Sung-Yon Kim Professor
sungyonkim@snu.ac.kr
Sung-Yon’s lab investigates neural mechanisms for behaviors that maintain homeostasis. Having been trained in the labs that pioneered optogenetics and CLARITY, he has been dedicating himself to developing and integrating cutting-edge neuroscience tools for the study of homeostasis-maintaining behavior. This is motivated by his vision that, thanks to the recent advancement of neurotechniques, we may finally be able to find mechanistic explanations for how it all begins (sensory transduction), how it all ends (behavioral/physiological output) and everything in between, at least for well-conserved behaviors fundamental to animals’ survival and health. More about Sung-Yon
Hee-Yun Lee Sejong Science Fellow / Postdoctoral Scholar
vanilachoco@snu.ac.kr
Hee-Yun earned my B.S. in Biological Sciences from Ajou University and received my Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience at Seoul National University under the supervision of Professor Se-Young Choi. His research interests center on elucidating the intricate mechanisms of neural circuits through electrophysiological analysis using the patch-clamp technique. During his doctoral studies, Hee-Yun explored how the glia interact with neurons under pathological condition. He aims to investigate the fundamental circuit mechanisms underlying social behavior and the gut-brain axis at K-Lab.
Jagat Narayan Prajapati SNU Science Fellow / Postdoctoral Scholar
praja1996@gmail.com
Jagat earned his B.Tech in Biotechnology from MNNIT Allahabad and his M.S. (Research) from IIT Delhi. He completed his Ph.D. at IISc Bangalore under the supervision of Dr. Arnab Barik, where he investigated how different brain states, such as pain and stress, modulate itch processing in mice. His current research interest is to probe origin of reward value using temperature as a model system. Outside the lab, he explores Hindu mythology stories.
Myungsun Lee Postdoctoral Scholar
mysun94@snu.ac.kr
Dr. Myungsun Lee first joined the Neural Circuits Laboratory at Seoul National University as an undergraduate intern, continued through his Ph.D. program, and currently conducts neuroscience research as a postdoctoral researcher. His research focuses on the neural circuits underlying motivated behaviors, such as thermoregulatory and feeding behaviors, leading to publications in Neuron (2022) and Cell Reports (2026). For his presentations on these studies, he received Best Poster Award at the Annual Meeting of the Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences (KSBNS) in 2021, the IMBG Young Scientist Award in 2022, and 27th Annual Meeting of the KSBNS in 2024.
Seong-Rae Kim PhD student
kimsri21@gmail.com
Seongrae graduated from Yonsei University after majoring in biochemistry and cognitive sciences and is now a PhD student in the Kim lab as a chemistry major. He is highly interested in the various fields of neuroscience, including emotions. He likes watching movies and listening to music in his free time. He published a review paper on the function of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the BNST in Mol. Cells in 2021. For his excellent presentation on his ongoing work on social behavior, he won the IMBG Young Scientist Award in 2022 and the Excellent Presentation Award from the International Brain Initiative Conference in 2023. He also won Outstanding Young Scientist Award at East Asia Joint Symposium (Shanghai, China) in 2025, and Poster Award in Gordon Research Conference on Social Behaviors (Pomona, CA, US) and Scitech Korea Best Oral Presentation Award in 2026.
Myungmo An PhD student
rmr1111@snu.ac.kr
Myungmo graduated from Seoul National Universitywith B.S. in Biology and Brain-Mind-Behavior program. He worked for a year at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and started his PhD in K-Lab. He was one of the first members of the K-lab. He is very social and humorous. His work on the characterization of lateral septum Sst+ neurons was published as a cover article in Experimental Neurobiology in 2022. Myungmo received the IMBG Young Scientist Award in 2025 and XPlorer Symposia Best Poster Award, KSBNS Outstanding Poster Presentation Award in 2026 for his excellent presentation of the work on stress-induced appetite suppression.
Ben H. Ahn PhD student
sso03198@gmail.com
Ben joined the K-Lab after graduating from Yonsei University, majoring in biochemistry. He is filled with the hopes of understanding how exactly changes in neural circuitry and changes in behavior reciprocally affect each other. As a multi-talented person, he likes to pick up a new sport and enjoys soccer, cycling, badminton, and skiing among many sports. He published a review paper in Experimental and Molecular Medicine in 2022 on homeostatic and hedonic appetites. He also invented “Automated apparatus for stereotactic surgical device”(KR102525496, USUS20220287791A1), and this was licensed to Doric in 2023.
2019 Excellence Award from EP&S Education
2021 Excellence Award from the COVID-19 Student Paper Competition
Hyeongjun Cho PhD student
Soseon Fellow, BK21 Fellow
whguwns2@gmail.com
Hyeongjun graduated from SNU, majoring in Chemistry, and started PhD work in the K-Lab. Wondering who we are, he’s been attracted to neurobiology and joined the K-lab to study neuroscience. He is particularly interested in how the nervous system interacts with other physiological systems in the body. He also enjoys quality coffee and tea. In addition to focusing on a neuroscience project, he participated in collaborative work with other labs at SNU, which earned him a co-authored paper published in ACS Nano in Nov 2020 and another one in Science Advances in Nov 2022. In 2025, he received a Future of Science Fund Scholarship at the Keystone Symposia meeting, Interoception: Neural Sensing and Control of Organ Function.
Junkoo Park PhD student
Woosan Fellow, Doctoral Student Research Encouragement Grant Awardee
semi9@snu.ac.kr
Junkoo graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Applied Biological Chemistry and the interdisciplinary Brain-Mind-Behavior program, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in the Neural Circuit Laboratory. He was drawn to the lab by its active research into the mechanisms underlying how motivation translates into behavior. In his free time, Junkoo enjoys listening to music—discovering great songs and sharing his recommendations with others. His favorite band is Hyukoh. He aspires to become a scientist who is both dedicated to research and able to approach it with curiosity, creativity. Junkoo received the Best Poster Award in the Brain-Mind-Behavior program in 2021, the Best Teaching Assistant Award (Chemistry Experiment) in 2023, and the Best Poster Award at the SNU BIO Symposium in 2024. In 2026, he went on to receive the Trainee Professional Development Award from the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), the New Investigator Travel Award from the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), and the Best Guided Poster Presentation award from the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO).
Gilju Han PhD student
BK21 Fellow
giljuhan@gmail.com
Gilju obtained her B.S. in Biotechnology and Brain and Cognitive Sciences from Korea University and joined the K-Lab as a PhD student. She was the president of the undergrad neuroscience society (named NewLearn). She is interested in neural circuits governing various behaviors. She likes hanging out with friends and watching movies and videos. Her academic honors include the Best Oral Presentation Award at the 2025 Spring Conference of the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO), the Best Poster Award at both the 28th (2025) and 29th (2026) Annual Meetings of the Korean Society for Brain and Neural Sciences (KSBNS), and the Encouragement Award at the 2026 BK21 K-3MT Competition.
Jin-Seong Kim M.S. student
jinseongkim97@gmail.com
Jin-Seong graduated from Sungkyunkwan University with a life science major, and joined K-Lab. He is broadly interested in neural circuits for perception, behavior, and memory. Currently, he is working with Seong-Rae to dissect neural circuits underlying social cognition and social behavior. Outside the lab, he likes watching movies, traveling, and walking around.
Hyunjong Noh M.S. student
Hello, my name is Hyunjong Noh. I graduated from the Department of Biomedicine at the Catholic University of Korea and joined the lab. My research interests focus on the relationship between obesity and eating behavior, as well as the link between stress and eating habits. In my free time, I enjoy working out, photography, and exploring fashion.
Jennie Yu Undergrad student
Hello there! My name is Jennie, and I am an undergraduate student in the Department of Chemistry at SNU. I am interested in the Gut-brain axis, as well as the effects of different languages on the brain. I enjoy taekwondo and literature reading in my spare time, and I am also a fan of musicals and rock bands.
Seulki Lee Undergrad student
Hello, my name is Seulki Lee, and I am a student in the Department of Chemistry at Seoul National University. I became interested in the brain because I find it fascinating how interactions between simple signals can give rise to the mechanisms underlying complex human thought. I am particularly interested in behavior and emotion in social contexts, as well as related disorders. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music.
Yeori Park Undergrad student
Hello, my name is Yeori Park and I graduated DGIST with a major in Brain Sciences. I became interested in neuroscience because I am fascinated by its ability to explain the biological & neural mechanisms underlying behaviors that we often take for granted in everyday life. Outside of research , I enjoy keeping up with new trends and love being active and exploring new places.
Jaegyun An Undergrad student
Hello, my name is Jaegyun An, and I am majoring in Psychology at Korea University. I first became interested in neuroscience through a Biopsychology course, where I learned about the neural circuits underlying everyday behavior. Outside of research, I enjoy baseball and cooking.
Seohyun Shin Undergrad student
My name is Seohyun Shin, and I am majoring in Chemical and Biological Engineering. My ultimate goal is to develop technologies that treat incurable brain diseases. I joined this lab because I believe that a deep understanding of neural circuits is a necessary prerequisite for the goal. I am approaching every step of exploring the causal relationships within brain mechanisms with genuine passion and dedication. In my free time, I enjoy singing and playing the violin.
Staff
Jisim Jung Lab Manager / Staff Head
jsjung@snu.ac.kr
Jisim is the lab manager of the K-lab. Jisim is the lab manager of the K-lab. She somehow, almost magically, keeps everything (and everyone) running smoothly.
Seahee Kim Assistant Lab Manager / Research Technician
I am Kim Sea-hee, a graduate of the Department of Clinical Medicine, and I currently work as an assistant researcher supporting studies in the Neural Circuit Lab. I am particularly interested in research related to clinical trials of novel therapeutics. Outside of the lab, I enjoy walking and listening to music.
Kyungmi Lee Assistant Lab Manager / Research Technician
I am Kyungmi Lee. I graduated with a degree in Biology and currently work as a research assistant in a neural circuit research lab, where I support various research activities.
I enjoy learning and trying new experimental techniques, and one of my hobbies is looking at motorcycles.
Anna Kondaurova Assistant Lab Manager / Research Technician
Hi, my name is Anna Kondaurova. Originally from a small beautiful city in Russia, I came to Korea for higher education and graduated in Psychology and Medical Biology Science from the Catholic University of Korea. Since childhood, I have been interested in how the world around us works. As the nervous system and brain make us feel world around as it is, how does its shape our sensations, feelings, and responses to enormous stimuli? Guided by these questions, I joined K-lab as an intern and finished a master’s degree here. Beyond academics, I like spending time with my family, singing and enjoining music.
Alumni
Minyoo Kim PhD
2026. 7. – Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale University
2026. 2. PhD, Seoul National University
Sieun Jung PhD
2026. 3. – Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, San Francisco
2026. 2. PhD, Seoul National University
Dong-Jun Koo PhD
2026. 3. – Postdoctoral Fellow, Monell Chemical Senses Center
2026. 2. PhD, Seoul National University
Han-Eol Park PhD
2025. 12. – Postdoctoral Fellow, Genentech
2024. 2. PhD, Seoul National University
Dong-Yoon Kim PhD
HFSP Postdoctoral Fellow
2020. 1. – Postdoctoral Fellow, Rockefeller University
2022. 8. PhD, Seoul National University
Jennifer JiSoo Kwon MS
2025. 2. MS, Seoul National University
Hyun-Kyung Kim MS
2025. 2. – Kolmar Korea
2022. 8. MS, Seoul National University
Heeji Kim
Gyuryang Heo
KFAS Fellow
2021. 9. – PhD Program in Neuroscience, Harvard University
Hyeonseok Jang
KFAS Fellow
2021. 9. – Biological Sciences PhD Program, University of California, San Diego
Celine Son
2021. 9. – Graduate Program in Physiological Science, University of California, Los Angeles
Kyunghoe Kim
2020. 1. – LG Household & Health Care
2020. 2. MS, Seoul National University
Jong Hwi Park
2020. 3. – Data Scientist at Wyndham Destinations
2018. 6 . – 2019. 12. MS, University of Rochester