Nam Pyo Suh

Dr. Nam Pyo Suh was the 13th and 14th President of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). He is also the Ralph E. & Eloise F. Cross Professor, Emeritus, MIT. He was the Head of Mechanical Engineering (1991-2001), Director of the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity (1976-1984), and Director of the MIT-Industry Polymer Processing Program (1973-1984) at MIT. He was the presidential appointee in charge of engineering at NSF (1984-1988). He is the author of over 300 papers and seven books, and holds more than 70 patents, including those related to tribology, MuCell, the on-line electric vehicle (OLEV), and the Mobile Harbor (MH). He is the author of papers on the delamination theory of wear, genesis of friction, solution wear, and undulated surfaces. He is also the author of Tribophysics, The Principles of Design, Axiomatic Design: Advances and Applications, and Complexity: Theory and Applications. During his tenure at KAIST (from July 2006 to March 2013), its worldwide reputation increased from 198th to 63rd overall and to 24th in engineering and IT. He has received nine honorary doctoral degrees from four continents. He is the recipient of the 2009 ASME Medal, the 2006 General Pierre Nicolau Award, the National Science Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award, and many other distinguished awards. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and a member of the International Advisory Board of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), and the Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR). He is a member of the Board of Directors of Axiomatic Design Software, Inc., OLEV Technology, Inc., and Parker Vision, Inc.