Lab News

🔈2026 Sejong Science Fellowship Awarded to Research Professor JINYOUNG SHON. Jinyoung Shon of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management, Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) has been selected for the "2026 Sejong Science Fellowship (Domestic Track)" research program funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF). https://www.ewha.ac.kr/ewha/news/organ-news.do?mode=view&articleNo=361188

🔈2025 Korean Nutrition Society (KNS) International Conference — Graduate Student Poster Encouragement Award. Jiwon Shin (Master's student) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received the Graduate Student Poster Encouragement Award at the "2025 Korean Nutrition Society International Conference and 60th Annual Meeting (2025 KFN, Integrative Approaches to Nutritional Health: Bridging Science, Technology, and Practice)," held on October 31, 2025 at Seoul Dragon City. Her presentation was titled "Comparative analysis of a novel tail-based mouse epigenetic clock: biological insights and biomarker potential."

🔈2025 Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition (KFN) International Symposium — Graduate Student Oral Presentation Excellence Award. Seungmin Song (Ph.D. candidate) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received the Excellence Award in the Graduate Student Oral Presentation Competition at the "2025 KFN International Symposium and Annual Meeting," held October 29–31, 2025 at BEXCO, Busan. His presentation was titled "DNA Methylation Signatures of Weight Loss Response in Prediabetes: Findings from the Korean Diabetes Prevention Study (KDPS)."

🔈2025 Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis (KSoLA) Fall International Conference — Graduate Student Poster Excellence Award. Yoonji Ryu (Master's student, Clinical Nutrition, Graduate School of Clinical Bio-Health Sciences, Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received the Excellent e-Poster Award at "The 14th International Congress on Lipid and Atherosclerosis," held Saturday, September 13, 2025 at the Conrad Seoul. Her presentation was titled "FFAR-based polygenic risk score and its interaction with macronutrient intake in relation to MAFLD risk in Korean adults."

🔈2025 Commencement — Outstanding Thesis Award. Heemin Lee of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received her Master's degree at the Ewha Womans University commencement ceremony on August 29, 2025, and was awarded the Outstanding Thesis Award for her thesis, "Aging-Related Transcriptomic Alteration in White Adipose Tissue: Insights from Single-Cell RNA Sequencing."

🔈2025 Outstanding Safety Research Laboratory Designation. The Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management, Lab Director: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) was designated an Outstanding Safety Research Laboratory at Ewha Womans University for the 2025 academic year.

🔈2024 Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition (KFN) International Symposium — Graduate Student Oral Presentation Encouragement Award. Khuhee Na (Combined M.S./Ph.D. program) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received the Encouragement Award in the Graduate Student Oral Presentation Competition at the "2024 KFN International Symposium and Annual Meeting," held October 23–25, 2024 at the Jeju International Convention Center (ICC Jeju). Her presentation was titled "Deciphering the hepatic circadian clock-regulated molecular pathways through a genetic mouse model."

🔈2024 Ewha Research Excellence Award (Top Excellence) — Prof. Yoon Jung Park. Prof. Yoon Jung Park of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management received the Ewha Research Excellence Award (Top Excellence) in October 2024 in recognition of her outstanding research achievements.

🔈2024 Editor-in-Chief Appointment — Journal of Nutrition and Health. Prof. Yoon Jung Park of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management was appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Nutrition and Health, the official journal of the Korean Nutrition Society, beginning in 2024.

🔈2023 Bogun Scholarship Foundation Award — Seungmin Song. Seungmin Song (Ph.D. candidate) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received the Research Support Scholarship in the Medicine category from the Yuhan Foundation's Bogun Scholarship Foundation (Chairman Yeon Man-hee).

🔈2023 Outstanding Teaching Award. Prof. Yoon Jung Park of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management) was selected as an Outstanding Teaching Professor for the 2023 academic year (based on the 2022-1 semester) and received the award plaque at the awards ceremony held on Friday, March 17, 2023, at Lee Sambong Hall, ECC.

🔈2023 Commencement — Outstanding Thesis Award. So Young Yoon of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received her Ph.D. at the Ewha Womans University commencement ceremony on February 27, 2023, and was awarded the Outstanding Thesis Award for her dissertation, "Effects of adenosine derivatives from Cordyceps militaris on ovarian cancer and aging."

🔈2022 Outstanding Safety Laboratory Designation. The Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory was designated an Outstanding Safety Laboratory for the 2022 academic year by the Laboratory Safety Management Committee, receiving a commemorative plaque and a monetary award.

🔈2022 Korean Nutrition Society (KNS) International Conference — Graduate Student Poster Presentation Grand Prize. So Young Kwon (Master's student) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received the Grand Prize for Graduate Student Poster Presentation at the "2022 Korean Nutrition Society International Conference and 57th Annual Meeting (2022 KFN, AI, Big Data, and Cloud Technologies for Next-Generation Nutrition)," held Friday, October 14, 2022, at the JW Marriott Hotel Seoul. Her presentation was titled "Effects of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide on Liver and Adipose Tissue by Diet and Age."

🔈2022 Bogun Scholarship Foundation Award — So Young Kwon. So Young Kwon (Master's student) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received the Research Support Scholarship in the Pharmacy category from the Yuhan Foundation's Bogun Scholarship Foundation (Chairman Yeon Man-hee).

🔈2021 Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition (KFN) International Symposium — Graduate Student Oral Presentation Encouragement Award. Eunbi Lee (Combined M.S./Ph.D. program) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received the Encouragement Award in the Graduate Student Oral Presentation Competition at the "2021 KFN International Symposium and Annual Meeting," held October 27–29, 2021 at BEXCO, Busan. Her presentation was titled "Role of Angiogenin-mediated tRNA Fragmentation in Transmission of Diet-induced Metabolic Stress."

🔈2021 Korean Nutrition Society (KNS) International Conference — Best English Oral Presentation Award and Poster Encouragement Award. Jinyoung Shon (Ph.D. candidate, Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received the Best English Oral Presentation Award at the 2021 Korean Nutrition Society International Conference, held October 15, 2021. Her presentation was titled "Effect of Korean Macronutrients Intake Pattern and Circadian Genes on Obesity." In addition, Yerim Han (Master's student, Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) presented "Imbalanced macronutrient distribution dysregulates circadian rhythm via induction of ER stress" and received the Poster Encouragement Award.

🔈2021 Bogun Scholarship Foundation Award — Yerim Han. Yerim Han (Master's student) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received a scholarship for outstanding research proposal submissions in the Healthcare category from the Yuhan Foundation's Bogun Scholarship Foundation (Chairman Han Seung-soo).

🔈2021 Ewha Excellence Scholarship — So Young Kwon. Incoming student So Young Kwon, joining the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park), was selected to receive the Ewha Excellence Scholarship, covering one full year of graduate tuition based on her outstanding undergraduate academic record.

🔈2021 Doctoral Student Research Grant Program — So Young Yoon. So Young Yoon (Combined M.S./Ph.D. program) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) was selected for the "Doctoral Student Research Grant Program," part of the "2021 Support Program for the Next Generation of Researchers in Science and Engineering," organized by the Ministry of Education and funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea.

🔈2020 Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition (KFN) International Symposium — Graduate Student Oral Presentation Encouragement Award and Excellent Poster Presentation Award. Dahye Yun (Master's student) and Hyehyeon Sim / Ji Hyun Park (Master's student / Master's graduate) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received the Encouragement Award in the Graduate Student Oral Presentation Competition and the Excellent Poster Presentation Award, respectively, at the "2020 KFN International Symposium and Annual Meeting," held October 21–23 at the Jeju International Convention Center (ICC Jeju). Dahye Yun's presentation was titled "The anticancer effects of isoquinoline alkaloids from Chelidonium majus L. extract on ovarian cancer cells," and Hyehyeon Sim / Ji Hyun Park's presentation was titled "Glutamine Deprivation Induces Cell Cycle Arrest via Regulation of Histone H3 Lysine 4 Demethylase in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer."

🔈2020 Gender Innovation Research Doctoral Dissertation Award — Joo Hyun Park. Joo Hyun Park, a graduate of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory, received the 2020 Science and Technology Gender Innovation Research Doctoral Dissertation Award, along with a cash prize, from the Korea Federation of Women's Science and Technology Associations (KOFWST) for her doctoral dissertation. Established in 2019 to promote gender innovation research in science and technology, the award recognized her dissertation for demonstrating that, even under identical dietary intake, the risk of impaired metabolic regulation in offspring varies depending on parental or grandparental metabolic status — and, notably, that this transgenerational predisposition to metabolic dysfunction manifests differently by sex through distinct molecular mechanisms, underscoring the need for sex-specific biomarkers and interventions.

🔈2020 Fall Semester Ewha Outstanding Research Scholarship — Eunbi Lee. Eunbi Lee (Combined M.S./Ph.D. program) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) was selected to receive the Ewha Outstanding Research Scholarship for the Fall 2020 semester.

🔈2020 (First Half) Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation "On-dream Global Outstanding Scholar" — Eunbi Lee. Eunbi Lee (Combined M.S./Ph.D. program) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park), recognized for publishing an SCI-indexed paper, received a plaque and special cash award at the "On-dream Global Outstanding Scholar" ceremony hosted by the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation for its scholarship recipients.

🔈2020 Doctoral Student Research Grant Program — Jinyoung Shon. Jinyoung Shon (Ph.D. candidate) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) was selected for the "Doctoral Student Research Grant Program," part of the "2020 Support Program for the Next Generation of Researchers in Science and Engineering," organized by the Ministry of Education and funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea. https://m.blog.naver.com/the_ewha/222107955081 http://www.ewha.ac.kr/ewha/news/ewha-news.do?mode=view&articleNo=321766&article.offset=0&articleLimit=10

🔈2019 Ewha Research Excellence Award (Excellence) — Prof. Yoon Jung Park. Prof. Yoon Jung Park of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management received the Ewha Research Excellence Award (Excellence) in February 2019 in recognition of her outstanding research contributions.

🔈2019 Fall Semester Ewha Outstanding Research Scholarship — So Young Yoon. So Young Yoon (Combined M.S./Ph.D. program) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) was selected to receive the Ewha Outstanding Research Scholarship for the Fall 2019 semester.

🔈2019 Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation Scholarship — Eunbi Lee. Eunbi Lee (Combined M.S./Ph.D. program) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received her 2019 scholarship certificate from the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation on July 5, 2018.

🔈2018 12th ISNN Conference — Second Place Poster Award. Jinyoung Shon (Ph.D. candidate) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received the Second Place Poster Award at the 12th International Society of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics (ISNN) Conference, held in Canada from September 30 to October 3. Her poster presentation was titled "Genetic variants of circadian clock genes influence risk of chronic disease."

🔈2018 Ewha Top Scholarship — Dahye Yun. Incoming student Dahye Yun, joining the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park), was selected to receive the Ewha Top Scholarship, covering two full years of graduate tuition based on her outstanding undergraduate academic record.

🔈2018 50th Bogun Scholarship Foundation Award — So Young Yoon. So Young Yoon (Master's student) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received a scholarship for outstanding research proposal submissions in the Healthcare category from the Bogun Scholarship Foundation (Chairman Yeon Man-hee) at a ceremony held July 19 in the Yuhan Corporation conference hall.

🔈2018 Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation Scholarship — Jinyoung Shon. Jinyoung Shon (Ph.D. candidate, Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management received her 2018 scholarship certificate from the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation on June 30, 2018.

🔈2018 Commencement — Outstanding Thesis Award. Jihee Han of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received her Master's degree at the Ewha Womans University commencement ceremony on February 26, 2018, and was awarded the Outstanding Thesis Award for her thesis, "Gene-environment interactions of Adenosine receptor gene family for metabolic diseases in Korean population."

🔈2017 Korean Nutrition Society (KNS) 50th Anniversary International Conference — Excellent English Oral Presentation Award. Joo Hyun Park (Ph.D. graduate, Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management received the Excellent English Oral Presentation Award at the "2017 Korean Nutrition Society 50th Anniversary International Conference," held November 2–3, 2017. Her presentation was titled "Transgenerational effects of diet-induced obesity on metabolic alteration via endoplasmic reticulum stress in offspring."

🔈2017 Fall Semester Outstanding Teaching Faculty. The "2017 Fall Semester Outstanding Teaching and Outstanding English-Language Teaching Faculty Award Ceremony," held to strengthen Ewha's educational quality and recognize faculty who provide excellent instruction, took place on October 17 in the Main Building reception hall. Award recipients are selected based on course evaluation scores, number of courses taught, enrollment size, and course type (lecture/practicum) across the most recent four semesters, among faculty who taught at least one undergraduate course per semester during that period. Prof. Yoon Jung Park of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management was among the seven faculty members selected as an Outstanding Teaching Professor.

🔈2017 Commencement — Outstanding Thesis Award. Joo Hyun Park of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received her Ph.D. at the Ewha Womans University commencement ceremony on August 25, 2017, and was awarded the Outstanding Thesis Award for her dissertation, "Diet-induced metabolic disease through multigenerations via epigenetic mechanism."

🔈2017 Malaspina International Scholar Award — Prof. Yoon Jung Park. Prof. Yoon Jung Park of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management received the Malaspina International Scholar Award from the International Life Science Institute (ILSI) in June 2017, in San Diego, USA, in recognition of her distinguished contributions to international nutrition science research.

🔈2017 The 58th McKusick Short Course (Jackson Laboratory) Training Program. Selected as scholarship recipients under the Ewha–Jackson Laboratory exchange program, Jihee Han and Yeon Kyu Lee (Master's students) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) participated in the "Human and Mammalian Genetics and Genomics: McKusick Short Course" at the Jackson Laboratory Genomic Medicine Center from July 16 to August 1. The program gave them the opportunity to strengthen their research skills, gain firsthand experience of an international research environment, and build connections with young researchers from around the world.

🔈2016 48th Bogun Scholarship Foundation Award — Minyoung Cho. Minyoung Cho (Master's student) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received a scholarship for outstanding research proposal submissions in the Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences category from the Bogun Scholarship Foundation (Chairman Yeon Man-hee) at a ceremony held July 19 in the Yuhan Corporation conference hall.

🔈2015 Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition (KFN) International Symposium — Excellent Poster Presentation Award. Gyuhwi Lee (Master's graduate, Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) and Dana Choi (Master's student, Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management received the Poster Presentation Award at the "Phytonutrients and Healthy Foods" KFN International Symposium and Annual Meeting, held August 24–26, 2015. Their presentation, titled "Neuroprotective effects of the Paeonia lactiflora extract against MPP+-induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells is mediated by epigenetic modulation," demonstrated the neuroprotective effects of peony extract against MPP+-induced cell death through epigenetic mechanisms.

🔈2014 Outstanding Safety Laboratory Designation. The Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management, Lab Director: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) was designated an Outstanding Safety Laboratory at Ewha Womans University for the 2014 academic year.

🔈2014 Korean Nutrition Society (KNS) International Conference — Excellent Poster Presentation Award. Jinyoung Lim (Master's student, Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management received the Excellent Poster Presentation Award at the "International Conference of the Korean Nutrition Society: Brain and Nutrition," the KNS Fall International Conference and 49th Annual Meeting, held November 5–7, 2014. Her poster presentation, "Identification of metabolic pathways associated with cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer via genome-wide analysis," analyzed expression pattern differences between chemotherapy-resistant and normally sensitive ovarian cancer cell populations, examining how resulting changes in macronutrient-related gene expression — particularly genes involved in the folate cycle — affect the cells as a whole.

🔈2014 Korean Nutrition Society (KNS) International Conference — Student English Oral Presentation "Best Presentation Award". Yeongran Yoo (Master's student, Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management received the "Best Presentation Award" in the Young Researcher English Oral Presentation session at the 2014 KNS Fall International Conference, held November 5–7, 2014. Her presentation, "A Novel Epigenetic Mechanism in Adipogenesis via TET Protein and Vitamin C," explored the regulation of adipocyte differentiation through DNA demethylation — a key epigenetic mechanism — and the nutritional metabolites that influence this process.

🔈2014 Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition (KFN) International Symposium — Student Oral Presentation Grand Prize. Joo Hyun Park (Combined M.S./Ph.D. program, Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) of the Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management received the Grand Prize for Student Oral Presentation at the "Lifelong Health and Wellness from Nutrition and Food" KFN International Symposium and Annual Meeting, held October 27–29, 2014. Her presentation, "Transgenerational effects of paternal high fat diet on metabolic phenotype and the underlying epigenetic mechanisms," revealed how a paternal high-fat-diet-induced metabolic disease phenotype is transmitted to subsequent generations.

🔈2014 46th Bogun Scholarship Foundation Award — Joo Hyun Park. Joo Hyun Park (Combined M.S./Ph.D. program) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) received a scholarship for outstanding research proposal submissions in the Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences category from the Bogun Scholarship Foundation (Chairman Yeon Man-hee) at a ceremony held July 17 in the Yuhan Corporation conference hall.

🔈2014 German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Epigenomics Training Program. Yeongran Yoo (Master's student) of the Metabolic Epigenetics Laboratory (Advisor: Prof. Yoon Jung Park) participated in an epigenetics research technique training program in April, working with the Epigenomics Group (Dr. Plass) at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) on chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) methodology. The experience strengthened her research capabilities and gave her firsthand exposure to an international research environment.