Introduction
I completed my undergraduate and doctoral degrees in plant science at Seoul National University, South Korea, investigating plant development and epigenetic regulation. In 2013, I moved to the UK as a postdoctoral researcher at the Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, where my work focused on plant transposable elements and epigenetics. I launched my independent research group in 2018 at the CAS-JIC Centre of Excellence for Plant and Microbial Sciences, before moving my laboratory to Durham University in 2023. In 2026, I joined the Department of Biology at the University of Oxford as an Associate Professor, alongside taking up my Tutorial Fellowship in Biology at The Queen’s College.
Teaching
I deliver small-group tutorial teaching in plant sciences, genetics, and molecular biology for undergraduates at Queen’s. My aim is to nurture critical scientific inquiry, encouraging students to explore how cutting-edge genomic techniques reshape our understanding of life. I also supervise MPhil and DPhil candidates and postdoctoral researchers within my laboratory.
Research
My research investigates mobile genetic elements, specifically transposable elements (TEs), and their structural, functional, and regulatory impact on plant genomes. Long considered genomic “dark matter,” TEs are crucial drivers of genetic variation, phenotypic novelty, and rapid adaptation. My group integrates molecular genetics, biochemistry, high-throughput sequencing, and computational biology across model species and major crops. We are particularly focused on decoding the epigenetic mechanisms plants use to silence TEs, alongside the strategies these elements deploy to counteract host repression. Ultimately, we seek to harness TE activity to expand crop genetic diversity, safeguarding agricultural sustainability and global food security.
Publications
A full list of publications can be found here