Scientist Who Helped Select Nobel Laureates to Lecture Korean University Students on 'Great Discoveries'

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences President Sven Lidin to Give Special Lecture at Sungkyunkwan University on the 30th

Former Chair of Nobel Committee for Chemistry to Discuss Three-Laureate Limit and More

A scientist who has helped select Nobel Prize laureates will speak to Korean university students about what makes a great scientific discovery. Rather than simply introducing the achievements of Nobel laureates, he will share the perspective of a scientist who took part in the selection process and discuss what kinds of research are judged worthy of a Nobel Prize.

The Korean Academy of Science and Technology and Sungkyunkwan University said they will host the second special lecture by an academy president at 2 p.m. on October 30 at the Auditorium of the Samsung Library on Sungkyunkwan University's Natural Sciences Campus, featuring Sven Lidin, president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA.

Lidin Sven, president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA). Provided by the Korean Academy of Science and Technology.

Founded in 1739, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is Sweden's leading scientific society. It selects the laureates for the Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry, as well as the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

President Lidin is a distinguished scholar in inorganic chemistry and crystal structures and a chaired professor at Lund University in Sweden. He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in the field of chemistry in 2002 and served on the Nobel Committee for Chemistry for 13 years, from 2003 to 2015. He chaired the committee from 2012 to 2014 and assumed the presidency of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in July 2025.

The lecture is titled "What Makes a Discovery Worth a Nobel Prize?" Drawing on his experience evaluating the research achievements of Nobel laureates, President Lidin will discuss the value of scientific discoveries and what makes research great.

He also plans to share his views on challenges facing the Nobel Prize system, including the rule limiting the number of laureates to three and changes in modern science, where boundaries between disciplines are becoming increasingly blurred.

After the lecture, he will join a discussion with Nam-Gyu Park, a lifetime distinguished professor at Sungkyunkwan University and a researcher in perovskite solar cells, on the topic of "What Is Good Research?" They will discuss with students how researchers can move beyond acquiring existing knowledge and pursue research that asks new questions.

About 250 people, including Sungkyunkwan University students, graduate students and faculty members, are expected to attend. A video of the lecture will be released later through the YouTube channels of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology and Sungkyunkwan University.

President Lidin was elected an international member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology on August 26, 2026. A ceremony to present him with his international membership plaque will also be held after the lecture. Of the academy's 58 international members, 31 are Nobel laureates.

"The standards for a 'great discovery' shared by a distinguished scholar who has evaluated Nobel Prize candidates will be a great inspiration to students aspiring to become future scientists," said Jeong Jin-ho, president of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology. "We plan to use this visit to further expand academic exchanges between our academy and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.