB)
2016 Planning Committee, Korea Brain Society
2015 – Member, Korean Society for Brain and Neural Science (KSBNS)
2015 – Member, Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology (KSMCB)
2009 – Member, Society for Neuroscience

Date TBD: Co-organizer, Cold Spring Harbor Asia Meeting “Brain-Body Interface at the Edge of Physiology & Pathology: Current Status and Future Directions,” Suzhou, China. (In planning)

Reviewing of manuscripts
ad-hoc reviewer for Nature, Cell, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, Nature Metabolism, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Methods, Science Advances, Nature Communications, Biological Psychiatry, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., Current Biology, Cell Reports, Neuropsychopharmacology, eLife, Nanoscale, ACS Nano, ACS Chemical Neuroscience, iScience, Molecular Brain, Scientific Reports, Cells, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental Neurobiology, Analytical Methods

Reviewing of grant proposals
National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), Samsung Science & Technology Foundation, European Research Council (ERC)

TEACHING AND TRAINING (selected)
2026 Neural Circuits and Molecules of the Brain, Seoul National University
2024 Lecturer, Cold Spring Harbor Asia Summer Imaging Course, Suzhou, China
2014 Instructor, CLARITY Workshop, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2012 Instructor, Optogenetics Innovation Laboratory, Stanford University

SELECTED TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS
International Conferences, Workshops and Seminar Series
A3 Foresight Program Meeting (2017)
Ascona Conference on Gut-Brain Communication (2022)
Brain-Body Interface Seminar Series (2023)
Brain-Body Interactions Seminar Series (2023)
Cold Spring Harbor Asia Summer Imaging Course (2024)
CINP World Congress (2016)
East Asia Joint Symposium (2023, 2017, 2016)
Gastronauts International Conference (2025)
Gastronauts Seminar Series (2022)
Gordon Research Conference on Hypothalamus (2022)
Gordon Research Conference on Optogenetics (2024, 2018)
Gordon Research Conference on the Neuroscience of Social Behaviors (2026)
Greater Bay Area Neuroscience Meeting (2026)
HFSP Awardees Meeting (2021)
IBS–MPI Conference (2024)
International Metabolic Disease Symposium (2015)
International Titisee Conference on Thermoregulation (2025)
IUBMB & FAOBMB Congress (2018)
Janelia Conference on Sensory Biology of Ingestion (2024)
Japan Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting (2020, 2013)
Japanese Association for the Study of Taste and Smell Annual Meeting (2025)
Keystone Symposia on Gut-Brain Axis (2026)
Keystone Symposia on Interoception (2025)
Molecular Psychiatry Meeting (2026)
Samsung Global Research Symposium on Body-Brain Interactions (2025)
Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior Annual Meeting (2026, 2021)
Workshop on the Social Brain (2024)

Universities, Research Institutes and Academic Organizations outside Korea
California Institute of Technology (Caltech; 2023)
Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing (CIBR; 2025)
Columbia University (2020)
Harvard Medical School (2023)
HHMI Janelia Research Campus (2023)
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (2023)
Korean Bio-scientists in San Diego (KBSD; 2022)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT; 2026, 2022, 2014)
Monell Chemical Senses Center (2026, 2023)
National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing (NIBS; 2025)
National Institutes of Health (NIH; 2023)
New York University (2026)
Northwestern University (2023)
RIKEN Brain Science Institute (2013)
Roche, Basel (2014)
Rutgers University (2023)
Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART; 2026)
Tsinghua University (2025)
University of Calgary (2022)
University of California, Berkeley (2022)
University of California, Davis (2015)
University of California, Los Angeles (2023)
University of California, Santa Barbara (2022)
University of California, San Francisco (2023)
University of Cologne (2025)
University of Southern California (2023)
University of Texas at Austin (2023)
UTHealth Houston (2023)
UT Southwestern Medical Center (2023)
Weizmann Institute of Science (2019)
Westlake University (2024)
Yale University (2026)
Zhejiang University (2024)

Korean Academic Societies and Meetings
Korean Endocrine Society (2019)
Korean Diabetes Association (2020, 2019)
Korean Academy of Anxiety Disorder (2016)
Korean Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (2021)
Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (2025, 2021, 2019)
Korean Neuroendocrine Study Group (2018)
Korean Society for Neurodegenerative Disease (2019)
Korean Association of Anatomists (2020)
Korean Chemical Society (2017)
Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2022)
Annual Biophotonics Conference, Optical Society of Korea (2016)
Korean Society for Computational Neuroscience (2017)
Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology (2021, 2019, 2016, 2015)
Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences (2025, 2024, 2023, 2021, 2020, 2018, 2016)
Korean Society for Cell Biology (2022)
Korean Association for Laboratory Animal Science (2020, 2016)
Genetics Society of Korea (2025)
Korean Society for Cognitive Science (2021)
Korean Peptide and Protein Society (2017)
Chung-am Fellows Symposium (2017)
Biophysics School (2021)
Brain and Cognitive Science Community (BCSC; 2026)
BrainLink Meeting (2025)
KMPC Symposium on Metabolic Dysregulation (2026)
Samsung Global Technology Conference (2023)
Xplorer Symposia on Frontiers of Decoding Brain Functions (2026)
Zeiss Microscopy Workshop (2016)

Universities and Research Institutes in Korea
Konkuk University (2020, 2018)
Kyungpook National University (2023, 2019)
Kyung Hee University (2022)
Korea University (2024, 2020, 2019, 2016)
Dongguk University (2021)
Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (2015)
Seoul National University (2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014)
University of Seoul (2022)
Sungkyunkwan University (2021, 2019, 2018, 2015)
Ajou University (2026, 2024)
Yonsei University (2025, 2024, 2023, 2021, 2020, 2016, 2015)
Interpark Bio-Convergence Center (2018)
Ewha Womans University (2016)
Korea Dementia Research Center (2022)
POSTECH (2021, 2018, 2014)
Korean Academy of Science and Technology (2025)
Korea Brain Research Institute (2024, 2017)
Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (2024)
Korea Institute of Materials Science (2022)
DGIST (2024, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2016)
GIST (2024, 2016)
IBS Center for Nanomedicine, Yonsei University (Y-IBS; 2021, 2015)
IBS Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research (2016, 2015)
IBS Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions (2025)
IBS Center for Genome Engineering (2015)
IBS Center for Cognition and Sociality (2020, 2015)
KAIST (2025, 2024, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2013)
KIST (2018, 2017, 2016)
UNIST (2021, 2016, 2015)

Upcoming Talks
2026 – Neuroscience 2026, Society for Neuroscience
2026 – Florida State University
2026 – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
2027 – The Rockefeller University
2027 – Keystone Symposia on Neurobiology of Appetite Control
2027 – Columbia University
2027 – Albert Einstein College of Medicine
2027 – Institute of Neuroscience, Autonomous University of Barcelona
2027 – EPFL
2027 – University of Zurich
2027 – EMBO International Lecture Series on Sensory Systems