Staff profile

I studied at Seoul National University for my undergraduate and master’s degrees in Crop Science and Biotechnology. During my studies, I built a strong foundation in genomics, bioinformatics, data science, and plant image science. I am committed to contributing to global food security through crop improvement.

My main research focus is on Transposable elements (TEs). They are mobile DNA sequences of viral origin that can disrupt the genomic integrity and stability of host organisms. In plants, their uncontrolled activation often leads to crop failures. So, understanding the mechanisms that control TEs is crucial for global food security and sustainable agriculture.

Plants employ complex epigenetic silencing pathways, including DNA methylation and heterochromatin formation, to suppress these elements. In plants, a key player in this process is RNA-directed DNA methylation, which helps maintain silencing at TE loci and distinguish self from nonself DNAs.

However, the initial recognition of TEs and the initiation of silencing mechanisms remain largely unknown. I will focus on the No-go RNA decay (NGD) pathway, to understand how the ribosome-associated RNA control pathways interplay with the epigenetic silencing of TEs. By exploring the interplay between NGD and TE silencing, I aim to uncover how plants recognize and respond to self and nonself DNA. This will enhance our understanding of their regulatory mechanisms and has potential applications in plant science and beyond.