Kyung-Ja Ha is a climate physicist from South Korea. She has been a professor in IBS Center for Climate Physics since 2017 and the Department of Atmospheric Science at Pusan National University since 1994 and leads the Global Monsoon Climate Lab(GMCL) since 2011.[1] Her research interests include climate physics, monsoon dynamics, planetary boundary layer modeling, hydroclimate, and tropical-extratropical interaction. Prof. Ha's work has been cited about 7,800 times, with an h-index of 46 and an i10-index of 160.[2] She served as president of the Korean Meteorological Society from 2022 to 2023,[3] and has been involved in advisory roles at the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology of South Korea(2022~2023).[4] Currently, she is co-chair of the Expert Team on Climate Impact on Monsoon Weather in the WMO/WWRP Monsoon Panel since 2017,[5] executive editor at Climate Dynamics Journals since 2021,[6] and chair of the Local Advisory Committee of the 2024 Asia Oceania Geosciences Society.[7] Also, She is chair of local organizing committee for BACO25.[8] Through her research and leadership roles, she has contributed to the understanding of monsoon systems and climate dynamics.
She has been a professor at Pusan National University in South Korea since 1994. She has been honored with numerous awards, including the Excellent Scientist Korea Nobel Science Award in 2022[9] and the Unjae Academy Award from the Korean Meteorological Society in 2019.[10] Her extensive publication record, with over 6,800 citations of her work according to Google Scholar,[11] further attests to the impact of her research.
1984–1985: Research assistant at Yonsei University
1992–1993: Researcher, Institute for Basic Science, Yonsei University
1993: post-doctoral position at MRI/JMA, Japan (supervisor: Tatsushi Tokioka)
1994–present: Prof. of Atmospheric Sciences, Pusan Nat. Univ., Korea
1996: Visiting scholar CSRP at Texas A&M University (work with Prof. Gerald North), USA
1999–2000: Visiting assistant professor at College of Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences (COAS)/OSU (supervisor: Prof. Larry Mahrt), USA
2002–2003: Department Chair, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Pusan National University
2002–2004: Committee Member, Committee of Public Relation, Pusan National University
2002–2004: Director, Women's studies Center, Pusan National University, Korea
2002–2005: Courtesy prof. of COAS, Oregon State Univ. USA
2003–2007: Committee Member, Budget Planning Committee, Ministerial Advisory Council, Ministry of Science and Technology
2022–present: PI in Korea, A3 foresight program(with Prof. Wenjie Dong in China, and Prof. Masahiro Watanabe in Japan)[17]
2022–present: Advisory committee, Ministry of Environment
2022–present: Advisory Board Member, Supercomputing Center (Specialized Center), Ministry of Science and ICT
2022.4-2025.3 Outside Director, Nonghyup Financial Group Inc.
2023–present: Committee Member, Busan Regional Industry-Academia Cooperation Council
2023–present: Committee Member, Research Advisory Committee, Busan Development Institute(BDI)
2023–present: Committee Member, Science and Technology Distinguished Service Medal Review Committee, Ministry of Science and ICT
2023–present: chair, Local Organizing Committee of BACO25(IUGG 3 societies)[18]
2025.1-present: Advisory committee, the Basic Research Promotion Council of the Ministry of Science and ICT
2025.1.1-2028.12.31: Member, the Global Precipitation EXperiment (GPEX) Lighthouse Activity Scientific Steering Group, World Climate Research Programme(WCRP)[19]
Honors and awards
2001: Songcheon Award (Best Academic Award), The Korean Meteorological Society[20]
2003: Honor Award, Korea Ministry of Science & Technology
2008: Best Research Award, Korea Ministry of Education, Science & Technology
2011: Global Research Laboratory fund, Korea National Research Fund, for years of 2011–2017
2011: Korea 100 top researcher award, National Science & Technology Council[21]
2011: The premium professor award, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea
2012: National Medal(Jinbo), Order of Science and Technology Merit[21]
2012: The 11th Busan Science & Technology Award, Busan, Korea[22]
2016: Editor contribution award, IAP/CAS, China
2019: Honor Award, Minister, Ministry of Science and ICT
2019: Unjae Academy Award, Korean Meteorological Society[23][10]
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