Professor Songchun Moon

IAS Residential Fellow

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Songchun Moon received PhD in computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1985. Since then, most of the journalists in Korea have referred him as the first PhD in Computer Science in Korea. The time he commenced to study computing was 1970 and it was the same time of year both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were motivated for their independent way of study for computer programming. He has an expertise especially in the area of distributed data processing and management such as Blockchain, enterprise data architecture and corporate data modeling, and in the area of cyber security and privacy as well. He is one of the founders in naming ‘CLOUD’ including Jim Gray by the initials of CLass/Object/Ubiquitous/Distributed in the days of paradigm of distributed computing.

He was a professor in computer science and business management as well for the past 40 years at KAIST. He alone authored 21 books. His span of teaching includes Cambridge University, Edinburgh University, Queen’s University of Belfast and Newcastle University. He has served and is still serving as the Director of EUROMICRO, European Society of Information Technology since 1991. He has been consecutively involved in charity and voluntary service activities for developing countries including Palestine, Kenya and Rohingya Refugee Camp under the auspices of UNHCR or Red Cross as a Goodwill Ambassador. In appreciation of contributions to the global society of the third world, the Republic of Korea has recently decorated him with the National Highest Medal for Distinguished Educators.