Hye-Sung Lee

Contact:

• Office : Room 3308, Building E6-2, KAIST, Daejeon, South Korea

• Telephone : +82-42-350-7317 

• Email : hyesung.lee(AT)kaist.ac.kr

• Group : Particle Theory Group (Room 4320 in E6-2, +82-42-350-7357)

• Curriculum Vitae : updated in August 2025

Introduction:

• I study theoretical particle physics, which is about the fundamental building blocks of our universe and how they interact with each other. 

  •  Quora: What is particle physics and what does it study?

  •  Wire: All you need to know to get started on particle physics

  •  The Particle Adventure: The fundamentals of matter and force

• My major research interests are in the fundamental interactions of nature. Mostly, I study new gauge symmetries as physics beyond the standard model. A new gauge interaction might be important in understanding the dark matter sector as well as the dark energy sector in the universe. Since we do not know where this new fundamental force is hidden or what it couples to, a proper investigation requires studying broad areas of particle physics. I am also interested in the formal aspects of the strong interaction (QCD), which is well-known but still mysterious because of its non-perturbative nature. As an extended research area, I am also interested in the physics explanation of deep learning.

• My research in the news media: Yonhap News (March 2017), ET News (March 2017), MK News (April 2017), Issue Maker (May 2017), etc.

• I have helped launch and organize Light Dark World International Forums annually since 2016.

• Grant Awards: NRF Strategic Research from November 2017, NRF Basic Research from 2020, NRF Mid-Career Research from 2021, NRF Mid-Career Research from 2024.

• Teaching:  General Physics II (PH.10042) in Spring 2025 as the General Physics Coordinator. (Courses offered, Academic calendar)

Research:

• My Research Interests: Particle Theory (especially, physics beyond the standard model)

  • New fundamental interactions

  • New physics models for dark matter and dark energy

  • New physics in neutrino sector

  • Physics explanation of neural networks

• My Publications: 76 papers (66 regular papers + 10 reports; over 4600 citations; h-index = 33)

  • arXiv.org, INSPIRE (HEP database) 

  • Web of Science, ResearcherID, ORCID, Google Scholar, SCOPUS, Pure

  • Some showcase works:

    • Synaptic Field Theory for Neural Networks (PRD 2025)

    • Dynamic neuron approach to deep neural networks: Decoupling neurons for renormalization group analysis (PRR 2025)

    • Dirac-Majorana neutrino type oscillation induced by a wave dark matter  (PRD 2023)

    • Gauged quintessence (JCAP 2023)

    • Portal Connecting Dark Photons and Axions (PRL 2017)

    • Fourth Generation Parity (PRL 2013)

    • Muon Anomaly and Dark Parity Violation (PRL 2012)

    • Six-Lepton Z' Resonance at the Large Hadron Collider (PRL 2009)

• My Presentations: 103 presentations (complete list)

Career:

• Education:

  • My academic genealogy (- Fermi - Goldberger - Kazes - Barger - Lee)

  • Ph.D in Physics (Particle Theory) at University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2005 

  • M.S. in Physics at KAIST, 1998

  • B.S. in Physics at KAIST, 1996

• Experience:

  • Associate Professor in Physics department at KAIST, 2024-Present

  • Assistant Professor in Physics department at KAIST, 2017-2024

  • Tenure-track Research Fellow in CTPU at IBS, 2015-2017

  • Fellow in Theory group at CERN, 2014-2015

  • Joint Postdoc at William and Mary & Jefferson Lab, 2012-2014

  • Postdoc in High energy theory group at Brookhaven National Laboratory, 2009-2012

  • Postdoc in Particle physics group at UC Riverside, 2008-2009

  • Postdoc in High energy theory group at University of Florida, 2005-2008

• Service:

  • Referee for PRL (since 2006), PRD (since 2006), JCAP (since 2008), EJPC (since 2016), PDG (since 2017)

  • Auditor of Association of Korean Physicists in America (AKPA), 2013-2015

  • Member of Executive Committee and Publicity&Editorial Committee of AKPA, 2009-2011

  • The Z' Hunter's Guide (online introduction to Z' physics that I made as a graduate student)

Links:

• Physics Information:

  • INSPIRE, HEP Reviews, Conferences, arXiv (time), ISI, KHEP list

  • Particle Data Group

  • Journals: PRX, PRL, PRD, PLB, JHEP, JCAP, Nature Physics, Journal Impact Factors

  • Jobs: Academic Jobs, INSPIRE Jobs, Faculty rumors, Postdoc rumors, Physics Today Jobs, KPS DPF

  • Meetings: Conferences and Meetings, INSPIRE Conferences

  • Lectures: Coleman Lectures (Note), Feynman Lectures, Langacker Book

  • International Prizes: Nobel, Sakurai, Dirac, Breakthrough, Gravitation essay

  • Domestic Prizes: Hoam, Korea Science, Korea Top Scientist, Scientist of the Month, POSCO, Kyung Ahm, Hanseong

  • Funding: NRF (system), Samsung S&T foundation

• Others:

  • Time Buddy

  • Benjamin W. Lee - late particle physicist